scholarly journals Regulation of Natural and Synthetic Estrogens in Drinking Water Bodies: Reviewing Emerging Solutions for an Emerging Problem

Author(s):  
Fayga Nunes de Albuquerque Pismel ◽  
Rosane Cristina de Andrade ◽  
Daniele Maia Bila

Abstract A growing amount of data in the scientific literature indicates that emerging contaminants, such as Endocrine Disruptors Chemicals (EDCs), have increased in concentration in water bodies in recent years. The main objective of this research was to compile data on legal and regulatory frameworks of different locations regarding the control of estrogens (an EDC) in surface and drinking waters, to support regulation in countries where it has not shown significant advances. An analysis was carried out of the legal provisions aimed at guaranteeing the quality of surface and drinking waters, specifically regarding the control of estrogens, in the United States of America (USA), European Union (EU), Australia and Brazil. Among these, it is emphasized that only Australia has reference values for estrogens in water recycling for drinking purposes. Although several scientific data support the harmful effects of estrogens, several countries do not regulate the maximum values of these compounds allowed in water bodies. Some factors can influence the setting of standards for estrogens in regulations, such as the availability of affordable treatment technologies that are proven to be effective in removing these compounds and the lack of robust analytical methods with adequate limits of quantification for detection in low concentrations that can be widely employed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-101
Author(s):  
Débora Maria Carvalho da Silva ◽  
Cléber Domingos Cunha da Silva

Synthetic estrogens are endocrine disrupting compounds that might be in water bodies and, consequently, interfere in hormonal, metabolic and reproductive functions of organisms exposed. This study aims to analyze the international scientific literature about those chemicals through a systematic and narrative review. The investigated estrogens were 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2), Mestranol (MeEE2), Diethylstilbestrol (DES) and Dienestrol (DNS), which are widely present in pharmaceuticals, consumed and disposed in the environment. For this review, only scientific papers, published from 1990 to 2019, were considered. They were collected in ScienceDirect, PubMed and Scielo online platforms. Introductory information about the compounds, such as their chemical characteristics and use in society were described, as their occurrence in aquatic ecosystems and effects on biota, reported by environmental assessments and ecotoxicological tests, respectively. According to this study, China is the major contributor in quantitative terms, counting 21 articles about synthetic estrogens. Some hormones demonstrated to be more investigated than others; moreover, the increasing of research about those emerging contaminants was noticed. Additionally, Brazilian water bodies revealed to have the highest concentrations, which should encourage critical thinking on its insufficient environmental management. The study also highlights the importance of scientific research expansion and its implementation on truly effective public policies for aquatic ecosystem conservation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 442 ◽  
pp. 213993
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif Shahid ◽  
Ayesha Kashif ◽  
Ahmed Fuwad ◽  
Younggyun Choi

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Joseph Meaney ◽  

COVID-19 vaccine passports run the risk of creating a divided society where social privileges or restrictions based on “fitness” lead to discrimination based on immunization status. Individuals have a strong right to be free of coercion to take a COVID-19 vaccine, and we should be very leery of further invasion of private medical decisions. These concerns are shared both internationally and in the United States, and the World Health Organization, the Biden administration, and many US governors oppose COVID-19 vaccine credentials. In addition, regulations for COVID-19 vaccine credentials face practical barriers, including lack of access globally, especially among the poor; and lack of scientific data on the efficacy of these vaccines.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 2150003
Author(s):  
Daphne Wang ◽  
Robert Houmes ◽  
Thanh Ngo ◽  
Omar Esqueda

The Capital Purchase Program (CPP) was the first and most significant program under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) during 2008–2009 financial crisis. This study evaluates the effect of the CPP during this period on the cost of equity of 170 publicly listed banks in the United States that received funding. To control for the potential effects of endogeneity on our results, we use a propensity score matched sample of non-CPP banks. Using this approach, we document robust evidence that the liquidity provided by the government bailout reduced the cost of equity for recipient banks, especially for those banks that repaid their bailout funds in full. This decrease in the cost of equity is particularly significant for banks with high market-to-book ratios, low concentrations of institutional ownership, and those banks with at least one large blockholder. Our findings have important implications for the assessment of government bailout programs and the future regulation of financial institutions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Halbert

