Environmental Sciences Europe最新文献

{"title":"Identifying the skills requirements related to industrial symbiosis and energy efficiency for the European process industry","authors":"Tugce Akyazi,&nbsp;Aitor Goti,&nbsp;Felix Bayón,&nbsp;Michael Kohlgrüber,&nbsp;Antonius Schröder","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00762-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00762-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The need for sustainable production, efficient use of resources, energy efficiency and reduction in CO₂ emission are currently the main drivers that are transforming the European process industry besides Industry 4.0. Since the potential of industrial symbiosis (IS) and energy efficiency (EE) about environmental, economic and social issues has been discovered, the interest in them is gradually increasing. The funding and investments for IS and EE are highly encouraged by the European Commission, while more and more policies as well as research and innovation (R&amp;I) activities are initiated to promote European industry’s advancement towards a circular economy and CO₂ neutrality. The aim is to maintain the competitiveness and economic progress of the industry. The key to build a competitive and sustainable European manufacturing industry is to create a competent, highly qualified workforce that is capable of handling the new business models coming with IS and EE requirements and digital technologies. We can generate this by identifying the skills needs and upskilling and reskilling the current workforce accordingly by delivering the suitable training programmes. Therefore, this work identifies the most critical skills needs related to IS and EE for six different energy-intensive sectors (steel, ceramic, water, cement, chemical and minerals) in Europe. The effect of the digital transformation on the skills needs is as well discussed. The identified skills are aimed to be included in vocational education and training (VET), tertiary education and other kinds of training curricula. We also identify the cross-sectoral most representative job profiles linked with EE and IS in these sectors and demonstrate the methodology for the selection process. Furthermore, we present a key tool for identifying the most significant current and future skills requirements. Also, we define the critical skill gaps of the European process industry using this tool. Once the skill gaps are defined, they can be reduced by delivering well-developed continuous trainings. We also link our work to the respectable ESCO, the European Classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations, to attain a common ground with other studies and frameworks, minimise the complexity and contribute to their work. Our work is developed to be an academic and industrial guideline to prepare well-developed training programmes to deliver the needed skills.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00762-z","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4791641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Operational blue water footprint and water deficit assessment of coal-fired power plants: case study in Malaysia","authors":"Nurul Hani Mardi,&nbsp;Lee Woen Ean,&nbsp;Marlinda Abdul Malek,&nbsp;Kok Hua Chua,&nbsp;Ali Najah Ahmed","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00759-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00759-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Freshwater is an essential resource used to generate electricity at coal-fired power plants. Previous literature has shown that a few states in Malaysia will face a high risk of water stress. Hence, coal-fired power plants located at risk states are exposed to potential water risk. This study aims (i) to determine the operational blue water footprint at coal-fired power plant from 2009 until 2020; (ii) to assess the water stress index at Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor; and (iii) to compare the water deficit impact across three states. This study accounted the operational water footprint using Water Footprint Assessment Global Manual. The study boundary focuses on water consumption of generating electricity at operational level. The water stress index was assessed based on ratio of water demand and water availability at Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor watershed. Next water deficit impact was determined to compare the impact of operational blue water footprint on local water resources. Data for this study were collected from the state’s water authority, published literature, national reports, and statistics. Result of this study found the average operational blue water footprint recorded by coal-fired power plant located at Perak is 0.11 m³/MWh followed 0.09 m³/MWh (Johor) and 0.04 m³/MWh (Negeri Sembilan). Water stress index at Perak and Negeri Sembilan shows moderate water stress, whereas Johor indicates low water stress index. The water deficit result shows Perak has the highest total water deficit at 12,542,824 m³H₂Oeqn from 2009 to 2020. This is due to moderate water stress condition at Perak and the total blue water footprint of coal-fired power plant at Perak is 67% and 42% more as compared to Negeri Sembilan and Johor, respectively. The result from this study is useful in enhancing understanding of water consumption pattern at coal-fired power plant and its impact on state’s water resources for future electricity scenarios.