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\"Pollution is harmful waste that enters the air, soil, and water. About 40 percent of rivers in the United States are too polluted for fishing, swimming, and other water sports. Learn more in [this book]\"--Back cover.

In the global COVID-19 epidemic, humans are faced with a new challenge. The concept of quarantine as a preventive measure has changed human activities in all aspects of life. This challenge has led to changes in the environment as well. The air quality index is one of the immediate concrete parameters. In this study, the actual potential of quarantine effects on the air quality index and related variables in Tehran, the capital of Iran, is assessed, where, first, the data on the pollutant reference concentration for all measuring stations in Tehran, from February 19 to April 19, from 2017 to 2020, are monitored and evaluated. This study investigated the hourly concentrations of six particulate matters (PM), including PM2.5, PM10, and air contaminants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO). Changes in pollution rate during the study period can be due to reduced urban traffic, small industrial activities, and dust mites of urban and industrial origins. Although pollution has declined in most regions during the COVID-19 quarantine period, the PM2.5 rate has not decreased significantly, which might be of natural origins such as dust. Next, the air quality index for the stations is calculated, and then, the interpolation is made by evaluating the root mean square (RMS) of different models. The local and global Moran index indicates that the changes and the air quality index in the study area are clustered and have a high spatial autocorrelation. The results indicate that although the bad air quality is reduced due to quarantine, major changes are needed in urban management to provide favorable conditions. Contaminants can play a role in transmitting COVID-19 as a carrier of the virus. It is suggested that due to the rise in COVID-19 and temperature in Iran, in future studies, the effect of increased temperature on COVID-19 can be assessed.

\"This accessible and engagingly written book describes how national and international scientific monitoring programmes brought to light our present understanding of Arctic environmental change, and how these research results were successfully used to achieve international legal actions to lessen some of the environmental impacts. David P. Stone was intimately involved in many of these scientific and political activities. He tells a powerful story, using the metaphor of the 'Arctic Messenger'--an imaginary being warning us all of the folly of ignoring Arctic environmental change. This book will be of great interest to anyone concerned about the fate of the Arctic, including lifelong learners interested in the Arctic and the natural environment generally; students studying environmental science and policy; researchers of circumpolar studies, indigenous peoples, national and international environmental management, and environmental law; and policymakers and industry professionals looking to protect (or exploit) Arctic resources\"-- Provided by publisher.

Use of medicinal herbs is now gaining popularity especially among the low-income people because it is cheap, readily available and its “seeming” lack of side effects. However, environmental pollution is a potential threat to its continued use. This study examines the effect of air pollution on the soil and consequently on the medicinal herbs grown on such soils. Soil and four medicinal herbs, Chromolaena odorata , Vernonia amygdalina , Carica papaya and Ocimum gratissimum , commonly used in the south western part of Nigeria either as purely medicinal herbs, soup vegetables or both were carefully harvested from Fasina, a polluted area, and Moro, a relatively unpolluted area, all in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Samples were prepared following standard practice and analysed for nickel, chromium, cadmium and lead using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results showed that elemental concentrations at the two locations were within the permissible limit for both soil and herbs, the statistical test also established no significant difference between the two locations. However, toxic metals concentrations (chromium, cadmium and lead) were found higher at the polluted site while that of the essential metal, nickel, was higher at the unpolluted site. Of the four metals, cadmium has the highest transfer ratio (0.39 and 0.34) while lead has the least (0.21 and 0.25) for Moro and Fasina sites respectively. Similarly, Chromolaena odorata has the highest transfer ratio (0.34) while Carica papaya has the least (0.28). In conclusion, gradual build-up of the toxic metals at the polluted site is evident and may eventually contaminate the herbs.