This paper discusses the importance of a particular approach to building and sustaining digital content preservation infrastructures for cultural memory organizations (CMOs), namely distributed approaches that are cooperatively maintained by CMOs (rather than centralized approaches managed by agencies external to CMOs), and why this approach may fill a gap in capabilities for those CMOs actively digitizing historical and cultural content (rather than scientific data). Initial findings are presented from an early organizational effort (the MetaArchive Cooperative) that seeks to fill this gap for CMOs. The paper situates these claims in the larger context of selected exemplars of DP efforts in both the United States and the United Kingdom that are seeking to develop effective DP models in an attempt to recognize those organizational aspects (such as the governmental frameworks, cultural backgrounds, and other differences in emphasis) that are UK and US-specific.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-147
Author(s):  
Clarice Beatriz da Costa Söhngen ◽  
Danielle Massulo Bordignon

This paper proposes an analysis of the legal aspects present in the narrative of “The Handmaid´s Tale”, a novel by Margaret Atwood. First published in 1985, and heavily influenced by second-wave feminism, “The Handmaid´s Tale” addresses, mainly, the matter of gender inequality, once it creates a reality in which fertile women are compelled to reproduce through a servitude system. Through a rupture with the Cartesian dichotomy whose dualist notion separates objectivity from subjectivity, reason from emotion, this paper exposes that this oppression is not a literary creation by Atwood, but a reproduction of the power relations put forward in the history of humankind. In this regard, it is explored how Literature can aid the Law in facing the questions that come up in the resolution of legal and social problems. Besides gender inequality, it is possible to spot in the novel several violations concerning the principle of human dignity. Therefore, this research analyzes the legal provisions taken in the fictional space of Gilead, as well as in the country that preceded it, the United States of America, as well as in Brazil. In addition, it studies the symbolic violence to which women are submitted in Gilead and how it relates to the experiences lived by contemporary Brazilian women.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Xu ◽  
Divya A. Patel ◽  
Vanessa K. Dalton ◽  
Mark D. Pearlman ◽  
Timothy R. B. Johnson

Primary prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to pose an important challenge in the United States. Recent clinical trials conducted in Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda have demonstrated considerable benefit of male circumcision in reducing HIV seroincidence in males. These results have ignited debate over the appropriateness of implementing routine provision of neonatal circumcision in the United States for HIV prevention. This article discusses major contextual differences between the United States and the three African countries where the clinical trials were conducted, and cautions that the applicability of the scientific data from Africa to this country must be carefully considered before rational policy recommendations regarding routine neonatal circumcision can be made as a strategy to prevent the spread of HIV in the United States.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-394
Author(s):  
JAMES P. ORLOWSKI

In Reply.— I appreciate Dr Hall's thoughtful and thorough critique of our article. I will address each of her points to show that our conclusions are just as logical and based on as much scientific data as her alternate interpretations. First, Reye syndrome should be the same disease in Australia (and anywhere else in the world) as it is in the United States. As Hall points out, our series1 is remarkably similar not only to the original series of Reye et al2 but also to her own series in Great Britain,3 studies from Asia,4 a study from Ireland,5 a recent study from Spain,6 a report from France,7 and a recent study from West Germany.8


Author(s):  
Ginette Wessel

Beginning in 2008, city policymakers across the nation became increasingly involved in regulatory debates and policy revisions surrounding mobile food vending. Despite vendors’ abilities to reactivate neglected urban areas and increase food access for underserved neighborhoods, many issues related to unfair competition, public health and safety, and prejudices continue to dominate regulatory frameworks that limit vendors’ entrepreneurial freedoms and spatial opportunities. Using three regulatory conflicts between food vendors and policymakers, this chapter highlights the motivating factors that can guide regulatory decision-making and the ways vendors destabilize and shape formal mechanisms of regulatory control. Topics include public health, restaurant protectionism, and cultural injustice at both state and city levels. This research suggests that despite rigid regulatory policies and the variety of economic, social, and political factors that influence governments’ responses to mobile food vending, active municipal investment in the public realm combined with vendors’ grassroots efforts can generate just policies. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the significance of vendor advocacy and the supportive roles of food vending organizations across the United States to illustrate the ways vendors increase social justice in cities.


Author(s):  
Ángeles Val del Río ◽  
Paula Carrera Fernández ◽  
José Luis Campos Gómez ◽  
Anuska Mosquera-Corral

The pollution of water bodies by an excess of nutrients (N and P) is a worldwide problem with effects on the human health, ecosystems status, climate change, etc. To face with this important issue different regulations were promulgated by the countries, sometimes based on the results from international conventions and programmes. In this chapter, a review of the laws and regulations that affect the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus is addressed, focused in the case of Europe and the United States. Finally, a brief explanation about international initiatives was performed to understand the global framework concerning nutrients pollution.


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