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00759-8","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4538709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Terrestrial ecotoxicity of glyphosate, its formulations, and co-formulants: evidence from 2010–2023","authors":"Szandra Klátyik,&nbsp;Gergely Simon,&nbsp;Marianna Oláh,&nbsp;Robin Mesnage,&nbsp;Michael N. Antoniou,&nbsp;Johann G. Zaller,&nbsp;András Székács","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00758-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00758-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Glyphosate (GLY), the most widely used herbicide in the world, is frequently detected in various environmental matrices, including soil, the foundation of agriculture. In practice, more than 2000 GLY-based herbicide (GBH) products are used, consisting of one or more active ingredients (AIs) and so-called “inert” co-formulants that increase the efficacy of the AIs. However, the focus of ecotoxicological assessments is mainly on AIs, while organisms are exposed to complex pesticide formulations under real-world conditions. Overall, the effects on non-target organisms indicate a broad range of biochemical and physiological modes of action, which contrasts with the general assumption that herbicides are specific and act only on target plants. Both GLY alone and GBHs have unintended side-effects on many terrestrial organisms, including non-target plants, microorganisms, insects, spiders, or earthworms, as well as vertebrates such as amphibians, reptiles, or mammals. One of the triggering mechanisms for these effects is oxidative stress with consequences on biochemical parameters and DNA damage. In addition, disruptions of various physiological, behavioral and ecological processes have been reported. Most studies have examined the short-term effects of a single application of GLY/GBH to a single species. However, the agricultural practice of applying GBHs two to three times during a cultivation season over an extended period of time, the interactions with other pesticides and agrochemicals applied to the same field, and effects on ecological interactions within the field and landscape are rarely considered. In the vast majority of cases, the toxicity of GBHs exceeds the toxicity of GLY, demonstrating that supposedly inert co-formulants are either toxic in their own right or interact and add to the toxicity of AIs. The chemical diversity of different GBHs and the non-disclosure of the co-formulants make it difficult to attribute effects to specific chemical substances within a GBH. Moreover, impurities in GBHs (e.g., heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, cobalt) pose additional environment and food safety risks. These impacts are even more critical because GBHs are so widely distributed worldwide and interact with other pollutants and environmental stressors. Based on the available literature on terrestrial ecotoxicity, and given the drastic decline in biodiversity, we conclude that the continued high use of GBHs, resulting in increased exposure and risk, cannot be considered ecologically sustainable.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00758-9","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4342480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What can we learn from biodegradation of natural polymers for regulation?","authors":"Stefan Hahn,&nbsp;Dieter Hennecke","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00755-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00755-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Synthetic polymers are chemicals of emerging concern for the environment, which is mainly attributed to their persistence in environmental compartments. On the other hand, polymers exist in nature as well. They are regarded of no concern for the environment. The present article focusses on the environmental fate of natural polymers and the implications on the persistence assessment for synthetic polymers. Natural polymers vary widely in structure, function, and properties. Crystallinity, wettability and surface area are important influencing factors on the (bio)degradation kinetics. Chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis is the most important process for the degradation of natural polymers, which for particulate material takes place either by bulk or surface erosion. Some natural polymers are degraded rapidly, but in other cases, degradation of natural polymers takes very long until complete mineralization. These differences in biodegradability are a result of evolution as they have to fulfil specific functions in nature which might require a certain persistency. Consequently, many natural polymers would have to be considered persistent or very persistent (P or vP) based on the available studies using the standard assessment approach. At the same time, they are considered no concern to the environment for good reasons. The analysis emphasizes that mineralization alone is not a resilient persistence endpoint for polymers. This needs to be recognized when assessing synthetic polymers, many of which would fulfil the existing P/vP criteria as well. For such synthetic polymers, it would be important to establish meaningful endpoints and polymer specific criteria to enable an adequate persistence assessment using a weight-of-evidence approach.