scholarly journals Electronic cigarettes

Author(s):  
Kelsey Hynes ◽  
BCIT School of Health Sciences, Environmental Health ◽  
Helen Heacock ◽  
Fred Shaw ◽  
Jaymar Bisente ◽  
...  

  Background: Since 2011, the popularity of electronic cigarettes in North America has increased dramatically. However, with a lack of scientific data performed on long term health effects and the limited number of short term studies, it is difficult for Environmental Health Officers to effectively educate the public on concerns relating to the health and safety of the general public. The increase of teenage users demonstrates the need for better government legislation and enforcement, in order to prevent the re-glamorization of smoking in younger generations. Therefore, the following study conducted a chemical analysis on artificially inhaled vapor from two different types of e-cigarettes (disposable and rechargeable), to determine if any heavy metal concentrations; specifically cadmium, chromium, lead and arsenic, are detectable. Methods: The vapor from one of two e-cigarette types was artificially inhaled through a cellulose filter cassette by a personal sampling pump. A two tailed t-test was performed to determine if there were any differences between the heavy metals and the type of e-cigarette used in the study. Results: There was no statistical significant difference in heavy metal concentration by the type of e-cigarette used (for cadmium the p-value was 0.00, and power was 0.00, for chromium the p-value was 0.181220, and power was 0.008976342, for lead the p-value was 0.333711, and power was 0.001825742, for arsenic the p-value was 0.00, and power was 0.00). Conclusion: Based on the results, it was determined that there was no statistical significance between disposable e-cigarettes and rechargeable e-cigarettes with respect to concentration of the four heavy metals of interest (eg. cadmium, chromium, lead and arsenic). Although there was no statistical significance between the types of e-cigarettes used, the average concentration of chromium (IV) from the rechargeable e-cigarette was 0.13mg/m3, which is ten times the recommended 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) set by the BC Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Hence, further studies must be conducted to determine if the average concentration found in this study truly reflects the concentration found in inhaled vapor from rechargeable e-cigarettes. Furthermore, environmental health officers can provide the public with the concentration found in this study and warn of potential health risks associated with e-cigarettes until further studies are released.  

Author(s):  
Alyssa Zambon ◽  
BCIT School of Health Sciences, Environmental Health ◽  
Helen Heacock

  Background and Purpose: Personal service establishments are abundant such as piercing shops, tattoo parlours, spas and now float spas. Sensory deprivation tanks were popular in the 1980s and have come back as a new way to relax, reduce pain and relieve stress and to provide a complete deprivation of the senses. The sanitation of these tanks have caused concern in the public health field as bacteria and parasites can easily live and proliferate in the tank water. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) have to keep up to date with new or returning technology in order to provide information to the public and to ensure their safety. This research project investigated EHOs with differing years of employment in the field, geographic working location and age and their knowledge of sensory deprivation tanks. Methods: A survey created in Google Forms and Survey Monkey was disseminated through e-mail who then forwarded an e-mail to all EHOs in BC. The survey asked demographic questions, health and safety, sanitation and disinfection and general knowledge of floatation tanks. A t-test and ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: Three comparisons were tested: first was the number of years an EHO has worked in the field and their test score; second was their age and test score; and last was their geographic location and test score. The null hypotheses were not rejected as the p-value was found to be greater than 0.05 for all of the variables analyzed. Discussion: Overall, there was weak knowledge in EHOs and due to the small sample size there was weak statistical significance between the associations found regarding the number of years an EHO has worked in the field, their age and geographic location where they work compared to their test scores. Conclusion: More information needs to be provided to all EHOs to keep them updated on new personal service establishments.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 926 (1) ◽  
pp. 012096
Author(s):  
B J Kepel ◽  
W Bodhi ◽  
Fatimawali ◽  
T E Tallei

