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Braking efficiency is one of the most important elements of a car’s safety. The length of the braking distance may be influenced by many elements, including the braking system, tire condition, and suspension components, but also the state of the road surface at the braking point. Therefore, the correct determination of the braking distance measurement is one of the most essential elements in the road accident reconstruction process. This article presents a device – a marker for the beginning of the braking process called a Brake-Marker – developed at Łukasiewicz-PIMOT. The structure and operation, as well as the method of using this device in the process of testing vehicles under braking conditions are shown. This work presents the device and its research methodology, leading to the assessment of the possibility of using it to estimate the length of the braking distance at the site of a road incident. The authors of this study offer a thesis that the presented braking device can be used by experts and services to measure the braking distance in road conditions and for the process of road accident reconstruction.

Introduction and Objective: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of flame-retarding synthetic compounds. They may cause a potential threat to human health due to their bio-accumulative and toxicological properties, and ubiquitous presence in the environment. Food, and ingested dust constitute principal sources of human exposure to PBDEs. The aim of this study was to assess the potential human exposure to selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers measured in dust found in cars and airplane cabins to characterize the health risk., Material and Methods: 31 samples of car dust and 14 samples of airplane dust were collected and concentrations of BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-153 and BDE-209 congeners were determined by gas chromatography with micro-electron capture detector (GC-μECD). Exposures were estimated for infants (0-1 year), toddlers (1-3 years) and adults (>18 years). The Hazard Quotients (HQs) were calculated by comparing the estimated exposure values to reference doses (RfD) established by the US EPA., Results: The study found that BDE-209 levels were much higher in the majority of samples than in the remaining PBDEs The estimated values of average and reasonable maximum exposure (P95) in each age group ranged from <0.001 ng kg -1 b.w. day -1 to 382 ng kg -1 b.w. day -1 and from <0.001 ng kg -1 b.w. day -1 to 1.2 μg kg -1 b.w. day -1 , respectively (considering the individual analysed PBDE congeners). Additionally, the exposure of infants and toddlers was estimated using the highest PBDE concentration reported in the study and the maximum daily dust intake values. All the HQ values were lower than 1, in the majority of cases 2 orders of magnitude lower than 1., Conclusions: The levels of tested PBDE congeners measured both in car and aircraft dust did not indicate health risk for these selected populations resulting from ingestion of dust.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including substances used in plant protection products (PPPs), are a source of ongoing concern for the EU society. Under the EC Regulation 1107/2009, the endocrine-disrupting (ED) properties of active substances, safeners, and synergists used in PPPs shall be investigated. The scientific criteria established by the Regulation (EU) 2018/605 and the joint guidance of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)/European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) provide the basis for this assessment. Data requirements for the approval of safeners and synergists have been recently published in Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1487, allowing a consistent assessment of these substances. The approach to assessing co-formulant hazards is currently a subject of EU-wide discussion. It outlines the necessity to take into account information or evaluation data from other than pesticides' EU regulatory frameworks, such as REACH or SCCS applications for cosmetic ingredients. This paper outlines: a) current EU approach applied for identification of endocrine disrupting properties of pesticides; b) issues related to European regulations that may have an indirect impact on the safe use of plant protection products and c) an analysis of the European Commission's activities aimed to limit exposure to EDCs associated with use of PPPs in the society., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used for many years as flame retardants. Due to their physicochemical and toxicological properties, they are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs). BDE-209 is the main component of deca-BDE, the one PBDE commercial mixture currently approved for use in the European Union. The aim of this study was to analyse BDE-209 in surface soil samples from Warsaw and surrounding areas (Poland) as an indicator of environmental pollution with PBDEs, and to characterise the associated health risk. A total of 40 samples were analysed using gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-µECD). Concentrations of BDE-209 in soil ranged from 0.4 ng g -1 d.w. (limit of quantification) to 158 ng g -1 d.w. Overall, 52.5% of results were above the method's limit of quantification. The highest levels were found at several locations with heavy traffic and in the vicinity of a CHP plant in the city. The lowest concentrations were observed in most of the samples collected from low industrialized or green areas (<0.4 to 1.68 ng g -1 d.w.). Exposure to BDE-209 was estimated for one of the most sensitive populations, i.e., young children. The following exposure routes were selected: oral and dermal. No risk was found to young children's health.

Furan and its derivatives are found in various heat-treated foods. Furan is classified as a possible human carcinogen. The European Union authorities recommend collecting data on the occurrence of these compounds, estimating consumer exposure, and taking measures to protect human health based on a scientific risk assessment. The aim of this study was to estimate the exposure of infants and toddlers to furan and its methyl derivatives-2-methylfuran, 3-methylfuran, and ∑2,5-dimethylfuran/2-ethylfuran-present in home-prepared foods and to characterize the associated health risks. The compounds of interest were determined using the HS-GC/MS. The risk was characterized by the calculation of the margin of exposure (MoE). Levels of furan and its derivatives in analyzed samples were in the range of

Honey is considered to be a health-promoting food product. Therefore, it is assumed that it should be free of contaminants. Although the use of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) was banned a few decades ago in developed countries, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are still detected in various environmental and biological matrices, including food. These contaminants exhibit toxic properties and bioaccumulate in some food chains. The validation of a modified QuEChERS extraction method was successfully performed for o,p' -DDT, o,p' -DDE, o,p' -DDD, p,p' -DDT, p,p' -DDE, p,p' -DDD, heptachlor and dieldrin. 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153) was used as an internal standard. The modification involved changing the solvent from acetonitrile to n-hexane after extraction. Quantitation was carried out using gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (µECD). The mean recovery values for o,p' -DDT, o,p' -DDE, o,p' -DDD, p,p' -DDT, p,p' -DDE, p,p' -DDD and dieldrin, spiked at 2.9 ng/g and 20 ng/g, ranged from 64.7% to 129.3%, and, for heptachlor spiked at 5.6 ng/g and 20 ng/g, ranged from 68.0% to 88.3%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for these concentrations did not exceed 20%, and the within-laboratory reproducibility was below 20%, except o,p' -DDE and p,p' -DDT, which were 25.2% and 20.7%, respectively. This modified QuEChERS extraction method for selected organochlorine compounds was demonstrated as effective for routine testing in honey.