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00755-y","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5090535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is the number of non-native species in the European Union saturating?","authors":"Phillip J. Haubrock,&nbsp;Paride Balzani,&nbsp;Rafael Macêdo,&nbsp;Ali Serhan Tarkan","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00752-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00752-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Non-native species can have significant negative impacts on the environment, economies, and amongst others, also human Non-native species can have significant negative impacts on the environment, economies, and human Non-native species can have significant negative impacts on the environment, economies, and human well-being, among other factors. Globalisation and economic incentives have substantially facilitated the growth in the numbers of newly recorded non-native species in the European Union. The European Union’s diversity in terms of political and socio-economic differences across member states may have contributed to the introduction of non-native species.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Data reported in the <i>Alien Species First Record Database,</i> however, suggests a decreasing trend in the number of non-native species recorded over the past three decades. <i>InvaCost</i>, a database of non-native species with economic impacts, similarly shows increasing numbers of reported non-native species with costs until the 2010s, which were, however, followed by a plateauing and ultimately decline. Although the recent trends in non-native species reports may be affected by a lag time in reporting and data allocation as well as possibly a disparity in research efforts, their impacts persist, leading to a growing ecological but also economic burden. We further identified substantial spatial differences as western European member states generally reported higher numbers of non-native species and non-native species with monetary impacts.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Without improved actions, biological invasions and their associated impacts will continue to rise, degrading natural capital and hampering sustainable development and sustainability targets. Therefore, improved coordinated efforts across the European Union are necessary to improve reporting of non-native species and a centralized collation of data through accessible databases should be considered.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00752-1","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4898752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of ambient particulate matter with hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs due to cardiovascular disease: time-series analysis based on data from the Shanghai Medical Insurance System from 2016 to 2019","authors":"Wenyong Zhou,&nbsp;Zexuan Wen,&nbsp;Wenjia Peng,&nbsp;Xinyu Wang,&nbsp;Minyi Yang,&nbsp;Weibing Wang,&nbsp;Jing Wei,&nbsp;Haiyan Xiong","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00754-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00754-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>There is limited evidence supporting a relationship of ambient particulate matter (PM), especially PM₁, with hospital admissions, hospital costs, and length of hospital stay (LOS) due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We used a generalized additive model (GAM) to estimate the associations of these indicators due to CVD for each 10 μg/m³ increase in the level of PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀, and the attributable risk caused by PM on CVD was determined using the WHO air quality guidelines from 2005 and 2021.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>For each 10 μg/m³ increase in the level of each PM and for a 0-day lag time, there were significant increases in daily hospital admissions for CVD (PM₁: 1.006% [95% CI 0.859, 1.153]; PM_2.5: 0.454% [95% CI 0.377, 0.530]; PM₁₀: 0.263% [95% CI 0.206, 0.320]) and greater daily hospital costs for CVD (PM₁: 523.135 thousand CNY [95% CI 253.111, 793.158]; PM_2.5: 247.051 thousand CNY [95% CI 106.766, 387.336]; PM₁₀: 141.284 thousand CNY [95% CI 36.195, 246.373]). There were no significant associations between PM and daily LOS. Stratified analyses demonstrated stronger effects in young people and males for daily hospital admissions, and stronger effects in the elderly and males for daily hospital costs. Daily hospital admissions increased linearly with PM concentration up to about 30 µg/m³ (PM₁), 60 µg/m³ (PM_2.5), and 90 µg/m³ (PM₁₀), with slower increases at higher concentrations. Daily hospital costs had an approximately linear increase with PM concentration at all tested concentrations. In general, hospital admissions, hospital costs, and LOS due to CVD were greater for PM_2.5 than PM₁₀, and the more stringent 2021 WHO guidelines indicated greater admissions, costs, and LOS due to CVD.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Short-term elevation of PM of different sizes was associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions and hospital costs due to CVD. The relationship with hospital admissions was strongest for men and young individuals, and the relationship with hospital costs was strongest for men and the elderly. Smaller PM is associated with greater risk.