Environmental pollution by man-made Persistent Organic Chemicals (POCs) has been a serious global issue for over half a century. Exposure to POCs may result in health effects, including, endocrine disruption leading to birth defects, intellectual disability, low testosterone, childhood obesity, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, POCs have been the subject of intensive regional, national, and international efforts to limit the production, use, and disposal of these chemicals. Since POCs are ubiquitous and recalcitrant, and cause long-term effects on wildlife and humans, trend monitoring studies are valuable in making clear the behavior and fate of these compounds and to protect our environment and living resources. The Pacific Basin is a unique geographical region representing tropical, temperate and polar zones. This region is home to two-thirds of the world's population and consists of rapidly growing economies (countries) and highly developed countries. Due to this diversity of climatic and socio-economic conditions, environment and biota in different countries in this basin have varying degrees of environmental contamination and effects on wildlife and humans. The Pacific Rim countries play a pivotal role in governing global POC contamination and resulting harmful health effects. Because articles on POCs and their effect on environment and health are published in a large number of different journals, it is useful to have a book that includes original papers and reviews on the latest advances by well-known scientists in the field, especially focusing on the countries in the Pacific Rim. The two volumes of this book satisfy this need. Topics covered in Volume 1 include an overview of POCs contamination status and trends in the Pacific Basin Countries; human exposure to brominated flame retardants; POCs in sediments, soil and atmosphere of South Korea; and new research on sequestration and redistribution of emerging and classical persistent organic pollutants by polystyrene. The collection of chapters in these volumes may serve as a reasonable representation of current and future trends of POCs in the Pacific Basin countries. It is hoped that the book can inspire students and researchers, as well as professionals, to facilitate the understanding of the environmental and biological behavior of these persistent chemicals and to help in the development of strategies and practices for protecting the global environment for future generations.

Marine pollution occurs today in varied forms--chemical, industrial, and agricultural-and the sources of pollution are endless. In recent history, we've seen oil spills, untreated sewage, eutrophication, invasive species, heavy metals, acidification, radioactive substances, marine litter, and overfishing, among other significant problems. Though marine pollution has long been a topic of concern, it has very recently exploded in environmental, economic, and political debate circles; scientists and non-scientists alike continue to be shocked and dismayed at the sheer diversity of water pollutants and the many ways they can come to harm our environment and our bodies.
In Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know, Judith Weis covers marine pollution from many different angles, each fascinating in its own right. Beginning with its sources and history, the book describes in detail each common pollutant, why exactly it is harmful, why it may draw controversy, and how we can prevent it from destroying our aquatic ecosystems. Weis discusses topics like what actually happened with the Exxon Valdez, and why Harmful Algal Blooms are a serious concern. Later chapters will discuss pollutants that are only now surfacing as major threats, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and metal nanoparticles, and explain how these can begin in the water and progress up the food chain and emerge in human bodies. The book's final section will discuss the effects of climate change and acidification on marine pollution levels, and how we can reduce pollution at the local and global levels.

Urban Soil and Water Degration, Volume Seven explores a wide breadth of emerging and state-of-the-art technologies, including comprehensive coverage of topics such as Urban sprawl, Soil degradation, Hydrological challenges in urban areas, Soil and water quality - pollutant sources and pathways, Ecosystem services in urban areas, Freshwater-related nature-based solutions in cities, Property Rights and Climate Change - land use under changing environmental conditions, Municipal planning to prevent soil and water degradation: The case of Vilnius, In between water and fires: soil degradation in a new Mediterranean peri-urban landscape, and more. Additional chapters in this release include Groundwater in Venetian area, Soil protection and hydrogeological risk assessment. A strategic planning experience in Franciacorta, Data driven approach for assessing surface runoff in separated sewage systems: Israeli Case Study, Ecological status of urban streams and riparian habitats in the Czech Republic, Soil and water degradation in urban areas from western Romania, Mapping water ecosystem services: supply and demand in Stockholm, Land degradation and water availability in Ethiopia, and The study of land use and land cover changes in the Bekescsaba area, Hungary.

Environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies requires the formation of a framework for regulation and control. This framework needs to be based on scientific results that relate pollutant discharge with changes in water quality. The results of these studies allow the industry to apply more efficient methods of controlling and treating waste loads, and water authorities to enforce appropriate regulations regarding this matter. Water pollution problems are essentially interdisciplinary. Engineers and scientists working in this field must be familiar with a wide range of issues including the physical processes of mixing and dilution, chemical and biological processes, mathematical modelling, data acquisition and measurement, to name but a few. In view of the scarcity of available data, it is important that experiences are shared on an international basis. Thus, a continuous exchange of information between scientists from different countries is essential. Papers presented at Water Pollution 2020, the 15th International Conference in the series of Monitoring, Modelling and Management of Water Pollution, are contained in this volume and highlight research works from scientists, managers and academics from different areas of water contamination.

Once pollutants are released into the atmosphere, they cannot be removed easily nor can the reaction with atmospheric constituents be ceased. However, through enhancing our understanding of control technology, further addition of pollution can be forestalled. Through better understanding of innovations in the field of air pollutant control technology and modelling, better cost-effective control equipment can be designed to achieve a clean biosphere for sustainable life in the near future. Global Perspectives on Air Pollution Prevention and Control System Design is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the understanding of the basic concepts of air pollution, modeling concepts, development of various models for source-specific pollutants, and dispersion. While highlighting topics such as climate change, fossil fuels, and motor vehicle emissions, this publication explores the links between the global impact on climate change and modeling concepts of indoor air pollutants. This book is ideally designed for professors, students, researchers, environmental agencies, environmentalists, policymakers, and government officials, seeking current research on future solutions in critical fields of air pollution.

