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Povzetek: Soil water repellency (SWR) significantly affects plant growth, along with surface and subsurface hydrology, posing a challenge for agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Nowadays, the occurrence of microplastics (MP) in the environment, particularly from agricultural practices, raises concerns about MP impact on soil properties. Among them, SWR is affected by hydrophobicity of MP particles detected in soils. This study introduces a method and presents results of a screening test to assess the effects of MP on SWR, utilizing Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) analysis under controlled laboratory conditions in destructed soil samples. We compared SWR of two soil types differing in portion of sand, loam and clay. Soils were mixed with three different types of MP originating from agricultural mulch films: low-density polyethylene (LDPE), biodegradable poly butylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), and starch-based biodegradable plastics (Starch). The MP were milled to a uniform size range of some 10 to 300 μm and mixed with the soil samples. WDPT measurements were taken immediately after mixing and recorded for up to 60 s in order to find MP concentration levels at which strongly or more severely water repellency is inducted on soil samples. Our findings reveal that both, soil type and MP type significantly influence SWR, where there are notable differences observed between bio-based (Starch based) and non-bio-based (LDPE and PBAT) plastics’ effects on SWR in the two tested soil types. Data highlights the distinct behaviour of Starch in altering soil hydrophobicity, prominently different from the impact of both PBAT and LDPE. The measurement technique we have developed for quantifying SWR levels could be used for both research applications and the dissemination of findings. It can significantly enhance decision-making processes regarding the selection of optimal plastic alternatives for agricultural use.
Ključne besede: environmental pollution, microplastic, water drop penetration time, laboratory test
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 10.12.2024; Ogledov: 125; Prenosov: 55
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Povzetek: One of the sources of chronic exposure to potentially toxic elements (PTE), especially in polluted environments, is the inhalation of resuspended road dust (RD). The aim of this study is to assess the inhalation bioaccessibility of PTE in RD from highly polluted environments from mining/smelting industries and traffic, and to identify any correlations between the bioaccessibility fraction of PTE and the physicochemical characteristics of the particles. RD from the studied area contains extremely high total concentrations of Cr, V, and Mn, which are likely due to pollution from the smelting industry. Additionally, elevated total concentrations of other elements associated with traffic emissions including Zn, Cu, Pb, Sb, and Sn were also measured. The bioaccessibility of PTE was assessed using two synthetic extraction solutions - Gamble's solution (GS) and Artificial Lysosomal Fluid (ALF). The majority of elements showed negligible bioaccessibility in GS. However, quite high inhalation bioaccessibility was observed for Zn, Pb, Sb, Cd, and Mn in the ALF solution, with a mean bioaccessible fraction of 49, 51.5, 41, 50, and 40% respectively. The highest bioavailable fraction was measured for Cd (97%) in a sample collected near a steel production facility and for Pb (95%) in a sample collected near the highway. These results indicate that increased mobility of the elements in inhaled particles occurs only in the case of phagocytosis. The lowest inhalation bioavailability was measured for Cr (mean is 3%). Differential individual particle analysis revealed that about 60% of phases, mostly major (Cr,Ti,V)-bearing metallic alloys, silicates, oxides and sulphides, are stable in ALF solution, while 40% of phases, mostly (Fe,Ca,Mn)-bearing oxides, silicates, sulphides, metals and metallic alloys originating from steel production, ferrochrome, ferrosilicon and vanadium production and from traffic emissions have been heavily corroded or completely dissolved. The study provides valuable information to further assess health hazards from various emission sources.
Ključne besede: coal mining, inhalation bioaccessibility, mining/smelting pollution, potentially toxic elements, road dust, traffic pollution
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 09.09.2024; Ogledov: 398; Prenosov: 3280
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Povzetek: The overall increase in maritime transport, coastal urbanization and the foreseen increase in offshore oil and gas extraction pose serious risks of pollution from hazardous substances for several coastal states in the whole Mediterranean, and in particular in the Adriatic - Ionian region. Countries sharing a marine region or sub-region should adopt a common approach to environmental monitoring, good environmental status definition and assessment. In the Adriatic – Ionian marine sub-regions, the level of coherence and consistency of several EU and regional environmental policies, particularly in the assessment of contamination from hazardous substances, needs a common implementation. In the framework of enhancing the capacity to tackle environmental vulnerability and safeguard ecosystem services at transnational scale, the objective of HarmoNIA is twofold: to share best practices to support the harmonized implementation of marine environmental directives in the ADRION regionto strengthen the network of data infrastructures to facilitate access and re-use of marine data among countries bordering the Adriatic – Ionian Seas. Building on the EU initiative EMODnet for the management and supply of fragmented marine data, HarmoNIA will strengthen the existing transnational network of data infrastructures to facilitate access and re-use of marine data among countries bordering the Adriatic – Ionian Seas. The project will improve the coherence, among most countries bordering the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, all Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention, of protocols for monitoring and for assessment of contaminants in the marine environment and will facilitate data and information exchange within the region. The outputs will consist in a Transnational network of institutions adopting a joint data management system for contaminants in the marine environment, and in regional strategies to improve harmonization in monitoring and assessment, and to evaluate risk of contaminant dispersion in vulnerable coastal zones from different pollution sources. HarmoNIA outputs will improve the coordination among institutions involved in MSFD and UNEP/MAP protocol implementation, local, regional and national authorities in charge of environmental assessment, management, conservation, as well as research institutions, to tackle problems related to pollution dispersal and risks on the coastal areas of the ADRION region. The transnational approach will be assured by the cooperation among partners from most of the countries bordering the ADRION region, with consolidated experience in marine data acquisition and management and involved in the implementation of marine environmental policies.
