Consumed Landscapes: Coal, Air and Circulation in the Writings of Catherine Hutton

This essay examines a particular nexus of ideas about health and circulation in relation to the practice and the literature of travel and tourism in Romantic-period Britain. Wales, like other ‘picturesque’ destinations, is often envisaged in these writings, and in fiction, as a space of non-metropolitan purity, of clean air, and of health. Yet this is precisely the period of industrial expansion in both south and north Wales, and coal-mines, copper-works, iron foundries and smelting furnaces also figured on many tourist itineraries. Taking as its entry point the novels of Birmingham-based writer Catherine Hutton – particularly The Welsh Mountaineer (1817), which was informed by the author's own experience of travel in north Wales in the late 1790s – the essay sets the familiar trope of travel for a ‘change of air’ against the literal changes to air quality which resulted from Britain's rapid industrialisation in the decades around 1800, revealing some inventive and complex adaptations of contemporary ideas about the effects of ‘pure’ and ‘polluted’ air on human health.

Development of the Russian industrial base and technology for the production of artillery weapons in the 18th century

The purpose of the research is to reveal the features of the creation and activity of the Russian military industry for the production of artillery weapons and ammunition in the 18th century. The article deals with issues related to the accelerated development of industry under Peter I, especially metallurgy, associated with the Great Northern War (1700-1721). Attention is drawn to the fact that due to the construction of a group of state-run private iron foundries and ironworks, four industrial districts were formed – Tula, Olonets, the Urals and St. Petersburg. These districts had for a long time been the main arsenals for the production of artillery weapons for the Russian army. The author focuses on the aspects of improving the quality of products produced by weapons factories in the 18th century. Scientific novelty consists in an interdisciplinary consideration of the issue involving the works of authors whose works were published in the pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern periods and in the introduction of previously unpublished sources into scientific circulation. It is concluded that the development of the organisational structure of the Russian army caused an increase in the production of artillery weapons and ammunition and the creation of the necessary amount of stocks of these weapons to meet the current needs of the army and navy.

Quartz Dust Exposure Affects NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Plasma Levels of IL-18 and IL-1Ra in Iron Foundry Workers

Purpose. To study the association between inhalation of particulate matter or quartz in Swedish iron foundries and the effects on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Methods. Particle exposure measurements were performed during an eight-hour work day for 85 foundry workers at three Swedish iron foundries. Personal sampling was used for measurement of respirable quartz and dust and stationary measurements to obtain exposure measurements for inhalable dust and PM10. The NLRP3 inflammasome markers, interleukin- (IL-) 1β and IL-18, and inhibitors IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) and IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) were measured in plasma. Inflammasome activation was measured by caspase-1 enzymatic activity in monocytes in whole blood by flow cytometry, and expression of inflammasome-related genes was quantified using real-time PCR. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate associations between PM exposures and inflammatory markers. Sex, age, smoking, current infection, BMI, and single nucleotide polymorphism in the inflammasome regulating genes CARD8 (C10X) and NLRP3 (Q705K) were included as covariates. Results. The average exposure levels of respirable dust and quartz were 0.85 and 0.052 mg/m3, respectively. A significant exposure-response was found for respirable dust and IL-18 and for inhalable dust and IL-1Ra. Whole blood, drawn from study participants, was stimulated ex vivo with inflammasome priming stimuli LPS or Pam3CSK4, resulting in a 47% and 49% increase in caspase-1 enzymatic activity in monocytes. This increase in caspase-1 activity was significantly attenuated in the higher exposure groups for most PM exposure measures. Conclusions. The results indicate that exposure levels of PM in the iron foundry environment can affect the NLRP3 inflammasome and systemic inflammation.

A Review of Energy and Environmental Management Practices in Cast Iron Foundries to Increase Sustainability

Environmental impact and use of energy and materials are relevant topics in companies. To achieve energy savings and enhance environmental performance, managers can invest in technologies (technical measures) and/or implement management practices (low-cost and non-technical measures). This paper focuses on energy and environmental management practices in foundry, which is a particularly energy-intensive industry producing significant carbon dioxide emissions. We conducted a scoping review of scientific publications and technical documents to identify practices that enable energy efficiency improvement and adverse environmental impact reduction in cast iron foundries using coreless induction furnaces. The review returned 399 practices, which we categorised according to the process step of application and theme. We developed a hierarchy to classify the practices according to their sustainability. The results show that the practices proposed in the literature focus mainly on avoiding or reducing resource consumption, rather than on recovering residual value. The intended contribution is to promote the adoption of management practices as an effective lever to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts, while also providing a summary of current knowledge to facilitate the identification of areas for further research. The review could also support foundry managers in the selection and prioritisation of the practices to adopt.

O3C.1 Silica exposure in swedish iron foundries and biological markers of inflammation and coagulation in blood

BackgroundWork-related exposure to silica is a health hazard worldwide causing i.e. silicosis. Inflammation is known to be a cause of cardiovascular diseases and some studies have presented elevated cardiovascular disease mortality in relation to silica exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between inhalation of exposure to silica in Swedish iron foundries and markers of inflammation and coagulation in blood.MethodsPersonal sampling of respirable dust and silica was performed for 85 subjects in three Swedish iron foundries. Stationary measurements were used to study concentrations of respirable dust and silica, inhalable and total dust, PM10 and PM2.5, the particle surface area and the particle number concentrations. The markers of inflammation analyzed were, interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12), C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A (SAA), and markers of coagulation fibrinogen, factor VIII (FVIII), von Willebrand factor, and d-dimer were measured in plasma or serum. The sampling was performed on the second or third day of a working week following a work free weekend, and additional sampling on the fourth or fifth day.The personal and stationary measurement data were categorized into three classes to introduce high contrast with a minimum of 10 workers in each group. A mixed model analysis adjusted for sex, age, smoking, infections, blood group, sampling day and BMI was used.ResultsFor personal sampling the average 8 hour time-weighted average air concentration of respirable dust were 0.85 mg/m3 and respirable silica 0.052 mg/m3. For the high exposure group, statistically significant increased levels of SAA, fibrinogen and FVIII were determined for some exposure measures.ConclusionsThis study may indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease when observing relations between particle exposure and inflammatory markers.

Cast Iron Metalworks in European Urban Furniture Dating Back to the 19th and the Early 20th Centuries

The term “street furniture” includes numerous elements (e.g. street lamps, benches, fountains, gazebos) easing city life, complementing architecture and contributing to decorate urban areas. Despite the massive presence of street furniture in the urban environment, the knowledge about its evolution through the centuries is frequently ignored or neglected. This study analyses the main metallurgical features of twenty cast iron metalworks dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries manufactured in cast iron foundries mainly located in Italy, France and England. The experimental activity was carried out in collaboration with “Fondazione Neri – Museo Italiano della Ghisa” (Longiano, FC, Italy).The microstructure was determined by means of optical microscopy (OM), whereas the semi-quantitative chemical composition was evaluated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).The experimental results highlight the lack of a shared metallurgical culture in steel industry over the last one hundred and fifty years, since non-uniform microstructural features were observed among the specimens produced in that period in the geographical areas under study.