Search Results (352)

The rising incidence of microplastics (MPs) is a possible health risk to humans. The present study aims to analyze the presence of MPs in intravenous (IV) infusions and compare MP concentrations from multiple brands. The IV solutions of 29 medical devices (IV-MDs) from seven brands commercialized in Ecuador, Spain, and Italy have been selected under specific consideration to carry out the study. The detection of MPs has been quite obvious in almost all of the samples from brands in the mentioned countries. MP concentrations ranged from 9 to 20 MPs/L in glass containers to 166–299 MPs/L in plastic bags, with the majority of fragments (63%) on fibres (37%) and more than 60% of particles less than 100 µm. Nine different types of MPs were identified in this study. High clinical risk was indicated by markings with >200 MPs/L. Nevertheless, the medium polymeric danger index (PHI) was 1.7. According to these outcomes, IV infusion is a direct exposure to MPs that may have harmful medical repercussions. It is imperative that MPs’ limitations be included in pharmacopoeic monographs and in vivo toxicological and epidemiological studies. The present study aims to analyze the presence of MPs in IV-MDs and compare MP concentrations from multiple IV-MD brands. Full article

With increasing global climate change, extreme weather threats to indoor environments are growing. Heatwave events provide essential data for building thermal resilience analysis. However, existing heatwave definition indicators vary widely and lack standardized criteria. To more accurately evaluate indoor overheating risks, this study compared indoor overheating responses under different heatwave definition indicators, considering the temporal disconnect between indoor and outdoor heat conditions. Focusing on Beijing, this study established an indoor–outdoor coupled heatwave evaluation framework using 1951–2021 meteorological data and the heat index as an overheating metric. By analyzing indoor overheating degree and overlap degree to characterize indoor–outdoor correlations, we concluded that different definitions of heatwaves lead to variations in identifications, while multidimensional indicators better capture extreme events. Heatwaves with prolonged duration and high intensity pose greater health risks. Although Beijing’s indoor thermal conditions are generally safe, peak heat indices during summer heatwaves exceed danger thresholds in some buildings, highlighting thermal safety concerns. The metrics for heatwave 6 and heatwave 7 optimally integrate indoor–outdoor characteristics with higher thresholds identifying more extreme events. These findings support the design of building thermal resilience, overheating early warnings, and climate-adaptive electrification strategies. Full article

Background: High-voltage electrical injuries (HVEIs) represent a complex and life-threatening entity, frequently involving multi-organ damage. While traditionally linked to occupational hazards, train surfing—riding on moving trains—and train climbing—scaling stationary carriages—have emerged as increasingly common causes among adolescents. Popularized via social media, these behaviors expose individuals to the invisible danger of electric arcs from 15,000-volt railway lines, often resulting in extensive burns, cardiac complications, and severe trauma. This study presents a 30-year retrospective analysis comparing cardiac biomarkers and clinical outcomes in train-surfing injuries versus work-related HVEIs. Methods: All patients with confirmed high-voltage injury (≥1000 volts) admitted to a Level 1 burn center between 1994 and 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria comprised low-voltage trauma, suicide, incomplete records, and external treatment. Clinical and laboratory parameters—including total body surface area (TBSA), Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI), electrocardiogram (ECG) findings, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, mortality, and cardiac biomarkers (creatine kinase [CK], CK-MB, lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], aspartate transaminase [AST], troponin, and myoglobin)—were compared between the two cohorts. Results: Of 81 patients, 24 sustained train-surfing injuries and 57 were injured in occupational settings. Train surfers were significantly younger (mean 16.7 vs. 35.2 years, p = 0.008), presented with greater TBSA (49.9% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.008), higher ABSI scores (7.3 vs. 5.1, p = 0.008), longer ICU stays (53 vs. 17 days, p = 0.008), and higher mortality (20.8% vs. 3.5%). ECG abnormalities were observed in 51% of all cases, without significant group differences. However, all cardiac biomarkers were significantly elevated in train-surfing injuries at both 72 h and 10 days post-injury (p < 0.05), suggesting more pronounced cardiac and muscular damage. Conclusions: Train-surfing-related high-voltage injuries are associated with markedly more severe systemic and cardiac complications than occupational HVEIs. The significant biomarker elevation and critical care demands highlight the urgent need for targeted prevention, public awareness, and early cardiac monitoring in this high-risk adolescent population. Full article

