Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and Environmental Consequences

We empirically investigate the effect of the <i>Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership</i> on the per capita emissions of eight air pollutants and municipal waste. By introducing the same explanatory variables and applying the same empirical strategy and methodologies as in Qirjo and Pascalau (2019), we provide robust evidence suggesting that the implementation of the partnership could be beneficial to the environment because it may reduce per capita emissions of CH₄, hydrofluorocarbons/ perfluorinated chemicals/ SF₆, N₂O, NH₃, and SF₆ for a typical partnership member. This result is based on statistically significant evidence showing that, on average, the pollution haven motive based on national per capita income variations is dominated by the factor endowment argument based on the Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory and the pollution haven motive originating from an inverse measurement of national population density differences. However, we also report statistically significant evidence that the implementation of the partnership could denigrate the environment by increasing per capita emissions of SO₂ and municipal waste.

Comprehensive analysis of the association between human diseases and water pollutants

Drinking water is an important natural resource. For many people around the world, especially in developing countries, access to safe drinking water is still a distant dream. An increasing number of human activities and industrialization have caused various physical, chemical and biological pollutants to enter water bodies, affecting human health. Efforts to figure out an effective method to predict water pollution poisons and human diseases have increased worldwide. Water pollutants contain a vast number of additives such as perfluorinated chemicals, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, phthalate, nanomaterials, insecticides, microcystins, heavy metal and pharmacologies. Here, we explored an integrative approach to identify genes, biological processes, molecular functions, and diseases linked to exposure to these water pollutants. These processes and functions affected by water pollutants are related to the many diseases, including colonic neoplasms, breast neoplasms hepatitis B, bladder cancer and human cytomegalovirus infection. Therefore, conducting an integrative toxicogenomic analysis of water pollutants are more appropriate for evaluating the potential effects of plastics in human health.