Human Health and Ecosystem Quality Benefits with Life Cycle Assessment Due to Fungicides Elimination in Agriculture

Industrial agriculture results in environmental burdens due to the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. Fungicides is a class of pesticides whose application contributes (among others) to human toxicity and ecotoxicity. The European Union aims to increase organic agriculture. For this reason, this work aims to analyze climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, (terrestrial) acidification, and freshwater eutrophication impacts of fungicides and calculate expected benefits to human health (per European citizen) and ecosystem quality (terrestrial) with life cycle assessment (LCA) during crop production. The Scopus database was searched for LCA studies that considered the application of fungicides to specific crops. The analysis shows how many systemic and contact fungicides were considered by LCA studies and what was the applied dosage. Furthermore, it shows that fungicides highly contribute to freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and freshwater eutrophication for fruits and vegetables, but to a low extent compared to all considered environmental impacts in the case of cereals and rapeseed. Expected benefits to human health and ecosystem quality after fungicides elimination are greater for fruits and vegetables, ranging between 0 to 47 min per European citizen in a year and 0 to 90 species per year, respectively.

Life Сycle Аssessment of Management and Disposal of Oil-containing Wastes from Refineries

The results of the life cycle assessment (LCA) of oil waste (OW) management and disposal of refineries are presented, which include environmental impacts beyond the implementation of the techniques themselves, but also the production of the necessary material (reagents, materials) and energy (electricity, fuel, steam). LCA demonstrated that the most significant impacts of oil-containing waste treatment and disposal methods are in the categories Ecotoxicity (for freshwater)" and "Human toxicity" (cancer and non-cancer diseases)" resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and the emission of heavy metals (zinc, copper, vanadium, cobalt, chromium, nickel and lead).

Pesticide Toxicity Footprints of Australian Dietary Choices

Pesticides are widely used in food production, yet the potential harm associated with their emission into the environment is rarely considered in the context of sustainable diets. In this study, a life cycle assessment was used to quantify the freshwater ecotoxicity, human toxicity carcinogenic effects, and human toxicity noncarcinogenic effects associated with pesticide use in relation to 9341 individual Australian adult daily diets. The three environmental indicators were also combined into a pesticide toxicity footprint, and a diet quality score was applied to each diet. Energy-dense and nutrient-poor discretionary foods, fruits, and protein-rich foods were the sources of most of the dietary pesticide impacts. Problematically, a dietary shift toward recommended diets was found to increase the pesticide toxicity footprint compared to the current average diet. Using a quadrant analysis, a recommended diet was identified with a 38% lower pesticide toxicity footprint. This was achieved mainly through a reduction in the discretionary food intake and by limiting the choice of fresh fruits. As the latter contradicts dietary recommendations to eat a variety of fruits of different types and colors, we concluded that dietary change may not be the best approach to lowering the environmental impacts of pesticides in the food system. Instead, targeted action in the horticultural industry may be more effective. Consumers might encourage this transition by supporting growers that reduce pesticide use and apply less environmentally harmful active ingredients.

New Analytical Approaches for Effective Quantification and Identification of Nanoplastics in Environmental Samples

Nanoplastics (NPs) are a rapidly developing subject that is relevant in environmental and food research, as well as in human toxicity, among other fields. NPs have recently been recognized as one of the least studied types of marine litter, but potentially one of the most hazardous. Several studies are now being reported on NPs in the environment including surface water and coast, snow, soil and in personal care products. However, the extent of contamination remains largely unknown due to fundamental challenges associated with isolation and analysis, and therefore, a methodological gap exists. This article summarizes the progress in environmental NPs analysis and makes a critical assessment of whether methods from nanoparticles analysis could be adopted to bridge the methodological gap. This review discussed the sample preparation and preconcentration protocol for NPs analysis and also examines the most appropriate approaches available at the moment, ranging from physical to chemical. This study also discusses the difficulties associated with improving existing methods and developing new ones. Although microscopical techniques are one of the most often used ways for imaging and thus quantification, they have the drawback of producing partial findings as they can be easily mixed up as biomolecules. At the moment, the combination of chemical analysis (i.e., spectroscopy) and newly developed alternative methods overcomes this limitation. In general, multiple analytical methods used in combination are likely to be needed to correctly detect and fully quantify NPs in environmental samples.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Marine Insulation Materials

This study aimed to reduce the holistic environmental impacts of insulation materials proposed for the accommodation of a marine cargo ship, and suggest the optimal option for cleaner ship production, using life cycle assessment. With a commercial bulk carrier as a case ship, three major insulations were assessed, which were wool-based material (mineral wool or glass wool), expanded polystyrene, and polyurethane foam. The analysis was scoped based on ‘from cradle to grave’, while focusing on the following five representative environmental indicators: global warming potential100years, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, and human toxicity potential. The assessment was performed in the platform of the GaBi software. The results showed that polyurethane foam would have the greatest impacts, especially in regard to global warming, eutrophication, and human toxicity. On the other hand, expanded polystyrene and wool-based material showed better environmental performance than polyurethane foam. For example, wool-based insulation was found, in terms of GWP and HTP, to produce 2.1 × 104 kg CO2-eq and 760.1 kg DCB-eq, respectively, and expanded polystyrene had similar results with respect to GWP, AP, and EP as 2.1 × 104 kg CO2-eq, 23.3 kg SO2-eq, and 2.7 kg Phosphate-eq, respectively. In fact, the research findings point out the shortcomings of current design practices in selecting insulation materials for marine vessels, while providing meaningful insights into the importance of the selection of appropriate insulation materials for marine vessels for cleaner shipping. Therefore, it is believed that this paper will make a sound contribution to enhancing future design practice and regulatory frameworks in response to environmental issues in the marine industry.