Background/Objectives: In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 have progressively displayed a range of symptoms linked to protracted COVID during the post-acute phase of illness. Concurrently, in several nations globally, the phenomenon of population aging has been intensifying. In this scenario, the aged population has become both vulnerable and high-risk during the acute phase of COVID-19, and faces significant dangers associated with long-COVID. This study seeks to analyze the incidence and spatial distribution of health complications in older people affected by COVID-19, in the first year of the pandemic (2020), in the State of Paraná, as well as to identify the factors associated with the development of cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, and metabolic diseases. Method: An observational and retrospective study was carried out in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Participants were randomly selected from two databases. A total of 893 older people (≥60 years) participated in the study 12 months after acute COVID-19 infection. Telephone questionnaires were applied between March and December 2021. The Moran index test, logistic regression, and Poisson models were used to analyze the data. Results: In terms of age, most participants (66%) were between 60 and 69 years old, 25.8% were between 70 and 79 years old, and 8.2% were 80 years old or older. Most participants were female (51.2%), white (98.1%), had a partner (69.8%), and had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 (59.3%). Cardiovascular diseases were the most frequent in the population (39.5%), followed by metabolic diseases (27.3%). The long-term use of medication was associated with the development of metabolic diseases (aOR = 9.8), cardiovascular diseases (aOR = 6.6), and diseases in multiple organic systems (aOR = 3.2); living alone was associated with neurological diseases (aOR = 2.5), and the age group of 80 years or older (aOR = 2.4) was associated with cardiovascular events. The spatial distribution showed that complications in body groups are distributed randomly among the health regions of the state, with no influence from neighboring locations. Conclusions: Post-COVID-19 health complications are more frequent in older adults who have comorbidities and long-term medication use. Therefore, long-term monitoring of these individuals and investment in public policies for rehabilitation and prevention of complications are necessary. Full article

Sustainable development is increasingly challenged by the growing threats of climate change. There is a close relationship between climate change, public health, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study investigates the temperature anomalies in the Kingdom of Bahrain and their potential effects on human health. Furthermore, it proposes solutions to support Bahrain’s SDG-related goals. Data were collected from global studies and statistics and the Bahrain Meteorological Directorate over 50 years, which were then used to calculate the temperature anomalies and the heat indices, thereby exploring the past and present monthly and annual national temperature and sociated risks to human health. The results show that Bahrain is located in an area of high temperature anomalies and high rates of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, anomaly calculations indicate a critical rise in temperature, ranging from 1 to 4 °C higher than the averages recorded in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Such an increase could significantly affect human health, particularly since the heat index results show that summers consistently fall within the extreme danger ranges. In contrast, other seasons have occasionally reached the danger level or required extreme caution in certain years. Consequently, this study offers recommendations to help mitigate the rise in temperature and associated risks in the future. Full article

Forest fires in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region are increasing in frequency and severity, driven by climate variability, prolonged dry periods, and human activity. Nepal, a critical part of the HKH, recorded over 22,700 forest fire events in the past decade, with fire incidence nearly doubling in 2023. Despite this growing threat, operational early warning systems remain limited. This study presents Nepal’s first high-resolution early fire risk outlook system, developed by adopting the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) using meteorological forecasts from the High-Impact Weather Assessment Toolkit (HIWAT). The system generates daily and two-day forecasts using a fully automated Python-based workflow and publishes results as Web Map Services (WMS). Model validation against MODIS, VIIRS, and ground fire records for 2023 showed that over 80% of fires occurred in zones classified as Moderate to Very High risk. Spatiotemporal analysis confirmed fire seasonality, with peaks in mid-April and over 65% of fires occurring in forested areas. The system’s integration of satellite data and high-resolution forecasts improves the spatial and temporal accuracy of fire danger predictions. This research presents a novel, scalable, and operational framework tailored for data-scarce and topographically complex regions. Its transferability holds substantial potential for strengthening anticipatory fire management and climate adaptation strategies across the HKH and beyond. Full article