Ključne besede: chemical pollution, monitoring programmes
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 03.09.2024; Ogledov: 314; Prenosov: 1235
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Povzetek: The chemical industry is the leading sector in the EU in terms of added value. However, contaminants pose a major threat and significant costs to the environment and human health. While EU legislation and international conventions aim to reduce this threat, regulators struggle to assess and manage chemical risks, given the vast number of substances involved and the lack of data on exposure and hazards. The European Green Deal sets a ‘zero pollution ambition for a toxic free environment’ by 2050 and the EU Chemicals Strategy calls for increased monitoring of chemicals in the environment. Monitoring of contaminants in biota can, inter alia: provide regulators with early warning of bioaccumulation problems with chemicals of emerging concern; trigger risk assessment of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances; enable risk assessment of chemical mixtures in biota; enable risk assessment of mixtures; and enable assessment of the effectiveness of risk management measures and of chemicals regulations overall. A number of these purposes are to be addressed under the recently launched European Partnership for Risk Assessment of Chemicals (PARC). Apex predators are of particular value to biomonitoring. Securing sufficient data at European scale implies large-scale, long-term monitoring and a steady supply of large numbers of fresh apex predator tissue samples from across Europe. Natural science collections are very well-placed to supply these. Pan-European monitoring requires effective coordination among field organisations, collections and analytical laboratories for the flow of required specimens, processing and storage of specimens and tissue samples, contaminant analyses delivering pan-European data sets, and provision of specimen and population contextual data. Collections are well-placed to coordinate this. The COST Action European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility provides a well-developed model showing how this can work, integrating a European Raptor Biomonitoring Scheme, Specimen Bank and Sampling Programme. Simultaneously, the EU-funded LIFE APEX has demonstrated a range of regulatory applications using cutting-edge analytical techniques. PARC plans to make best use of such sampling and biomonitoring programmes. Collections are poised to play a critical role in supporting PARC objectives and thereby contribute to delivery of the EU’s zero-pollution ambition.
Ključne besede: zero pollution, biomonitoring, chemicals of emerging concern, Apex predator, raptor, marine mammal, otter
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 06.08.2024; Ogledov: 385; Prenosov: 253
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Povzetek: For mitigation of the effects of pollution, the media, policy makers and, in turn, the scientific community and industry each provide contributions through development of a sense of urgency, and with guidelines and solutions. For non-indigenous species (NIS) that can frequently have negative impacts on the native biota, this is often conveyed in an emotive way to the general public, who are typically keen to help and to get personally involved. This might be through organization of cleaning campaigns, influence on the media, or collaboration with scientists, to inform them of the local presence and abundance of NIS. Alternatively, they might proactively develop technological solutions themselves. To assess the current state of affairs, we reviewed the presence and effects of NIS in the Mediterranean Sea. As so often, any well-planned and successful activity is directly linked to financing, or a lack thereof, and this leads to sometimes untargeted and sporadic measures that are developed within a project or over a limited timeframe, without any sustainability measures. Therefore, we also assessed the activities and strategies that have been financed in this area of NIS mitigation. Based on this review of the presence and impact of NIS, and previous and ongoing activities, we propose a new paradigm to mitigate such pollution: the 8Rs model (i.e., Recognize, Reduce, Replace, Reuse, Recycle, Recover/Restore, Remove, and Regulate). This model extends from the more traditional 3Rs model (i.e., Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) that is often used and promoted for innovative waste management strategies. Importantly, the 8Rs model can be applied sequentially, for either prevention of NIS introduction, or preparation of mitigation measures. The 8Rs model was constructed based on Mediterranean NIS, although we believe it can be applied to other sources of pollution and other geographic areas. Importantly, the 8Rs model represents a general framework to organize and categorize future pollution mitigation strategies. This approach is essential for development of any action plan to influence the administrative and financial decision makers who essentially enable these activities, and therefore who have important roles in the guarantee of sustainability of these actions, and the creation of innovative societies.
Ključne besede: non-indigenous species, pollution mitigation, pollution mitigation, 8Rs model, quadruple helix, Mediterranean Sea, citizen science, communication, sustainability
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.07.2024; Ogledov: 417; Prenosov: 273
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