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Topic Review
Biography
Topic Review
Environmental Microplastics
Environmental microplastics are gaining interest due to their ubiquity and the threat they pose to environmental and human health. Critical studies have revealed the abundance of microplastics in nature, while others have tested the impacts of these small plastics on organismal health in the laboratory. Yet, there is often a mismatch between these two areas of research, resulting in major discrepancies and an inability to interpret certain findings. Here, we focus on several main lines of inquiry. First, even though the majority of environmental microplastics are plastic microfibers from textiles, laboratory studies still largely use spherical microbeads. There are also inconsistencies between the measurements of microplastics in the environment as compared to the concentrations that tend to be used in experimental studies. Likewise, the period of exposure occurring in experimental studies and in the environment are vastly different. Lastly, although experimental studies often focus on a particular subset of toxic chemicals present on microplastics, textile microfibers carry other dyes and chemicals that are understudied. They also cause types of physical damage not associated with microspheres.
528
11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Environmental Monitoring
Human activities and climate change constitute the contemporary catalyst for natural processes and their impacts, i.e., geo-environmental hazards. Globally, natural catastrophic phenomena and hazards, such as drought, soil erosion, quantitative and qualitative degradation of groundwater, frost, flooding, sea level rise, etc., are intensified by anthropogenic factors. Thus, they present rapid increase in intensity, frequency of occurrence, spatial density, and significant spread of the areas of occurrence. The impact of these phenomena is devastating to human life and to global economies, private holdings, infrastructure, etc., while in a wider context it has a very negative effect on the social, environmental, and economic status of the affected region. Geospatial technologies including Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing—Earth Observation as well as related spatial data analysis tools, models, databases, contribute nowadays significantly in predicting, preventing, researching, addressing, rehabilitating, and managing these phenomena and their effects.
1.7K
20 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Environmental Monitoring Applications
Concerns about global environmental challenges, such as the alarming increase in pollution of oceans, waterways, land, and air, are becoming more and more prevalent in contemporary society. Environmental pollution has evolved into more than a health concern because of global industrialization and mass consumption patterns; it now represents a danger to whole ecosystems. It is critical to comprehend its causes and mitigation strategies. Adequate and timely environmental data are required for risk forecasting and early warning for environmental disasters.
1.7K
23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Environmental Monitoring of Pesticide Residues
Pesticide residues are a threat to the health of the global population, not only to farmers, applicators, and other pesticide professionals. Humans are exposed through various routes such as food, skin, and inhalation. Indirect approaches, also called “external exposure approaches”, estimate the exposure of a population through the measurements of pesticide residue levels in food and the environment. Environmental sampling involves water resources, soils, sediments, and air particles. Recent studies have also included indoor and road dust. In addition, indirect assessment models also include food, as fruits, vegetables, and cereals treated with pesticides have also been proven to be significant sources of pesticides. Furthermore, the pesticide residues in abiotic environmental samples also bioaccumulate in biota. Dietary intake of animal products, including meat and subproducts from farm animals, fish, and seafood, is considered an important route of exposure for population.
733
19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Environmental Nanotechnologies in Wastewater Treatment
Nanotechnologies (NTs) are nowadays well established on both private households and commercial markets. NTs are fully accepted in several sectors such as medicine and pharmacy, or in industry such as chemistry, electricity, food production, military, and other commercial branches due to their unique properties. With regard to the growing demands on environmental resources caused through still growing worldwide population, application of NTs is an extremely important new branch in the environmental sector delivering several advantages. The entry provides a comprehensive overview on current developments in environmental remediation, wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment and agriculture. More in detail, in the section environmental remediation, the application on NTs towards enhanced reductive dechlorination, removal of heavy metals and remediation of oil spills were reviewed. Developments towards adsorption of heavy metals and persistent substances, advanced photocatalytic degradation of common wastewater pollutants, and improvements in membrane filtration processes were predominantely highlighted. On the one hand, nanotechnologies (NTs) refer to nanostructure techniques, such as nanolithography and nanomanipulation, but also to nanomaterials (NMs) on the other hand. NMs refer commonly to nanoparticles (NPs), nanotubes, nanofilms, and others. The engineered era of NTs combines different application sectors, including biological, biotechnological, chemical, medical, pharmaceutical, food and agriculture, environmental, electronic, material engineering, and other industrial processing technologies, and other branches.
765
01 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Environmental Performance Index
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) developed by Yale University is regarded as an all-inclusive proxy to examine the country’s environmental conditions. Ozturk et al. also argued that CO2 emissions only cover a small part of the total environmental pollution. The recently revised EPI of 2020 comprises 32 performance indicators across 11 issue categories. It ranks countries under two domains, environmental health and ecosystem vitality, which demonstrate the environmental pollution impacts on human health and also the effects that ensue on the ecosystem through environmental pollution. The Environmental Health Index (HLT) measures the quality of air, water, and exposure to heavy metals. The Ecosystem Vitality Index (ECO) considers issues such as climate change and biodiversity.
1.6K
16 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in Madagascar
Located on the East coast of Africa, Madagascar is the world’s fourth-biggest island; Madagascar is host to 12,000 species of vascular plants (96% endemic). Over 90% of all its wildlife is found nowhere else on earth, and 5% of all of the earth’s biodiversity is found in Madagascar. A place where environmental degradation problems have created severe erosion and water quality problems. Despite its biological and cultural diversity, Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world, with approximately 78% of the population living in extreme poverty with an average income of less than USD 2 per day, and more than three-quarters of the population in rural areas engaged in natural resources dependent livelihood activities.
2.1K
07 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Environmental Risk Factors
Environmental health is a growing area of knowledge, continually increasing and updating the body of evidence linking the environment to human health.
12.6K
03 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Environmental Risks and Safer Medical Destinations
Environmental catastrophes have an effect on people and the environment and can have long-term effects, including the immediate disruption of human, animal, and plant life as well as all economic activity. The worldwide tourism sector has seen a dramatic shift in passengers’ interests. Tourists are increasingly considering safety and sustainability when picking their travel locations as climate change, natural catastrophes, and pollution continue to threaten diverse regions across the world. This shift in mentality has far-reaching consequences for both the tourism sector and the environment.
173
15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Environmental Scenario Analysis
Scenario analysis is a useful tool to facilitate discussions about the main trends of future change and to promote the understanding of global environmental changes implications on relevant aspects of sustainability.
2.0K
16 Sep 2020
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