Search Results (4)

Agricultural land is often located close to highly urbanised/industrialised areas and is subject to continuous anthropogenic pressure associated with the emission of many pollutants, ultimately deposited in the soil. Most studies on ecological risk assessment have only analysed the total contaminants’ concentration, which does not reflect their bioavailability or toxicity and often leads to an overestimation of risk. Therefore, in our study, we used an interdisciplinary approach, whereby the final conclusions about the risk in a given area are based on the integration of detailed data from chemical, ecotoxicological and ecological analysis. The research was carried out on agricultural land exposed to high levels of anthropopression for more than 100 years. Chemical measurements comprised both the total and bioavailable PAH content. A battery of bio-assays describing effects on soil retention and habitat function was used for ecotoxicity testing, and ecological indicators included enzymatic activity, respiration, microbial biomass, carbon mineralisation and nitrification. The integrated IntRisk index ranged from 0.19 to 0.94, and this was mainly due to high values of the chemical risk index, while the ecotoxicological and ecological results indicated no or low risk. The majority of the area (almost 90%) had acceptable risk levels, no/low risk (IntRisk < 0.5) at 57% of the sites and medium risk at 28% of the area. Very high unacceptable risk (IntRisk 0.77–0.94) was only at three sampling sites. The integration of data from a set of 15 indicators allowed us to derive quantitative risk indexes and delineate the limited area which needs additional action. Full article

Useful information about the oxidative stability of a virgin olive oil in terms of oxidation products and antioxidant compounds can be obtained by analyzing the peroxide index (PI) and total phenolic content (TPC), respectively. These quality parameters are usually determined in a chemical laboratory using expensive equipment, toxic solvents, and well-trained personnel. This paper presents a novel portable sensor system for in the field and rapid determination of PI and TPC that is particularly suited in the case of small production environments that cannot afford an internal laboratory for quality control analysis. The system is small, can be powered by both USB ports and batteries, is easy to operate, and integrates a Bluetooth module for wireless data transmission. It estimates the PI and TPC in olive oil from the measurement of the optical attenuation of an emulsion between a reagent and the sample under test. The system has been tested on a set of 12 olive oil samples (eight for calibration and four for validation), and the results have shown how the considered parameters can be estimated with good accuracy. The maximum deviation from the results obtained with the reference analytical techniques is 4.7 meq O₂/kg in the case of PI and 45.3 ppm in the case of TPC for the calibration set, while it is 14.8 meq O₂/kg in the case of PI and 55 ppm in the case of TPC for the validation set. Full article

Mechanized excavation of tunnels with Earth Pressure Balance-Tunnel Boring Machines requires the use of foaming agents. The latter contain the anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) as the main compound. The re-use as a by-product of excavated soil containing foaming agents (spoil material) can pose a risk for soil and particularly for aquatic ecosystems if they are close to the spoil material final destination site. This work reports the chemical results (SLES residual concentrations) and ecotoxicological effects (battery of five tests) of 28 day-mesocosm studies performed at a tunnelling construction site. The soil mesocosms were set up with two different lithologies, which contained four different foaming agent products at the highest amounts used for excavation. The decrease in SLES concentrations and the ecotoxicological tests were performed in soil and its water extract (elutriate) at different times (0, 7, 14, 28 d). Elutriates were prepared in order to simulate a possible SLES leaching from soil to water. The results showed a decrease in SLES over time and different ecotoxicological responses depending not only on the initial amount of each product, but also on the soil lithology and organism tested (aquatic or terrestrial). This study showed how only site-specific ecotoxicological evaluations can ensure a safe management of the spoil material, making possible the re-use of soil and avoiding production of waste. Full article

We designed a low-cost wrist-worn prototype for simultaneously measuring environmental, behavioral, and physiological domains of influencing factors in healthcare. Our prototype continuously monitors ambient elements (sound level, toxic gases, ultraviolet radiation, air pressure, temperature, and humidity), personal activity (motion tracking and body positioning using gyroscope, magnetometer, and accelerometer), and vital signs (skin temperature and heart rate). An innovative three-dimensional hardware, based on the multi-physical-layer approach is introduced. Using board-to-board connectors, several physical hardware layers are stacked on top of each other. All of these layers consist of integrated and/or add-on sensors to measure certain domain (environmental, behavioral, or physiological). The prototype includes centralized data processing, transmission, and visualization. Bi-directional communication is based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and can connect to smartphones as well as smart cars and smart homes for data analytic and adverse-event alerts. This study aims to develop a prototype for simultaneous monitoring of the all three areas for monitoring of workplaces and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with a concentration on technical development and validation rather than clinical investigation. We have implemented 6 prototypes which have been tested by 5 volunteers. We have asked the subjects to test the prototype in a daily routine in both indoor (workplaces and laboratories) and outdoor. We have not imposed any specific conditions for the tests. All presented data in this work are from the same prototype. Eleven sensors measure fifteen parameters from three domains. The prototype delivers the resolutions of 0.1 part per million (PPM) for air quality parameters, 1 dB, 1 index, and 1 °C for sound pressure level, UV, and skin temperature, respectively. The battery operates for 12.5 h under the maximum sampling rates of sensors without recharging. The final expense does not exceed 133€. We validated all layers and tested the entire device with a 75 min recording. The results show the appropriate functionalities of the prototype for further development and investigations. Full article