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00754-z","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4868575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Possibility for detecting 14 typical odorants occurring in drinking water by employing human odor-binding protein OBP2a","authors":"Xinying Chang,&nbsp;Fuguo Qiu,&nbsp;Chunmiao Wang,&nbsp;Yaohan Qian,&nbsp;Yongxin Zhang,&nbsp;Qingyuan Guo,&nbsp;Qi Wang,&nbsp;Shihao Wang,&nbsp;Min Yang,&nbsp;Jianwei Yu","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00746-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00746-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Odor issues occurring in drinking water have been a big challenge to face for water suppliers globally, which highly commend to develop quick or on-site odor detection tools for the management of odor problems. Olfactory sensors based on odor-binding proteins (OBPs) have been utilized to analyze pollutants in food and air samples, while their application for the detection of typical odor-causing compounds in drinking water is rarely reported, partly due to the lack of knowledge about the binding properties of odorants. In this study, the binding affinity and mechanism of human odor-binding protein OBP2a to 14 typical odorants in water were first assessed using fluorescent competitive binding assays and molecular docking techniques. The 14 odorants include 7 aldehydes, 2 terpenes, 2 thioethers, bis(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) ether (DCIP), 2-ethyl-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (2E4MDL), and 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP). The results showed that OBP2a could bind to 9 odorants (K_i = 29.91 μmol/L–48.36 μmol/L), including IBMP, 2-MIB, and six aldehydes (hexanal, heptanal, benzaldehyde, 2-octenal, decanal, and β-cyclocitral), among which stronger binding affinity for aldehydes is observed (K_i = 29.91 μmol/L–43.87 μmol/L). Molecular docking confirmed that Lys112 and Phe97 are major amino acid residues involved in the binding of the most target odorants. To be specific, IBMP and aldehydes can form hydrogen bonds with Lys112; aromatic ring-containing odorants such as IBMP and benzaldehyde can also form pi–pi stacking with Phe97. The binding affinity of OBP2a to fatty aldehydes including hexanal, heptanal, 2-octenal, decanal, and β-cyclocitral increased with the increase of hydrophobicity of aldehydes. The valuable information to the binding of OBP2a to typical odorants in this study would provide a theoretical foundation for the development of OBP-based odor detection biosensors to achieve quick detection in drinking water, further helping the improvement of water treatment processes in the water industry.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000 <figure><div><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></div></figure>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00746-z","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4388966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vitamin D receptor antagonist activity in wastewater effluents—potential for endocrine disruption","authors":"Johan Lundqvist,&nbsp;Geeta Mandava,&nbsp;Agneta Oskarsson","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00740-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00740-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Endocrine disrupting chemicals have been identified for a number of human endocrine systems, but there are no reports on vitamin D-antagonistic activities in environmental samples.</p><h3>Objectives</h3><p>We have investigated if there are compounds present in the environment that can act as Vitamin D receptor (VDR) antagonists.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>Water samples were collected of the influent and effluent water from five Swedish wastewater treatment facilities and concentrated with solid phase extraction. VDR antagonistic properties of the samples were tested with a cell-based in vitro assay responsive to vitamin D signaling. Cytotoxicity was monitored by three different assays.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>We observed a dose-dependent decrease in the VDR signaling in most studied samples, although the effect was overlapping with cytotoxicity for the influent samples. For effluent samples, we observed clear VDR antagonistic effects also in non-cytotoxic concentrations. The observed effects could not be explained by presence of natural organic matter or cadmium in the water.</p><h3>Discussion</h3><p>The vitamin D endocrine system regulates a broad range of physiological processes, and disruption of this system could be associated with serious health consequences. In this study, we report environmental presence of compounds with VDR antagonistic properties, compounds which constitute a new group of potential endocrine disruptors. The VDR antagonism was observed in wastewater treatment facility effluent waters, which are discharged into water systems used as raw water for drinking water production. The findings reported in this study may indicate a potential hazard to human health and aquatic life. Future research is needed to investigate the presence of VDR antagonists in the environment, identification of the causative compounds, and studies of exposure of humans and aquatic organisms to these compounds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00740-5","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"4098517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of environmental intolerances and symptoms between patients with multiple chemical sensitivity, subjects with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity, patients with bronchial asthma, and the general population","authors":"Atsushi Mizukoshi,&nbsp;Sachiko Hojo,&nbsp;Kenichi Azuma,&nbsp;Masami Mizuki,&nbsp;Mikio Miyata,&nbsp;Hideo Ogura,&nbsp;Kou Sakabe,&nbsp;Naomi Tsurikisawa,&nbsp;Chiyako Oshikata,&nbsp;Jiro Okumura","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00735-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00735-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Environmental hypersensitivity/intolerance is considered closely related to allergic diseases. To understand these conditions, the environmental intolerances and symptoms of patients with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), subjects with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), patients with bronchial asthma (BA), and the general population were compared using universal questionnaires.