Urban soils and human health

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Bini ◽  
Mohammad Wahsha
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Urban Soils ◽  
Environmental Geochemistry ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Potentially Harmful Elements ◽  
Local Topography ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Scientific Topic

<p>Since the dawn of civilization, the anthropic activity has lead to a legacy of increased land degradation/contamination. Potentially harmful elements (PHEs) are among the most effective environmental contaminants, and their release into the environment is rising since the last decades. Interest in trace elements has been increased as a major scientific topic over the last 50 years when it was realized that some elements were essential to human health (e.g., Fe, Cu, Zn). In contrast, some others were toxic (e.g., As, Hg, Pb), and likely responsible for serious human diseases and lethal consequences. Since that time, great progress in knowledge of links between environmental geochemistry and human health has been achieved. The urban environment (nowadays the main habitat for the human population) is a potential PHEs source, with high risk for residents’ health. Indeed, PHEs concentration and distribution are related to traffic intensity, distance from roads, local topography, and heating. Industrial emissions also contribute to the release of toxic elements. Understanding the extent, distribution and fate of PHEs in the urban environment is therefore imperative to address the sustainable management of urban soils and gardens in relation to human health.</p><p>Despite the extensive researches addressed to this topic, the effects of most trace metals on human health are not yet fully understood. Uncertainty is still prevailing, particularly with non-essential elements that are “suspected” to be harmful to humans, causing severe health problems as intoxication, neurological disturbances and also cancer. Some of them (e.g., As, Cd, Hg, Pb) have attracted most attention worldwide due to their toxicity towards living organisms. Other elements (Al, B, Be, Bi, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Sn, Tl, V, W) are likely harmful, but may play some beneficial functions not yet well known, and should be more investigated.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Urban soils; PHEs; Human health</p>

Arsenic in urban soils of Prague, Czech Republic: assessing exposure and risk to human health

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Poňavič ◽  
Magdalena Zimová ◽  
Zdeňka Wittlingerová ◽  
Tereza Jandová ◽  
Ilja Knésl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Soils

scholarly journals Accumulation of Elements in Biodeposits on the Stone Surface in Urban Environment. Case Studies from Saint Petersburg, Russia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Katerina V. Sazanova (nee Barinova) ◽  
Marina S. Zelenskaya ◽  
Vera V. Manurtdinova ◽  
Alina R. Izatulina ◽  
Aleksei V. Rusakov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
Elemental Composition ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Microbial Metabolites ◽  
Stone Surface ◽  
Saint Petersburg ◽  
Icp Ms ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Selective Accumulation

The pattern of elements accumulation in biodeposits formed by living organisms and extracellular products of their metabolism (biofouling, primary soils) on different bedrocks (of the monuments of Historical necropoleis in Saint Petersburg) were studied by a complex of biological and mineralogical methods (optical microscopy, SEM, EDX, XRD, ICP MS, XRFS). The content of 46 elements in biodeposits with various communities of microorganisms is determined. The model recreating the picture of the input and selective accumulation of elements in biodeposits on the stone surface in outdoor conditions is assumed. It is shown that the main contribution to the elemental composition of biodeposits is made by the environment and the composition of the microbial community. The contribution of leaching under the action of microbial metabolites of mineral grains, entering biodeposits from the environment, is significantly greater than that of the underlying rock.

Understanding microplastics, and visual art as a method of communication: scientific poster versus painting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Peters
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Toxic Chemicals ◽  
Secondary Research ◽  
Effective Form ◽  
Scientific Poster ◽  
Scientific Topic

<p>This multidisciplinary dissertation investigates in detail, visual art as a method of communication, in particular about a scientific topic: microplastics and human health. Primary and secondary research conducted suggest that microplastics have potential to cause health problems in humans due to the leaching of toxic chemicals and that over 8% of an educated western sample had never heard of microplastics before. Over 30% of participants reported that a painting was a more effective form of communication about microplastics and human health than a scientific poster on the same topic, opening areas for further study into the value and process of communication through visual art.</p>

Comparative study of Cs-137 activity concentration between attic dust and urban soil from Salgotarjan city, Hungary