Heavy Metals in Air Emission and Assessment of Human Toxicity Footprint

Objective : The purpose of this study is to propose the concept of the human toxicity (human cancer and non-cancer) footprint (µg 1,4 DCB (Dichlorobenzene) eqv./m3) using heavy metal concentration data in the air in Provincial and Metropolitan City governments. In addition, the final goal is to assess and compare the human carcinogenic toxicity footprint in Provincial and Metropolitan City Governments from 1991 to 2019.Method : To calculate the human carcinogenic toxicity footprint using heavy metal concentration in Provincial and Metropolitan City Governments, the ReCiPe 2016 life cycle impact assessment method in life cycle assessment (LCA) was used. For the human carcinogenic toxicity footprint calculation, the heavy metal concentration data in Provincial and Metropolitan City Governments are multiplied by the characterization factors of each heavy metal such as Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and As (Cu, Mn, Fe, Al, Ca, and Mg are not included in the air monitoring data) data (µg/m3). The unit of human carcinogenic toxicity footprint is shown in µg 1,4 DCB eqv. value.Results and Discussion : The results show that the heavy metal concentrations in Provincial and Metropolitan City governments were decreased significantly from 1991 to 2019. In the case of Pb, Incheon was decreased by about 2,124% (from 0.427 µg/m3 to 0.0192 µg/m3), and Busan was decreased by about 1,250% (from 0.2471 µg/m3 to 0.0183 µg/m3). In addition, in Cd’s case, Gwangju decreased by about 1,550% (from 0.0033 µg/m3 to 0.0002 µg/m3), and Incheon was decreased by about 1,071% (from 0.0082 µg/m3 to 0.0007 µg/m3). The results of human carcinogenic toxicity footprint in 1991 (early stage), 2005 (middle-stage), and 2019 (current) show that the average of human carcinogenic toxicity footprint was 8,478 µg 1,4 DCB eqv. in 1991, 5,545 µg 1,4 DCB eqv. in 2005 (about 53% decreased from 1991), and 1,997 µg 1,4 DCB eqv. in 2019 (about 178% decreased from 2005). In 2019, the human carcinogenic toxicity footprint results showed that Gyeongbuk had the highest value of 5,184 µg 1,4 DCB eqv. followed by Busan 3,929 µg 1,4 DCB eqv., Gyeongi 3,305 µg 1,4 DCB eqv., Seoul 2,184 µg 1,4 DCB eqv., Gwangwon 2,011 µg 1,4 DCB eqv. One of the reasons for the highest human carcinogenic toxicity footprint is the concentration of Cr and As, which have very high characterization factors.Conclusions : In this study, the human carcinogenic toxicity footprint using a heavy metal concentration in Provincial and Metropolitan City governments was proposed and calculated. Even though the heavy metal concentrations were decreasing, the number of measuring stations should be increased in each Provincial and Metropolitan City Government to improve the data quality and reduce the human carcinogenic toxicity impact by heavy metals.

Case Fatality as an Indicator for the Human Toxicity of Pesticides—A Systematic Scoping Review on the Availability and Variability of Severity Indicators of Pesticide Poisoning

Objective: To investigate if case fatality and other indicators of the severity of human pesticide poisonings can be used to prioritize pesticides of public health concern. To study the heterogeneity of data across countries, cause of poisonings, and treatment facilities. Methods: We searched literature databases as well as the internet for studies on case-fatality and severity scores of pesticide poisoning. Studies published between 1990 and 2014 providing information on active ingredients in pesticides or chemical groups of active ingredients were included. The variability of case-fatality-ratios was analyzed by computing the coefficient of variation as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. Findings: A total of 149 papers were identified of which 67 could be included after assessment. Case-fatality-ratio (CFR) on 66 active ingredients and additionally on 13 groups of active ingredients were reported from 20 countries. The overall median CFR for group of pesticides was 9%, for single pesticides 8%. Of those 12 active ingredients with a CFR above 20% more than half are WHO-classified as “moderately hazardous” or “unlikely to present acute hazard”. Two of seven pesticides considered “unlikely to present hazard in normal use” showed a CFR above 20%. The cross-study variability of reported case fatality was rather low. Studies most often utilized the Glasgow Coma Score for grading the severity of poisoning. Conclusion: Although human pesticide poisoning is a serious public health problem, an unexpectedly small number of publications report on the clinical outcomes within our study period. However, CFRs of acute human pesticide poisoning are available for several groups of pesticides as well as for active ingredients showing moderate cross-study variability. Our results underline that CFR is an indicator of the human toxicity of pesticides and can be utilized to prioritize highly hazardous pesticides especially since there is limited correspondence between the animal-test-based hazard classification and the human CFR of the respective pesticide. The reporting of available poisoning data should be improved, human case-fatality data are a reasonable tool to be included systematically in the periodic statutory review of pesticides and their regulation.