Electronic waste (e-waste) poses significant environmental and health risks in Thailand due to both domestic production and international imports. A notable portion of this waste is processed in small-scale, community-based workshops, often located in poorer regions, where safety regulations are improperly enforced or entirely ignored. This study focuses on the Kalasin province in Northern Thailand, a region with numerous such workshops, where no comprehensive analysis of exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DP) has been conducted. The study's objective was to quantify these toxic substances in environmental and biological samples to assess its contamination and human health risks. Environmental samples, including soil, dust, sediment, ash, eggs, crabs, snails, fish, and rice, were collected from e-waste processing sites and compared with control areas. Blood samples from e-waste workers and a control group were also analysed. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry operated in negative ion chemical ionization (GC-NCI-MS) was used to quantify PBDEs and DP isomers. Results showed significantly higher concentrations of these toxic compounds in e-waste sites compared to control areas. E-waste workers also had elevated levels of these substances in their blood, suggesting exposure through contaminated dust and food. These findings underscore the severe environmental contamination and health risks associated with improper e-waste management, highlighting the urgent need for regulatory measures and improved recycling practices to safeguard both environmental and public health.
- MeSH
- chlorované uhlovodíky * analýza krev MeSH
- elektronický odpad * analýza MeSH
- halogenované difenylethery * analýza toxicita krev MeSH
- hodnocení rizik MeSH
- látky znečišťující životní prostředí analýza krev MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí metody MeSH
- polycyklické sloučeniny * analýza MeSH
- prach analýza MeSH
- pracovní expozice analýza MeSH
- recyklace * MeSH
- vystavení vlivu životního prostředí škodlivé účinky analýza MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Thajsko MeSH
Analýza a následná vizualizace změn v produkci odpadu vztažená k různým úrovním územních celků odráží základní trendy ve změnách struktury poskytované péče v letech 2020−2021. Problematika rizik vyplývající z nakládání s odpady ze zdravotní péče je na světové úrovni posouvána směrem k cirkulární ekonomice ve smyslu managementu materiálových toků ve specifickém prostředí zdravotnictví a jeho nárokům na bezpečnost. Role orgánu ochrany veřejného zdraví v této oblasti spočívá v dozoru, jehož obsah lze prakticky strukturovat do podoby kontrolních listů a tím nalézt bezpečné způsoby pro zavedení principů oběhového hospodářství do zdravotnických zařízení. Tlak na společenskou a environmentální odpovědnost ve zdravotnictví ve spojení s řízením materiálových toků a zvýšením míry recyklace vede v současné době k intenzivní diskuzi nejen v akademické sféře, ale i na úrovni politik jednotlivých výrobců zdravotnické techniky a zdravotnických prostředků. Hledání bezpečné cesty pro recyklaci materiálů, které jsou v současnosti převážně spalovány, je úkolem pro všechny zúčastněné aktéry.
The analysis and subsequent visualisation of changes in waste production related to different levels of territorial units reflect the basic trends of changes in the structure of healthcare provision between 2020 and 2021. The issue of risks arising from healthcare waste management is shifting towards a circular economy at the global level in terms of managing material flows in the specific environment of healthcare and its safety requirements. The role of the public health authority in this matter resides in supervision, the content of which can be practically structured into the form of checklists enabling to find safe ways of introducing the principles of circular economy into healthcare facilities. The pursuit of social and environmental responsibility in the healthcare sector in association with the management of material flows and increased recycling rates is currently being intensively discussed not only in academia but also at the policy level of individual manufacturers of medical devices and equipment. Finding a safe way to recycle materials that are currently predominantly incinerated is a challenge for all stakeholders.
Fungi harboring lignocellulolytic activity accelerate the composting process of agricultural wastes; however, using thermophilic fungal isolates for this process has been paid little attention. Moreover, exogenous nitrogen sources may differently affect fungal lignocellulolytic activity. A total of 250 thermophilic fungi were isolated from local compost and vermicompost samples. First, the isolates were qualitative assayed for ligninase and cellulase activities using Congo red (CR) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as substrates, respectively. Then, twenty superior isolates harboring higher ligninase and cellulase activities were selected and quantitatively assayed for both enzymes in basic mineral (BM) liquid medium supplemented with the relevant substrates and nitrogen sources including (NH4)2SO4 (AS), NH4NO3 (AN), urea (U), AS + U (1:1), or AN + U (1:1) with final nitrogen concentration of 0.3 g/L. The highest ligninase activities of 99.94, 89.82, 95.42, 96.25, and 98.34% of CR decolorization were recorded in isolates VC85, VC94, VC85, C145, and VC85 in the presence of AS, U, AS + U, AN, and AN + U, respectively. Mean ligninase activity of 63.75% in superior isolates was achieved in the presence of AS and ranked the highest among other N compounds. The isolates C200 and C184 exhibited the highest cellulolytic activity in the presence of AS and AN + U by 8.8 and 6.5 U/ml, respectively. Mean cellulase activity of 3.90 U/mL was achieved in AN + U and ranked the highest among other N compounds. Molecular identification of twenty superior isolates confirmed that all of them are belonging to Aspergillus fumigatus group. Focusing on the highest ligninase activity of the isolate VC85 in the presence of AS, the combination can be recommended as a potential bio-accelerator for compost production.