Climate change has led to the global intensification of wildfire activity, and South Korea has also experienced a marked increase in fire danger. To understand these developments, it is essential to examine both temporal trends and spatial patterns in fire-conducive climate conditions. In this study, we investigated the temporal and spatial characteristics of wildfire danger across South Korea between 2004 and 2023 using the Fire Weather Index (FWI). The analysis of long-term climate trends revealed region-specific patterns of increasing temperatures, decreasing precipitation, and declining wind speeds, which collectively contribute to an increased risk of wildfires. The FWI exhibited strong seasonal variations, with significant increases observed in spring, particularly in May, over the most recent decade. Statistical analyses confirmed a strong correlation between high FWI percentiles and wildfire occurrence, particularly noting an increased frequency of large-scale fires (>100 ha) in the highest FWI bins. The spatial analysis further highlighted that certain provinces, including Gangwon State, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Chuncheongbuk-do, and Gyeonggi-do, experienced disproportionately high increases in FWI values. These findings suggest that the FWI can serve as a robust framework for wildfire danger assessment in South Korea, particularly when supported by region-specific calibration and long-term validation under varying climatic conditions. Full article

Sustainable architectural heritage conservation focuses on preserving historical buildings while promoting environmental sustainability. It involves using eco-friendly materials and methods to ensure that the cultural value of these structures is maintained while minimizing their ecological impact. In this paper, the use of the hydroxyapatite (HAp) in various combinations on masonry samples is presented, with the aim of identifying the ideal solution to be applied to an entire historical building in Banloc monument. The new solution has various advantages: compatibility with historical lime mortars (chemical and physical), increased durability under aggressive environmental conditions, non-invasive and reversible, aligning with conservation ethics, bioinspired material that avoids harmful synthetic additives, preservation of esthetics—minimal visual change to treated surfaces, and nanostructural (determined via SEM and AFM) reinforcement to improve cohesion without altering the porosity. An innovative approach involving hydroxiapatite addition to commercial mortars is developed and presented within this paper. Physico-chemical, mechanical studies, and architectural and economic trends will be addressed in this paper. Some specific tests (reduced water absorption, increased adhesion, high mechanical strength, unchanged chromatic aspect, high contact angle, not dangerous freeze–thaw test, reduced carbonation test), will be presented to evidence the capability of hydroxyapatite to be incorporated into green renovation efforts, strengthen the consolidation layer, and focus on its potential uses as an eco-material in building construction and renovation. The methodology employed in evaluating the comparative performance of hydroxyapatite (HAp)-modified mortar versus standard Baumit MPI25 mortar includes a standard error (SE) analysis computed column-wise across performance indicators. To further substantiate the claim of “optimal performance” at 20% HAp addition, independent samples t-tests were performed. The results of the independent samples t-tests were applied to three performance and cost indicators: Application Cost, Annualized Cost, and Efficiency-Cost-Performance (ECP) Index. This validates the claim that HAp-modified mortar offers superior overall performance when considering efficiency, cost, and durability combined. Full article

Increasing wildfire activities across the Great Plains has raised concerns about the effectiveness and safety of prescribed fire as a land management tool. This study analyzes wildfire records from 1992 to 2020 to assess spatiotemporal patterns in wildfire risk and evaluate the role of prescribed fires through the combined analysis of wildfire and prescribed fire data. Results show a threefold increase in both wildfire frequency and area burned, with fire size increasing from east to west and frequency rising from north to south. Wildfire seasons are gradually occurring earlier due to climate change. Negative correlation between prescribed fires in spring and wildfires in summer indicated the effectiveness of prescribed fire in mitigating wildfire risk. Drought severity accounted for 51% of the interannual variability in area burned, while grass curing accounted for 60% of monthly variability of wildfires in grasslands. The ratio of wildfire area burned to total area burned (dominated by prescribed fires) declined from over 20% in early March to below 1% by early April. The results will lay a foundation for the development of a localized fire risk assessment tool that integrates various long-term, mid-term, and short-term risk factors, and support more effective fire management in this region. Full article