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davaakhuu Tserendorj ◽  
Katalin Zsuzsanna Szabó Szabó ◽  
Peter Völgyesi Völgyesi ◽  
Gorkhmaz Abbaszade ◽  
Do Le Tan Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Soil Sample ◽  
Forest Soil ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Urban Soil ◽  
Urban Soils ◽  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Nuclear Accidents ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Attic Dust

<p>The <sup>137</sup>Cs (t<sub>1/2</sub> =30 years) is a principal radioisotope that was artificially introduced into the environment through the atmospheric bomb tests took place from the middle of the 1940s to the 1980s and from the major nuclear accidents (i.e., Chernobyl, 1986 and Fukushima, 2011). From the atmosphere, <sup>137</sup>Cs easily adsorbs to particles and it returns to lithosphere (pedosphere) by wet and dry deposition as a radioactive fallout component. Due to the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the released contaminated air mass, containing Cs-137, largely propagated, deposited, and distributed across several European countries in the ambient environment (Balonov et al., 1996). These particles also reached houses (e.g. through open windows, cracks, and vents) in an urban environment and deposited inside resulting in the exposition of the habitants to <sup>137</sup>Cs, especially in areas that are not accessible for a regular cleaning like attics. Following the nuclear accidents, primary attention was drawn to agricultural areas and less attention was paid to urban environments. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to compare the <sup>137</sup>Cs activity in attic dust as undisturbed samples, and urban soils as disturbed environmental materials to determine the <sup>137</sup>Cs distribution in urban environment. </p><p>Attic dust (AD) samples were collected from 14 houses, which were built between 1900 and 1990 14 urban soil (US) samples were collected nearby the houses at a depth of 0-15 cm in Salgótarján, a former industrial city. To obtain a representative local undisturbed soil sample, a forest soil sample was collected from the upwind direction (NW) of the city. To check the <sup>137</sup>Cs content of the local industrial waste material, we also collected fly-ash slag sample from a waste dump.   AD and US samples were analyzed by a well-type HPGe and with an n-type coaxial HPGe detector in a low background iron chamber, respectively.</p><p>Cs-137 activity in the studied AD ranges from 5.51±0.9 to 165.9±3.6 Bq kg<sup>-1, </sup>with a mean value of 75.4±2.5 Bq kg<sup>-1 </sup>(decay corrected in 2016). In contrast, US samples show <sup>137</sup>Cs activity ranging between 2.3±0.4 and 13.6±0.6 Bq kg<sup>-1</sup>.  The brown forest soil sample has elevated <sup>137</sup>Cs activity concentration (18.5<strong>±</strong>0.6 Bq kg<sup>-1</sup>), compared to the urban soils. The fly-ash slags activity is below the detection limit (0.7±0.5 Bq kg<sup>-1</sup>).</p><p>The average <sup>137</sup>Cs activity in AD is ~15 times higher than that of US. This result clearly indicates that attic area provides a protected (hardly or unchanged) environment, therefore physical condition of the dust remains constant in time, and there is a small chance for chemical reaction. Forest soil proves that US were highly disturbed by anthropogenic activity. This is supported by fly-ash slag activity results.  Whereas, <sup>137</sup>Cs activity concentration of the AD samples shows significantly higher than that of the studied soils in Hungary. This confirms again US cannot show the historical atmospheric <sup>137</sup>Cs pollution such as attic dust. A statistically significant relationship (p=0.003, r<sup>2</sup>=0.05) were found between the AD and US samples. Therefore, it can be considered that attic dust remained undisturbed for decades and preserve past record of components of atmospheric pollution.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

Thiol-mediated etching of gold nanorods as a neoteric strategy for room-temperature and multicolor detection of nitrite and nitrate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzieh Sepahvand ◽  
Forough Ghasemi ◽  
Hossein Mirseyed Hosseini
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Gold Nanorods ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Living Organisms

The excessive presence of nitrite and nitrate in the environmental matrixes has raised concerns among the scientific communities due to their negative impacts on human health and living organisms. Considering...

scholarly journals Imperiling on Urban Environment by Air Pollution and its Impact on Human Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-112
Author(s):  
Durdana Rais Hashmi ◽  
Akhtar Shareef ◽  
Talha Rehan Qadri ◽  
Muhammad Azam
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Industrial Areas ◽  
High Traffic Density