This study assesses the health economic losses caused by PM 2.5 and ozone pollution in Beijing and Tianjin from 2016 to 2021 using Poisson regression relative risk model and value of statistical life method. The results show that the health economic losses caused by PM 2.5 pollution in Beijing and Tianjin fluctuating decrease from 6.115 billion and 2.699 billion RMB in 2016 to 4.39 billion and 2.298 billion RMB in 2021. The health economic losses caused by ozone pollution in Beijing increase from 6.358 billion RMB in 2016 to 11.333 billion RMB in 2019, with a maximum increase of 25.91% during the period, and then decrease to 7.825 billion RMB in 2021, but the loss value is still higher than that in 2016. In Tianjin, the health economic losses caused by ozone pollution with the same change trend as that in Beijing. Besides, the study shows that although the health economic losses caused by PM 2.5 and ozone pollution in Beijing and Tianjin have fluctuating decreased in recent years as a proportion of GDP in the corresponding years, the loss values are still relatively large, the proportion of health economic losses caused by ozone pollution in total losses is becoming higher and higher.

Rapid urbanization has introduced new pollution challenges, with visual pollution becoming particularly prominent. This type of pollution affects both the visual environment and public psychology, impairing aesthetic appreciation. Visual pollution extends beyond outdoor advertising, manifesting in various forms across urban, roadway, and natural areas. Although many studies have identified and analyzed visual pollution, there is still a lack of comprehensive knowledge and awareness of this problem. Until now, visual pollution has never been a unified and complete concept, definition, and research methodology. To address this gap, our systematic literature review examined existing literature to further explore and understand visual pollution. We systematically reviewed research articles published between 2008 and 2023, utilizing three journal databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Ultimately, 52 articles met the review criteria. The results of the study showed the types and characteristics of visual pollutants, the locations where visual pollution occurs, the various factors contributing to visual pollution, and the methodologies employed to study visual pollution. This study enhances professionals’ comprehension of visual pollution and its effects on the visual environment, equipping them to implement effective measures to reduce its impact and preserve visual quality in both urban and natural areas.

Leather processing industries consume high volumes of water and chemicals and release effluents into the environment that pollute the surface water and may cause harm to human health. Leather processing involves different wet processing stages such as soaking, liming, chrome tanning, rechroming, neutralization, fatliqouring and dyeing. The pollution generated from the leather processing stages varies in volume, nature and concentrations. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of effluents generated from different stages of leather processing can be useful to understand the stagewise and overall water pollution of leather wet processing and to design and plan pollution abatement initiatives. Water footprints (WF) can help in understanding the total water consumption and water pollution caused by the leather sector. The objectives of this research are to assess the characteristics of effluents generated from different stages of leather processing, calculate the water footprint (WF) and analyze the pollution load of the Bangladesh leather sector. To perform experimental analyses, effluent samples were collected from the following leather processing stages: soaking, liming, deliming and bating, pickling and tanning, wet back, rechroming, neutralization, retanning, dyeing and fatliqouring from four leather processing factories. The key pollution indicating parameters, such as pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solid (TDS) and total suspended solid (TSS) of the effluent samples were analyzed. The experimental study showed that almost 52% effluents generate from beam house and tan yard operations, and about 48% effluents generate from post tanning operations. Due to the presence of high amounts of salt, insecticides and bactericides, the effluent generated from the soaking stage contains high BOD and TDS. On the other hand, effluent generated from liming contains the highest amounts of BOD, COD, TDS, and TSS. The reduction or segregation of soaking and liming effluents will be effective in improving the environmental performance of the wet processing of leather. To assess the total water footprint of the leather sector, the water footprint of feed crops and raw hides were calculated, along with the water footprint of the leather processing stages. The water footprints of bovine and ovine crust leather were found to be 34,000 m3/ton and 17,300 m3/ton, respectively. The blue water footprint is higher in soaking, liming and finishing. The green water footprint of leather is mainly contributed by feed crops of farming animals. The grey water footprint was found higher in the soaking, liming, fatliqouring and dyeing stages. About 97% of the water footprints of tanneries are contributed by the wet processing stages. The grey water footprint is the most significant part of the total water footprint of the leather sector, which indicates the impact of high water pollution by the leather processing stages. This study can help to understand the overall scenario of water consumption and water pollution caused by the leather sector in Bangladesh. This study can also be useful in designing sustainable leather products by reducing the total water footprint per unit of leather goods. The systematic approach of this study could be useful for other countries in leather processing.