Abstract Environmental pollution from heavy metals is becoming a growing concern due to the adverse effects it is causing throughout the world. This study aims to analyze heavy metal concentrations and identify heavy metal resistant bacteria in the bay of Manado. Sediment samples were collected from five bays in Manado. The concentrations of heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb were analyzed using ICP-OES, and Hg using CV-AFS. Bacteria from the sediment were grown in nutrient broth media containing heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb respectively. Microbiology and 16SrRNA gene analysis were used to identify the bacteria that grown on media containing varying concentrations of heavy metals. The results showed that the sediments from the five bays in Manado contained heavy metals with an average concentration of As <1mg/kg, Cd 1.8mg/kg), Cr 6.2mg/kg, Hg <0.07mg/kg). and Pb 11.2mg/kg. The results of microbiological and molecular analysis showed that 5 species of heavy metal resistant bacteria were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus arlettae, Acinobacter sp., and Brevibacterium sp. The five bacteria found to be resistant to heavy metals can be used to detoxify As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihong Dong ◽  
Wenting Dai ◽  
Jiren Xu ◽  
Songnian Li

The study reported here examined, as the research subject, surface soils in the Liuxin mining area of Xuzhou, and explored the heavy metal content and spectral data by establishing quantitative models with Multivariable Linear Regression (MLR), Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) and Sequential Minimal Optimization for Support Vector Machine (SMO-SVM) methods. The study results are as follows: (1) the estimations of the spectral inversion models established based on MLR, GRNN and SMO-SVM are satisfactory, and the MLR model provides the worst estimation, with R2 of more than 0.46. This result suggests that the stress sensitive bands of heavy metal pollution contain enough effective spectral information; (2) the GRNN model can simulate the data from small samples more effectively than the MLR model, and the R2 between the contents of the five heavy metals estimated by the GRNN model and the measured values are approximately 0.7; (3) the stability and accuracy of the spectral estimation using the SMO-SVM model are obviously better than that of the GRNN and MLR models. Among all five types of heavy metals, the estimation for cadmium (Cd) is the best when using the SMO-SVM model, and its R2 value reaches 0.8628; (4) using the optimal model to invert the Cd content in wheat that are planted on mine reclamation soil, the R2 and RMSE between the measured and the estimated values are 0.6683 and 0.0489, respectively. This result suggests that the method using the SMO-SVM model to estimate the contents of heavy metals in wheat samples is feasible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 2095-2113
Author(s):  
Radu L. SUMALAN ◽  
Cornelia MUNTEAN ◽  
Ana KOSTOV ◽  
Daniel KRŽANOVIĆ ◽  
Noemi L. JUCSOR ◽  
...  

Heavy metal pollution, manifested by the accumulation, toxicity and persistence in soil, water, air, and living organisms, is a major environmental problem that requires energetic resolution. Mining tailing areas contain metal minerals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr and Cd in high concentrations that pollute the environment and pose threats to human health. Phytoremediation represents a sustainable, long-term, and relatively inexpensive strategy, thus proving to be convenient for stabilizing and improving the environment in former heavy metal-polluted mining sites. This study presents the bioremediation potential of Silphium perfoliatum L. plants, in the vegetative stages of leaf rosette formation, grown on soil polluted with heavy metals from mining dumps in Moldova-Noua, in the Western part of Romania. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF), translocation factor (TF), metal uptake (MU) and removal efficiency (RE) of Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb by S. perfoliatum plants were determined in a potted experiment in controlled environmental conditions. The reference quantities of heavy metals have been determined in the studied soil sample. The experiment followed the dynamics of the translocation and accumulation of heavy metals in the soil, in the various organs of the silphium plants, during the formation of the leaf rosette (13-18 BBCH). The determination of the amount of heavy metals in soil and plants was achieved by the method of digestion with hydrochloric and nitric acid 3/1 (v/v) quantified by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The obtained experimental results demonstrate that the substrate has a high heavy metal content being at the alert threshold for Zn (260.01 mg kg-1 in substrate compared with alert threshold 300 mg kg-1) and at intervention thresholds for other metals (Cu -234.66 mg kg-1/200 mg kg-1; 299.08 mg kg-1/300 mg kg-1 and Pb-175.18 mg kg-1/100 mg kg-1). The average concentration of the metals determined in dynamics in the dry biomass of plants varied between roots, petioles, and laminas. The root is the main accumulator for Cu and Cr (Cu – 37.32 mg kg-1 -13 BBCH to 43.89 mg kg-1-15 BBCH and 80.71 mg kg-1 – 18 BBCH; Cr – 57.43 mg kg-1 – 13 BBCH to 93.36 mg kg-1 -18 BBCH), and for Zn and Pb the lamina seems to carry the same function. Preliminary results show that Silphium perfoliatum may be a viable alternative in the bioremediation and treatment of heavy metal-contaminated area.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3a) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
JK Makpo ◽  
SM Ameh ◽  
A Asarya ◽  
YP Gambo