Present study was carried out to analyze the concentration of the pollutants due to air born particulate matter (PM10) and infectious trace gases and their effects on human health at ten different locations along busy intersections in the commercial, residential and industrial areas of Karachi city. At each selected location, the study was carried out to determine the level of particulate matter and trace gases for a period of 8 h twice in a month during the year 2015. Samples were collected at ten selected locations i.e. Karimabad(C-1), Tibet Centre(C-2), and Liaquatabad(C-3) in commercial areas; PIB Colony(R-1), Nazimabad(R-2) and Gulshan-e-Iqbal(R-3) in residential areas; Siemens G. Belt(I-E1), Naurus G Belt (I-E2), Singer Chowrangi(I-W3) and Chamra Chowrangi(I-W4) in industrial areas of the city. Resultsreceived from different air quality categories were calculated according to National Environmental Quality Standard (NEQS) at selected locations, as in commercial areas showing poor pollution level for trace gases and PM10 due to high traffic density. In Residential areas PIB Colony (R-1) and Gulshan-e-Iqbal (R-3), found under good category with respect to the trace gases and moderate pollution level for the PM10 pollution, having low traffic density whereas Nazimabad(R-2) presents moderate category for trace gases and unhealthy category for PM10 pollution with high traffic density. In industrial areas Singer Chowrangi (I-W3) and Chamra Chowrangi(I-W4) found under moderate pollution level with moderate traffic density, whereas, Siemens G. Belt(I-E1) and Naurus G. Belt(I-E2) locations are represented by moderate pollution values for trace gases and found under poor pollution level for PM10 pollution, may be due to industrial emissions and heavy vehicular emission. Level of PM10 and trace gases at all the selected sites excluding residential areas, exceeds the permissible limits as specified by NEQS.

scholarly journals Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) Composition and Human Health Risk Assessment of PM10 on the Roadways of Industrial Complexes in South Korea

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1307
Author(s):  
Jin-Young Choi ◽  
Hyeryeong Jeong ◽  
Kongtae Ra ◽  
Kyung-Tae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Exhaust Emission ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Industrial Complexes

Road and industrial origin particulate matters (PM) are a significant source of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), with health risks to the surrounding residents. In Korea for 60 years, although industries, roads and automobiles have increased aggressively, there are still few PTEs data in PM in road-deposited sediment (RDS) of industrial complexes (ICs). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the PTE composition of on-road PM10 from nine major ICs and its pollution degree in Korea and evaluate its human health risks. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and pollution load index (PLI) elucidated that on-road PM10 were severely polluted by Sb, Zn, Ag and Pb. A combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and chemical tracers was used to define the PTEs sources. The results showed that non-exhaust emission from vehicles’ activity is the primary source of PTEs in on-road PM10, and industrial emissions are the secondary source. The riskiest pathway on carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic by on-road PM10 with PTEs was in-gestion. Traffic origin PTEs including Pb, As, Sb and Cd had a more significant impact on carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health than those of industrial origins. These results could help mitigate public health risks arising from on-road PM10 and improve air quality in ICs.

scholarly journals Mosquito Mapper: a phone application to map urban mosquitoes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille S.E. Guilbaud ◽  
Théophile G.D.P.V. Guilbaud
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Citizen Scientist ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Health Threats ◽  
Scientific Value ◽  
Potential Human Health ◽  
Identification Tool

AbstractThis paper presents mosquito mapper: an android phone application created with the goal of giving science-driven citizens the means to monitor mosquito populations in an urban environment. Mosquito mapper allows the recording of mosquito encounters as well as conditions surrounding the encounter. It also features a rudimentary identification tool. The goal of the application is to create a database and construct a map of the encounters free to consult for citizens and scientists. Such database constitutes a necessary first step for the development of useful management strategies addressing potential human health threats induced by mosquitoes. The citizen scientist may voluntarily provide other additional information on the circumstances of the encounter that may contain scientifically useful information. We describe the current features of the application, discuss their strength, limits, potential scientific value and suggest possible future extensions. The original city for which the application was developed is Berlin, Germany, but the application is coded in such a way that it is easily applicable to any urban environment.

Potentially Harmful Elements in Urban Soils

2014 ◽  
pp. 221-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Angelone ◽  
Metka Udovic
Keyword(s):  
Urban Soils ◽  
Potentially Harmful Elements
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document