- MeSH
- celulasa * MeSH
- dusík MeSH
- houby MeSH
- kompostování * MeSH
- oxygenasy * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Improper municipal solid waste (MSW) management contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating emissions reduction strategies such as waste reduction, recycling, and composting to move towards a more sustainable, low-carbon future. Machine learning models are applied for MSW-related trend prediction to provide insights on future waste generation or carbon emissions trends and assist the formulation of effective low-carbon policies. Yet, the existing machine learning models are diverse and scattered. This inconsistency poses challenges for researchers in the MSW domain who seek to identify and optimize the machine learning techniques and configurations for their applications. This systematic review focuses on MSW-related trend prediction using the most frequently applied machine learning model, artificial neural network (ANN), while addressing potential methodological improvements for reducing prediction uncertainty. Thirty-two papers published from 2013 to 2023 are included in this review, all applying ANN for MSW-related trend prediction. Observing a decrease in the size of data samples used in studies from daily to annual timescales, the summarized statistics suggest that well-performing ANN models can still be developed with approximately 33 annual data samples. This indicates promising opportunities for modeling macroscale greenhouse gas emissions in future works. Existing literature commonly used the grid search (manual) technique for hyperparameter (e.g., learning rate, number of neurons) optimization and should explore more time-efficient automated optimization techniques. Since there are no one-size-fits-all performance indicators, it is crucial to report the model's predictive performance based on more than one performance indicator and examine its uncertainty. The predictive performance of newly-developed integrated models should also be benchmarked to show performance improvement clearly and promote similar applications in future works. The review analyzed the shortcomings, best practices, and prospects of ANNs for MSW-related trend predictions, supporting the realization of practical applications of ANNs to enhance waste management practices and reduce carbon emissions.
Outflows from secondary stages of conventional me-chanical-biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) still contain significant concentrations of faecal pollution indicators suggesting the potential presence of pathogenic organisms. The decrease in the concentration of somatic coliphages and bacterial indicators of faecal pollution during the technological stages (coagulation, sand filtra-tion, membrane ultrafiltration, sorption on granular acti-vated carbon, disinfection, accumulation) of a semi-operational plant designed for multi-stage tertiary treat-ment or rather recycling of treated wastewater was moni-tored and discussed. During the tertiary treatment, faecal bacteria indicators were better removed than somatic coliphages, hence the inclusion of somatic indicators among faecal pollution indicators in water quality control for reuse is entirely appropriate. Subsequent tertiary treat-ment, including disinfection, is essential for safe reuse of treated water.
- Klíčová slova
- pracovní právo,
- MeSH
- elektronický odpad * ekonomika MeSH
- hygiena práce MeSH
- látky znečišťující životní prostředí škodlivé účinky MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nebezpečný odpad MeSH
- opakované použití vybavení MeSH
- otrava olovem prevence a kontrola MeSH
- pracovní expozice škodlivé účinky MeSH
- recyklace * MeSH
- řízení rizik MeSH
- zákonodárství jako téma MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
Industrial processes generate various quantities of waste that can be contaminated with radionuclides of natural origin (naturally occurring radioactive material ('NORM waste')). The efficient management of this waste is essential for any industries affected by NORM waste generation. To obtain an overview of current practices and approaches in Europe, the IRPA Task Group on NORM conducted a survey among task group members and other experts from European countries. The results revealed significant differences in methods and approaches in the European countries. In many countries, landfills are used to dispose of small- and medium-sized quantities of NORM waste with limited activity concentration. But our survey indicated that despite a uniform reference basis for national legislation in Europe, there are different framework conditions for the disposal of NORM waste in practice. In some countries, the disposal is hampered because the interface between the radiation protection system and the waste regime is not yet clearly regulated. Particular practical problems include the lack of acceptance of waste because of the 'radioactivity' stigma and only vague specifications by the legislators on acceptance obligations of the waste management sector.
- MeSH
- nakládání s odpady * MeSH
- odpadky - odstraňování * MeSH
- průmysl MeSH
- radiační ochrana * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa MeSH
Reducing bacterial pathogen contamination not only improves overall global public health but also diminishes food waste and loss. The use of lytic bacteriophages (phages) that infect and kill bacteria could be a beneficial tool for suppressing bacterial growth during dairy products storage time. Four Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) complex isolates which were previously isolated from contaminated dairy products were used to identify lytic phages in wastewater. Phages specific to multi-drug resistant (MDR) E. cloacae complex 6AS1 were isolated from local sewage. Two novel phages vB_EclM-EP1 and vB_EclM-EP2 were identified as myoviral particles and have double-stranded DNA genome. Their host range and lytic capabilities were detected using spot test and efficiency of plating (EOP) against several bacterial isolates. The phages had a latent period of 30 min, and a large burst size of about 100 and 142 PFU/cell for vB_EclM-EP1 and vB_EclM-EP2, respectively. Both phages were viable at pH ranging 5-9 and stable at 70 °C for 60 min. The individual phages and their cocktail preparations (vB_EclM-EP1 and vB_EclM-EP2) reduced and inhibited the growth of E. cloacae complex 6AS1 during challenge test in milk and yogurt samples. These results indicate that the E. cloacae complex-specific phages (vB_EclM-EP1 and vB_EclM-EP2) have a potential application as microbicidal agents in packaged milk and milk derivatives during storage time. In addition, our environment is a rich sources of lytic phages which have potential use in eliminating multidrug-resistant isolates in food industry as well as in biocontrol.
- MeSH
- bakteriofágy * genetika MeSH
- Enterobacter cloacae MeSH
- jogurt MeSH
- mléko mikrobiologie MeSH
- odpadky - odstraňování * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