This work assessed the presence of heavy metals in water contaminated with petroleum products in Keffi Local Government Area. Two water sampling station were selected based on the stratified method of sampling of Antau River. Station A is located along Federal Government College Keffi popularly known as Antau Bridge where Agricultural and mechanical activities, with sales of petroleum product take place. Station B was located at Dadin Kowa known as Gada Manu where human activities such as bathing and washing takes place which served as control. The distance between stations is 1km. The procedural plan of this study was monthly sampling of water from both Stations. Materials such as funnel, sampling container, distilled water, conical flask, filter paper, 50ml polypropylene centrifuge tube, cooler were used. Heavy metal concentration was determined using X – ray Fluorescent Spectroscopy (XRF) at the Center for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. The water parameters of the four samples were determined using the Extech instrument. The result on Physico – chemical parameters revealed the values obtained from contaminated water samples to be pH (7.31), Dissolved Oxygen (1.14), Electrical Conductivity (8.22), Total Dissolved Solid (4.13), Temperature (27.45) and Salinity (0.091) while the controlled Station at point B were pH (7.43), DO (7.35), EC (3.14), TDS (1.54), Temperature (26.75), Salinity (0.o94) respectively. From the result obtained, the heavy metal contaminated samples had the following values: Mg (29.31±), Al (218.69±), Si (230.12±), S (1153.65±), Cl (54.25±), Ca (106.56±), Ti (23.66±), Cr (3.15±), Fe (15.92±), Cd (7.54±). For the control sample at point B, the following values were obtained: Mg (27.49±), Al (223.71±), Si (243.21±), S (94.84±), Cl (23.52±), Ca (28.44±), Ti (32.99±), Fe (16.63±), Cd (7.67±) respectively. The P-value was 0.8105 (p>0.05) for the water quality parameters while for the concentration of heavy metal P-value was 0.2054 (p>0.05). This implies that there was no significant difference between the concentrations of elements. However, the concentration values of heavy metals in the contaminated water at Station A and control water samples at Station B were higher than the World Health Organization values (Standard) for drinking water


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Gede Surya Indrawan ◽  
I Nyoman Giri Putra

 Heavy metal pollution can disturb aquatic ecosystems and indicator of water quality. This study aims to determine the concentration of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn) in water and sediments. This study was conducted in the waters of Serangan, South Denpasar District, Bali in June-August 2019. The research with each location taking 8 points of water and sediment sampling and measuring the quality of its waters. Water samples taken at the surface of the water as much as 330 ml and sediment samples taken as much as 500 grams. The method used is wet ashing preparation and analyzed by means of AAS (Atomic Absorbsion Spektrophotometri). The results of the average analysis of heavy metal concentrations in water are Pb 0 mg / L, Cd 0.438 mg / L, Cu 0 mg./L, and Zn 0.284 mg / L. The results of the analysis are compared with the standard quality value of sea water that the heavy metals Cd and Zn have exceeded the threshold. While the average concentration of heavy metals in sediments are Pb 17.444 mg / kg, Cd 18.093 mg / kg, Cu 113.981 mg / kg, and Zn 53.505 mg / kg. The concentration of Cd and Cu heavy metals exceeds the limits set by the ANZECC / ARMCANZ quality guidelines and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.


Author(s):  
D. M. Abbey ◽  
M. E. Abbey ◽  
T. C. Ogunyemi ◽  
M. E. Abbey

Evaluation of physicochemical parameters and heavy metal levels in surface water of the Miniokoro stream, Port Harcourt, Nigeria were investigated to determine its potability and pollution status at various stations along the stream.  The physicochemical parameters analyzed in the water samples were: pH, Temperature, Salinity, Electrical conductivity, TDS, DO, BOD, Alkalinity, Chloride, NH4+, NO3-, PO43-, SO42- while heavy metals such as Nickel, lead, Iron, Zinc and Chromium were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results from the research showed an average concentration level of the physicochemical parameters such as pH (5.79-7.01), EC (136.43 - 960.67µS/cm), TDS (90.17 - 1517.67) and the spatial distribution of heavy metals: zinc (0.07 - 1.09mg/l), chromium (0.03 - 0.09mg/l), nickel (0.07 - 0.08mg/l) and iron (12.29 - 39.95mg/l). Water samples from various stations depicts the varying level of pollution along the stream when compared with national and international permissible limit. Thus, it suggests that the government should develop and implement an effective waste management plans due to environmental and other anthropogenic impacts on the stream.