Plastic and especially microplastic (MP) pollution has posed a serious threat to the marine environment for decades. Studies on MPs have started to gain momentum especially in the Sea of Marmara (SoM), which is an international waterway, under the pressure of intense maritime traffic and exposure to domestic and industrial discharges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the MPs found in surface sediments collected from the coastal area of the SoM according to the locations and to reveal the extent of the existing pollution. This is the first study to examine MPs in both the surface sediments of the entire shorelines of the SoM, which have not been previously reported, and in the surface sediments of Çanakkale Strait. Accordingly, the highest MP abundance was detected at Yenice station (St 15) with 1286 items/kg, and the lowest MP abundance was detected at Turan Village station (St 14) with 199 items/kg. The most dominant shapes across all sampling stations and months were fiber (37%) and fragment (26%), while the most dominant color was blue (35%). According to the polymer characterization results, PE (polyethylene) was found to be the most dominant polymer type. Additionally, most stations were found to have “Moderate” and “High” pollution levels in terms of the contamination factor (CF), and regions were classified as “Moderate” and ‘High’ in terms of the pollution load index (PLI), with the St 15 station specifically exhibiting “Very High” pollution levels. Furthermore, hazard index (HI) and pollution risk index (PRI) values were also calculated regionally, revealing that regions have pollution levels classified as “High”, “Very High”, and even “Dangerous”. This study concluded that there are no areas with low pollution levels in SoM, and that the threat posed by MP pollution in this sea is increasing. Furthermore, this study found that stations with high MP pollution levels are located near river discharges and that rivers significantly contribute to MP pollution in the seas. The findings are of great importance in terms of the need to implement sustainable plans and measures to prevent pollution in the SoM and to take concrete steps to protect and ensure the sustainability of coastal ecosystems, particularly those under serious pollution threats. Full article

Global forest wildfires are increasing in both frequency and intensity, resulting in significant ecological degradation and posing substantial threats to human health. This study focused on the Dongjiang River Basin in southern China and investigated the seasonal and spatial distribution patterns of forest wildfires in the research region from 2003 to 2023 using geographic information system technology. This study employed the random forest (RF) model, a machine learning algorithm, to predict the danger level of wildfire across different seasons and quantitatively interpret the seasonal wildfire driving mechanisms using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values. The results indicated that forest wildfires in the Dongjiang Basin were predominantly concentrated in the eastern region of the Dongjiang Basin, with significant seasonal variation in the spatial distribution. The frequency of fire events exhibited distinct seasonal patterns, with higher incidence in spring and winter and relatively lower frequency in summer and autumn. The random forest model demonstrated high predictive accuracy for the wildfire danger in all the seasons. Furthermore, the analysis of the driving factors showed that, despite some seasonal variability, the underlying mechanisms of wildfire occurrence could be effectively quantified using the SHAP values. Notably, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and anthropogenic disturbances consistently emerged as the dominant driving forces behind forest wildfires across all the seasons. Full article

Sustainable agricultural development in China in the face of growing environmental concerns relies critically on how well regulatory policies strengthen agricultural resilience. This study aims to systematically investigate the impact of air pollution on agricultural economic resilience and its mechanisms of action and to explicitly assess the moderating role of environmental regulation. This study develops a thorough index system that evaluates agricultural economic resilience in three areas: risk resistance and recovery, adaptive adjustment capacity, and restructuring innovation. Panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2023 is used to achieve this. The implications of air pollution and its diverse consequences on agricultural economic resilience are systematically assessed using a two-way fixed-effects and moderating-effects model. The following are the primary conclusions: First, air pollution has a significant negative impact on the economic resilience of agriculture. This conclusion holds after considering the endogeneity problem and a series of robustness tests, such as the exclusion of samples, random sampling, and quantile regression. Second, different dimensions of agricultural economic resilience, intensity levels, and economic growth phases influence how much air pollution reduces agricultural economic resilience. Notably, at various stages of economic growth, air pollution steadily weakens the economic resilience of agriculture. In particular, the impact is more pronounced in the post-financial-crisis phase of domestic demand expansion and the phase of financial clearing and high-quality development. According to a dimensional perspective, air pollution significantly reduces the farm sector’s capacity to endure and recover from dangers while also making adaptive modifications easier, and the impact on transformational innovation is not significant. In terms of intensity, in contrast to places with higher resilience, those with lower resilience are disproportionately more adversely affected by air pollution. Third, environmental control mitigates some of the detrimental effects of air pollution on agricultural economic resilience. Based on these results, this study calls for stricter air pollution control measures, strengthens environmental regulatory support for agricultural resilience, and demonstrates region-specific governance solutions to guarantee the stability and sustainability of the agricultural economic framework. Full article