Cumulative plastic production worldwide skyrocketed from about 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 8.3 billion tonnes in 2015, with 6.3 billion tonnes (76%) ending up as waste. Of that waste, 79% is either in landfills or the environment. The purpose of the review is to establish the current global status quo in the plastics industry and assess the sustainability of some bio-based biodegradable plastics. This integrative and consolidated review thus builds on previous studies that have focused either on one or a few of the aspects considered in this paper. Three broad items to strongly consider are: Biodegradable plastics and other alternatives are not always environmentally superior to fossil-based plastics; less investment has been made in plastic waste management than in plastics production; and there is no single solution to plastic waste management. Some strategies to push for include: increasing recycling rates, reclaiming plastic waste from the environment, and bans or using alternatives, which can lessen the negative impacts of fossil-based plastics. However, each one has its own challenges, and country-specific scientific evidence is necessary to justify any suggested solutions. In conclusion, governments from all countries and stakeholders should work to strengthen waste management infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries while extended producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit refund schemes (DPRs) are important add-ons to consider in plastic waste management, as they have been found to be effective in Australia, France, Germany, and Ecuador.

Freshwater bodies are a vital resource for humans, yet they are threatened by numerous factors, many of which remain unidentified. In this study, we assessed the concentrations of seven heavy metals (HMs) in forty-eight water samples and analyzed their correlation with zooplankton populations and human health risks at four sub-divisional sites in West Bengal, India. Sampling was conducted throughout the year. We used indices based on HMs and zooplankton to evaluate human health risks. The results revealed that the total taxonomic richness of zooplankton (Rotifera, Copepoda, and Branchiopods) was 72 species, with Rotifera richness 25, Copepoda 37, and Branchiopods 10 species. These results demonstrated a negative correlation between zooplankton abundance and HMs concentration, highlighting zooplankton’s potential as significant indicator species. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between HMs concentration and zooplankton abundance ( P  < 0.05). Among the four sub-divisional areas studied, Haldia exhibited the highest level of heavy metal pollution, with 40.47% of heavy metals posing potential health risks (HQ > 1) to both adults and children due to industrial effluent compared to the other study sites. Overall, the Metal Index and Nemerow Pollution Index indicated that 83.34% and 97.92% of water samples, respectively, were contaminated by heavy metals. Among the heavy metals, Nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn) were identified as having the highest health risk potential for both groups. The Health Hazard Index (HI) values suggested that children are at higher risk (HI > 1) compared to adults. Specifically, the HQ-ingestion rate was higher in children, while the HQ-dermal (HQd) contamination was higher in adults. Throughout the assessment period, both children and adults were found to be at potential health risk from heavy metals. These findings provide baseline information crucial for addressing environmental health risks and promoting sustainable practices.

India has set a target of 100 GW solar installation capacity by the year 2022. However, the loss of solar energy due to environmental factors like air pollution is not properly considered in renewable energy resource assessments. Here we show that India lost 29% of its utilizable global horizontal irradiance potential due to air pollution between 2001 and 2018. The average loss in output incurred by solar power systems with horizontal, fixed-tilt, single-axis, and dual-axis trackers due to air pollution is estimated to be 12%, 26%, 33%, and 41%, respectively, equivalent to a loss of 245–835 million USD annually. The successful implementation of the National Clean Air Program and the complete mitigation of household emissions through the supply of cleaner fuel for domestic use and rural electrification would allow India to generate a surplus of 6–16 TWh of electricity per year from the existing installed solar power capacity in 2018. This translates to an economic benefit of 325–845 million USD annually, which is equivalent to the implementation costs of these social programs. Mitigating air pollution would therefore accelerate India’s progress towards achieving its solar energy target at a lesser installation capacity, avoiding additional expenditure for the expansion of the solar energy infrastructure.