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In day-to-day living, individuals are exposed to various environmentally hazardous substances that have been associated with diverse diseases. Exposure to air pollutants can occur during breathing, posing a considerable risk to those with environmental health vulnerabilities. Among vulnerable individuals, maternal exposure can negatively impact the mother and child in utero. The developing fetus is particularly vulnerable to environmentally hazardous substances, with potentially greater implications. Among air pollutants, toluene is neurotoxic, and its effects have been widely explored. However, the impact of low-level toluene exposure in daily life remains unclear. Herein, we evaluated 194 mothers and infants from the Growing children's health and Evaluation of Environment (GREEN) cohort to determine the possible effects of early-life toluene exposure on the nervous system. Using Omics experiments, the effects of toluene were confirmed based on epigenetic changes and altered mRNA expression. Various epigenetic changes were identified, with upregulated expression potentially contributing to diseases such as glioblastoma and Alzheimer's, and downregulated expression being associated with structural neuronal abnormalities. These findings were detected in both maternal and infant groups, suggesting that maternal exposure to environmental hazardous substances can negatively impact the fetus. Our findings will facilitate the establishment of environmental health policies, including the management of environmentally hazardous substances for vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a health service facility, the hospital is a gathering place for sick and healthy people, can be a place for disease transmission, and allows environmental pollution and health problems. Today's management of the hospital environment is no longer a consumptive partial part but is a series of cycles and management strategies for homes. This type of research uses normative juridical and normative juridical to examine or analyze secondary data in the form of legal materials, especially primary and secondary legal materials, by understanding law as a set of regulations or positive norms in the legal system that regulates human life. Hospital waste can contain a variety of microorganisms, depending on the type of hospital, the level of treatment carried out before disposal, and the type of facility present. Based on research on B3 waste in the field of environment and its impact on health, it can be concluded that clinical waste from hospital-supporting activities produces non-medical waste, including from offices/administration, service units (cartons, cans, bottles), patient rooms, food waste, and kitchen waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been assessed by the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. The report highlights the negative impacts of shipping on coastal communities, the environment, and seafarers, including oil spills, air emissions, hazardous working conditions, and the transport of hazardous cargo. The report emphasizes the need for IMO to adopt a human rights-based approach to its work and address gaps in substantive coverage and implementation of conventions. The text also discusses challenges related to enforcement of regulations, transparency within the IMO, marine pollution, maritime safety, and forced labor in the fisheries sector. The IMO should prioritize human rights, increase transparency and stakeholder participation, and consider human rights in decision-making processes. Member states should also take action to address forced labor, ratify relevant protocols and agreements, and fully implement IMO conventions. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Nachrichten aus der Chemie is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Environmental sustainability (ES) is an increasing tendency in the healthcare industry as it seeks to enhance the environmental friendliness and reduces waste in operations to save money. The objective of research article is to identify the factors that contribute to improving the performance of ES in hospitals. Understanding the factors that contribute to the improvement of healthcare services may be helpful for practitioners, who need to address and implement an effective framework to enable an environment-friendly practice in hospitals. Design/methodology/approach: The current study utilised the technique called total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) to identify the factors and understand the interconnection between the identified factors. A literature review revealed 12 factors, which were then refined with the input of hospital experts. Based on a questionnaire survey, a planned interview is conducted in chosen Indian hospitals. The matrix impact cross multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) study employs dependency and driving power to identify the hierarchical relationship between the detected factors. Findings: Green building initiatives, water consumption, resource usage, and renewable energy were identified as key factors in the study. Other factors such as staff behaviour, procurement of goods and management of hazardous substance would be influenced by these fundamental components. With the implementation of green initiatives in the hospital, ES is primarily used to reduce the excessive use of scarce resources. Practical implications: The ES programme begins at the hospital grounds, with awareness and specific training provided to all personnel, including doctors, nurses, and managers at all levels. The training programme is intended to raise awareness; sessions are divided into targeted groups; a new organisational structure is created; and a consultant agent is hired to commence ES. Originality/value: Existing literature has focussed mostly on ES factors such as carbon emissions, water conservation, and effective waste disposal, while ignoring organisational viewpoints and their interrelationships. As a result, the current study used TISM to show the relationship between various organisational and environmental perspective components in order to comprehend the reasoning behind improving performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outcome of improper electronic waste management is an environmental and epidemiological catastrophe; therefore, its management has become crucial given the increase in e-waste generation. Global e-waste output eclipsed 52 million metric tonnes in 2020, growing at 3% per annum. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 12 highlights that only 20% of the generated e-waste was properly recycled, with the remainder indiscriminately disposed of. There has been considerable growth in publications on e-waste and the environment over the past few decades. This study provides an overview of the research landscape on the impact of e-waste on the environment using bibliometric analysis. VOSviewer software is used to visualise the current trends and the recent hotspots. It is observed that the research hotspots in the field are: soil, health, environmental impact, recovery, electronic equipment, and waste electrical and electronic equipment. By tracing the evolutionary research pathway, it is clear that the research hotspots have shifted focus to e-waste generation, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and circular economy. A total of 141 articles on e-waste and the environment published between 2003 and 2021 were selected for the study. The publication and citation analysis showed a steady increase in publications and citations. China dominates with a third of articles published by authors, followed by India and the United States. Developing countries contributed about 17% of total publications. The articles retrieved were cited 5290 times and had an h-index of 39. Finally, using network analysis techniques, four key themes are identified. The first theme relates to the strategies employed in recovering minerals from e-waste. The second theme focuses on the concentration levels of the heavy minerals found in e-waste. The third theme visualises the impact of e-waste on health, and finally, the fourth theme highlights the effects of e-waste on the environment. The study adds valuable insights to the body of literature in hazardous and toxic substances management. No studies were found chronicling the environmental effects of e-waste using bibliometric analysis. In light of the Sustainable Development Goals, further research needs to be undertaken, and these findings serve as a baseline for policymakers and scholars as more management strategies and policies are enacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable improvement is related to several key variables that count as solid and secure positions. Currently, the group of hazardous substances and inappropriate soils has created one of the most important issues of insecurity against masculinity. Consequently, unsafe substances and hazardous products have been unusually monitored by various countries. Although the safe evacuation of hazardous wastes has consistently remained an issue, the increase in collections and overall estimates of the oppressive situation created in inapplicable periods and the progress of our data and thinking about the contrasting effects of dangerously bad backgrounds on anthropological well-being and conditions has predetermined that the unsafe overflow group will continue during the period of the highest protection programs at the present time. In order to conduct this research, the management of hazardous substances and unsafe goods that are considered as wasteful waste will be properly portrayed in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel quantitative methodology to perform a multi-risk assessment of technological scenarios triggered by natural hazards (Natech events) is presented. The framework is based on a multi-hazard approach and is proposed to assess the risk associated to the different natural events to which an industrial site where relevant quantities of hazardous substances are present is exposed to. The quantitative methodology allows the calculation of failure frequencies, consequences of the scenarios and risk indexes which are compared and benchmarked. Finally, a case study is defined taking into account the impact of earthquakes, floods and lightning strikes. The application leads to the quantification of the contribution of each reference natural event considered to the overall risk figures. Moreover, the methodology proposed enables the evaluation of the relative weight of the risk related to each natural hazard for the selected facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of production waste storage in open areas of an enterprise with a galvanic shop for the production of chips and microchips has been investigated. The composition of the sludge obtained after sewage treatment of the production of the copper line was investigated. The aim of the article is to develop a mathematical model for predicting the distribution of compounds with heavy metals in the soil during long-term storage of galvanic sludge in open areas. Modeling the process of movement of salts from the earth's surface into the lower layers of the aeration zone occurs according to the laws of molecular diffusion. The method is developed on the basis of a mathematical model that makes it possible to estimate the spread over the depth of the ground and level of soil salinity over time using initial information about soil structure and its characteristics (molecular diffusion coefficient, volume humidity), annual volumes and conditions of sludge storage in the enterprise. Restrictions are set: the presence of harmful substances on the soil surface with a concentration that exceeds the permissible level; inadmissibility of harmful substances to aquifers. The practical use of the method made it possible to identify the main dangers during long-term storage of galvanic waste in open areas. The dynamics of soil salinity levels and the depth of penetration of heavy metals increase over twenty years of conservation has been determined, as well as the possibility of hazardous compounds entering groundwater has been assessed. Polyvinyl chloride packaging has a maximum life span of 15 years. Waste should not be stored in packages and in closed areas for more than 10 years. According to the prediction results, it can be stated that storage in landfills of galvanic waste for more than 15 years leads to significant salinization of the soil and creates conditions for an emergency situation, which is caused by harmful substances entering the water horizons. Recommendations for improving storage conditions are given and the need for recycling of industrial waste is substantiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]