The applications of biocomposite materials are increasing in aerospace, automobile, and household items due to their biodegradable, renewable, non-corrosion, and high strength to weight ratio properties. The processing and characterization of biofiber-reinforced biocomposite materials are vital for their strength and performance. This book discusses the properties, chemical treatment, and compatibility of biofibers with materials.

It is necessary to understand the extent of pollution in the environment in terms of the air, water, and soil in order for both humans and animals to live healthier lives. Poor waste treatment or pollution monitoring can lead to massive environmental issues, such as diminishing valuable resources, and cause a significant negative impact on society. Solutions, such as reuse of waste and sustainable waste management, must be explored to prevent these adverse effects. The Handbook of Research on Resource Management for Pollution and Waste Treatment is a collection of innovative research that examines waste and pollution treatment methods that can be adopted at local and international levels and examines appropriate resource management strategies for environmentally related issues. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics such as soil washing, bioremediation, and runoff handling, this book is ideally designed for environmentalists, engineers, waste management professionals, natural resource regulators, environmental policymakers, scientists, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on viable resource management methods for the regeneration of their immediate environment.

Dealing with issues related to the modelling, monitoring and management of air pollution, this book includes papers presented at the 26th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution. The papers from this conference continue a wide ranging collection of high quality research works that develop the fundamental science of air pollution. Air pollution issues remain one of the most challenging problems facing society. The scientific knowledge derived from well-designed studies needs to be allied with further technical and economic studies in order to ensure cost effective and efficient mitigation. Increasingly, it is being recognised that the outcome of such research needs to be contextualised within well formulated communication strategies that help policy makers and citizens to understand and appreciate the risks and rewards arising from air pollution management. Details of the wide spread nature of the air pollution phenomena and in depth explorations of their impacts on human health and the environment are covered in this book.

In Toxic Matters, Monica Seger considers two Italian environmental disasters: an isolated factory explosion in Seveso, just north of Milan, in 1976 and the ongoing daily toxic emissions from the Ilva steelworks in the Apulian city of Taranto. Both have exposed residents to high concentrations of the persistent organic pollutant known as dioxin. Although different in terms of geography and temporality, Seveso and Taranto are deeply united by this nearly imperceptible substance, and by the representational complexities it poses. They are also united by creative narrative expressions, in literary, cinematic, and other forms, that push back against dominant contexts and representations perpetuated by state and industrial actors.Seger traces a dialogue between Seveso and Taranto, exploring an interplay between bodies, soil, industrial emissions, and the wealth of dynamic particulate matter that passes in between. At the same time, she emphasizes the crucial function of narrative expression for making sense of this modern-day reality and for shifting existing power dynamics as exposed communities exercise their voices. While Toxic Matters, is grounded in Italian cases and texts, it looks outward to the pressing questions of toxicity, embodiment, and storytelling faced by communities worldwide.

Discussing many important air pollution issues, the included contributions were presented at the 29th annual meeting in a successful series of international conferences dealing with the Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution. The scientific knowledge derived from well-designed studies needs to be allied with further technical and economic studies to ensure cost-effective and efficient mitigation. In turn, the science, technology and economic outcomes are necessary but not sufficient. Increasingly, it is being recognised that the outcome of such research needs to be contextualised within well-formulated communication strategies that help policymakers and citizens to understand and appreciate the risks and rewards arising from air pollution management. Consequently, this volume comprises a wide range of high-quality papers that develop the fundamental science of air pollution and that place these new developments within the frame of mitigation and management of air pollution. Air pollution issues remain one of the most challenging problems facing the international community. The varied research published in this book covers topics such as Air pollution modelling; Indoor air pollution; Emission studies; Air pollution management, policy and legislation; Monitoring, measuring and data; Global, regional and local studies.

Chapters collected from "The Virtual Conference on Chemistry and its Applications (VCCA-2021) - Research and Innovations in Chemical Sciences: Paving the Way Forward". This conference was held in August 2021 and organized by the Computational Chemistry Group of the University of Mauritius. These peer-reviewed chapters offer insights into research on fundamental and applied chemistry with interdisciplinary subject matter.

This book reports on the 13th International Workshop on Railway Noise (IWRN13), held on September 16-20, 2019, in Ghent, Belgium. It gathers original peer-reviewed papers describing the latest developments in railway noise and vibration, as well as state-of-the-art reviews written by authoritative experts in the field. The different papers cover a broad range of railway noise and vibration topics, such as rolling noise, wheel squeal, noise perception, prediction methods, measurements and monitoring, and vehicle interior noise. Further topics include rail roughness, rail corrugation and grinding, high-speed rail and aerodynamic noise, structure-borne noise, ground-borne noise and vibration, and resilient track forms. Policy, criteria and regulation are also discussed. Offering extensive and timely information to both scientists and engineers, this book will help them in their daily efforts to identify, understand and solve problems related to railway noise and vibration, and to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing the environmental impact of railway systems.

This book provides a systematic exposition of the design features of constructed wetlands, and their management (in terms of siting, physical maintenance, and operation). Only very few books (or chapters) have been published on constructed wetlands in tropical conditions and none are current. The selection of plant species, managing their growth and harvesting cycles, and the impact these have on the attenuation of organic and inorganic pollutants, nutrients, and pathogens would be of interest to students and practitioners of the art working under tropical conditions. The potential of constructed wetlands as a low-cost intervention for developing countries in tropical regions that faced water pollution problems, in particular, deserves to be explored systematically.