Author(s):  
BRIAN GIL S. SARINAS ◽  
LORNA D. GELLADA ◽  
MELCHOR M. MAGRAMO ◽  
MARLON R. TERUÑEZ

Jetty Port (Parola Wharf) in Iloilo City is a depot of passengers going toGuimaras, Philippines. Considering the dearth of studies on the presence of heavymetals in this area, this study was conducted. It aimed to determine the presenceand quantities of available heavy metals specifically lead, cadmium and chromiumin the water column (surface, middle and bottom) of Iloilo-Guimaras Jetty Port. Inaddition, water physicochemical parameters were also measured such as pH, salinityand temperature, in situ. Three sampling areas were identified in the Jetty Port.One liter was collected in the surface, middle and bottom layer of each sampling area for a total of nine seawater samples. The seawater samples were immediatelytransported to the CAS-Analytical Service Laboratory of UPV, Miag-ao, Iloilofor the quantification of available heavy metals through flame atomic absorptionspectrophotometric (FAAS) method. Ph values range from 6.0-7.333, 12.0-13.167ppm for salinity and 27.333-27.567 0C for three sampling areas. Average cadmium,chromium and lead were higher at station 3 with 0.69 mg/L, 0.81 mg/L and 0.339mg/L, respectively. The results showed that mean of Cr > Pb > Cd < Cr in the watercolumn of the three sampling areas, however is not significant, p>.05. Availablecadmium, chromium and lead exceeded the permissive value. This study will giveinformation to the public about the present heavy metal status of the Jetty Port.


2015 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 223-226
Author(s):  
Woranuch Deelaman ◽  
Chutamas Choomchuay

Pathumthani is a metropolitan area where has a lot of industries and agricultures. The aim of this work was to study the assessment of heavy metal content in PM10 (particulate matter ≤ 10 mm) at Amphoe Muang Pathumthani Province. The samples of PM10 (particulate matter ≤ 10 mm) were collected in 7 stations during February to March 2013. The particles were trapped on glass fiber filters using high volume samplers. The concentration of heavy metals was evaluated by using the Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the concentration of heavy metals in PM10 was BDL-0.41 µg/m3. Zinc, a heavy metal, was found in every sampling station. The order-average concentration of heavy metals in atmospheric air, at Amphoe Muang Pathumthani, was Zn > Cu > Mn > Ba > Ni > Cd.


Author(s):  
Ruru Han ◽  
Beihai Zhou ◽  
Huilun Chen

In recent decades, environmental health risk caused by heavy metals in industrial wastewater (EHR-IHM) has become a serious issue globally, especially for China. Given the spatial difference of heavy metal emissions, hydrogeography, population distribution, etc., it is essential to estimate China’s EHR-IHM from a high-resolution perspective. Based on the framework of USEtox, this study constructs an environmental health risk assessment method for heavy metals discharged from industrial wastewater by coupling the Pollutant Accumulation Model (PAM). This method also considers the process of heavy metal flows between upstream and downstream areas. Based on this constructed method, we investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of EHR-IHM of As, Cd, Cr(VI), Hg, and Pb in China from 1999 to 2018. Results showed that the EHR-IHM in China increased rapidly during 1999–2007 and decreased gradually during 2007–2018, with the highest Damage Level (DL) of 6.8 × 104 disability-adjusted life years (DALY). As and Cr(VI) were the major heavy metal pollutants, which induced 58.9–70.6% and 23.9–36.2% of the total EHR-IHM, respectively. Intake of aquatic products was the dominant exposure route, accounting for over 84.1% of national EHR-IHM, followed by drinking water intake, accounting for 9.5–15.8%. Regarding spatial distribution, the regions with high EHR-IHM are mainly distributed in the middle–lower reaches of the Yangtze River, southeast coastal cities, Bohai Rim, etc.


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