As climate change intensifies, cities are experiencing more severe rainfall and frequent waterlogging. When rainfall exceeds the carrying capacity of urban drainage networks, it poses a significant risk to urban facilities and public safety, seriously affecting sustainable urban development. Compared with general urban built-up areas, they demonstrate greater vulnerability to rainfall-induced waterlogging due to their obsolete infrastructure and high heritage value, making it imperative to comprehensively enhance their waterlogging resilience. In this study, Qingdao’s historic urban area is selected as a sample case to analyze the interaction between rainfall intensity, the built environment, and population and business characteristics and the mechanism of waterlogging disaster in the historic urban area by combining with the concept of resilience; then construct a resilience assessment system for waterlogging in the historic urban area in terms of dangerousness, vulnerability, and adaptability; and carry out a measurement study. Specifically, the CA model is used as the basic model for simulating the possibility of waterlogging, and the waterlogging resilience index is quantified by combining the traditional research data and the emerging open-source geographic data. Furthermore, the waterlogging resilience and obstacle factors of the 293 evaluation units were quantitatively evaluated by varying the rainfall characteristics. The study shows that the low flooding resilience in the historic city is found in the densely built-up areas within the historic districts, which are difficult to penetrate, because of the high vulnerability of the buildings themselves, their adaptive capacity to meet the high intensity of tourism and commercial activities, and the relatively weak resilience of the built environment to disasters. Based on the measurement results, targeted spatial optimization strategies and planning adjustments are proposed. Full article

Ship collisions pose a significant threat to maritime safety, especially in congested precautionary areas with high vessel traffic density. Traditional collision risk assessment methods, such as distance to closest point of approach (DCPA) and time to closest point of approach (TCPA), often overlook environmental uncertainties and variations in human response. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel approach for collision risk assessment using automatic identification system (AIS) data. AIS data from vessels in precautionary areas are resampled to synchronize their temporal frameworks, enabling the systematic identification of ship encounters. Each encounter is analyzed by evaluating critical parameters, including the minimum ship encounter distance (MSED), relative azimuth angles, and trajectories, within a customized ship domain model that incorporates vessel characteristics such as ship length and course. Key metrics, such as intrusion depth and time, are calculated based on vessels’ entry and exit points during each encounter. A set of collision risk indices, which integrates both intrusion depth and time, is introduced, with particular emphasis on intrusion depth due to its heightened sensitivity to proximity danger and constrained maneuvering space. An extensive analysis of vessel interactions in the precautionary area establishes a holistic collision risk index. A case study using AIS data from Ningbo–Zhoushan Port, involving a dataset of 1000 ship encounters, demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method. Specifically, the holistic collision risk in the No.2 precautionary area is 0.456, while the No.3 precautionary area shows a risk value of 0.443. These results confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method for evaluating and classifying collision risks, offering a more precise and reliable framework for collision risk assessment in complex navigational environments. Full article

Pre-mining grouting is an effective means to prevent mine water inrush, while the microseismicity information induced by pre-mining grouting is often ignored. This paper proposes a novel method to predict the danger of mine floor water inrush based on pre-mining grouting-induced microseismicity (PMGIM). The mechanical mechanism and characteristics of PMGIM are explored through mechanical analysis and numerical simulation. Taking 182602 working face in Wutongzhuang coal mine as a case study, the temporal and spatial distribution law of PMGIM is analyzed, and the connection between the grouting process and microseismic energy is established. Based on the PMGIM information, Moran’s index is used for the prediction of water inrush possibility, and the validity of the method is verified by electric monitoring. Full article