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>A survey was conducted from 2012 to 2015. The subjects were categorized in four groups: 111 patients with physician-diagnosed MCS, 119 subjects with self-reported EHS, patients with 98 physician-diagnosed BA, and 619 controls from general population. The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory and EHS questionnaire were used. The differences between the questionnaire scores among the four groups were tested using logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and gender as covariates.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The MCS and EHS groups had significantly high scores of intolerances to multiple environmental factors, life impact, and multiple symptoms than the BA and control groups. Although the differences between most of these scores of the MCS and EHS groups were not significant, the electromagnetic hypersensitivity reaction was significantly higher in the EHS group than in the MCS group. In addition, the scores for intolerances to chemicals and other compounds, life impact, and several symptoms of the BA group were significantly higher than those of the control group.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This study clarified the similarities and differences of the environmental intolerances and symptoms between the four groups.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00735-2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5137919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new approach to using Diffusive Gradient in Thin-films (DGT) labile concentration for Water Framework Directive chemical status assessment: adaptation of Environmental Quality Standard to DGT for cadmium, nickel and lead","authors":"Amouroux Isabelle,&nbsp;Jean-Louis Gonzalez,&nbsp;Stephane Guesdon,&nbsp;María Jesús Belzunce-Segarra,&nbsp;Philippe Bersuder,&nbsp;Thi Bolam,&nbsp;Miguel Caetano,&nbsp;Margarida Correia Dos Santos,&nbsp;Joana Larreta,&nbsp;Luc Lebrun,&nbsp;Barbara Marras,&nbsp;Vanessa Millán Gabet,&nbsp;Brendan McHugh,&nbsp;Iratxe Menchaca,&nbsp;Florence Menet-Nédélec,&nbsp;Natalia Montero,&nbsp;Olivier Perceval,&nbsp;Olivier Pierre-Duplessix,&nbsp;Fiona Regan,&nbsp;Jose Germán Rodríguez,&nbsp;Marta Rodrigo Sanz,&nbsp;Marco Schintu,&nbsp;Blánaid White,&nbsp;Hao Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s12302-023-00733-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-023-00733-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Integrative passive samplers, such as DGT (Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films), are identified in European Technical Guidance Documents as promising tools to improve the quality of the assessment, in the context of the WFD (EU Water Framework Directive). However, DGT results cannot yet be used directly in a regulatory framework to assess the chemical status of water bodies, as DGT labile concentrations cannot be directly compared to the metal AA-EQS_{marine water} (Annual Average Environmental Quality Standard) established by the WFD, which are defined in the dissolved concentration. Therefore, prior to using DGT results in a regulatory context, for cadmium, nickel and lead, an adaptation of existing AA-EQS_{marine water} for DGTs should be pursued, ensuring at least the same level of protection. In this sense, in the framework of the MONITOOL project, a robust database of dissolved and labile metal concentrations in transitional and coastal waters, for adapting the existing AA-EQS_{marine water} for DGT technique, was obtained. Building on these results, this study proposes a methodology and provides values and equations for using DGT results for the chemical status assessment of marine waters, by adapting the EQS_{marine water} to adapted EQS_DGT or predicting dissolved concentrations from DGT results. Based on available dataset, a first simulation of “chemical status” assessment per MONITOOL sampling site using DGT measured labile concentrations was carried out and the results were compared to an assessment based on dissolved concentration to check their compliance. These results demonstrate that the use of DGT passive samplers is appropriate for the metal concentrations level encountered in the marine environment. Further work is recommended to test the effectiveness of the methodology proposed in this study under WFD conditions on more sites and to establish common strategy guidelines for the use of DGT passive samplers in monitoring.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2023-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://enveurope.springeropen.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12302-023-00733-4","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"5106977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}