Exposure assessment of particulate matter and blood chromium levels in people living near a cement plant

Assessing heavy metal contamination and health risks in playground dust near cement factory: exposure levels in children

Heavy metals pose significant threats to human health, particularly children. This study aimed to assess heavy metal pollution in children's playgrounds using surface dust as an indicator and to ascertain the associated exposure levels and health risks. A total of one hundred twenty dust samples were collected from the surface of playground toys in areas surrounding the cement factory in Bursa, Türkiye, on precipitation-free days. The heavy metal content of the samples was analyzed using ICP-MS. The average total concentration of heavy metals ranged from 2401 to 6832 mg/kg across the sampling sites, with the highest values observed at PG4, PG3, PG2, and PG1, respectively. The most commonly detected heavy metals in the samples included Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, and Ni. Statistical analysis revealed significant positive correlations (p < 0.01) among Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Pb, As, and Ni, with Cu and Pb also showing correlation (p < 0.05). PCA analysis identified three principal components explaining 79.905% of the total variance. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index values for heavy metals were found to be below the safe threshold (HQ < 1). Quantitative techniques such as the geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor are used to determine pollution levels at the sampling sites. Overall, the results indicate that cement factories significantly contribute to heavy metal pollution, with observed values varying based on proximity to the emission source.

Bioaccumulation of Toxic Metals in Children Exposed to Urban Pollution and to Cement Plant Emissions

Cement plants located in urban areas can increase health risk. Although children are particularly vulnerable, biomonitoring studies are lacking. Toenail concentration of 24 metals was measured in 366 children (6-10 years), who live and attend school in a city hosting a cement plant. Living addresses and schools were geocoded and attributed to exposed or control areas, according to modeled ground concentrations of PM10 generated by the cement plant. Air levels of PM10 and NO2 were monitored. PM10 levels were higher in the exposed, than in the control area. The highest mean PM10 concentration was recorded close to the cement plant. Conversely, the highest NO2 concentration was in the control area, where vehicular traffic and home heating were the prevalent sources of pollutants. Exposed children had higher concentrations of Nickel (Ni), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), and Arsenic (As) than controls. These concentrations correlated each other, indicating a common source. Toenail Barium (Ba) concentration was higher in the control- than in the exposed area. The location of the attended school was a predictor of Cd, Hg, Ni, Ba concentrations, after adjusting for confounders. In conclusion, children living and attending school in an urban area exposed to cement plant emissions show a chronic bioaccumulation of toxic metals, and a significant exposure to PM10 pollution. Cement plants located in populous urban areas seem therefore harmful, and primary prevention policies to protect children health are needed.

Indoor particulate matter and blood heavy metals in housewives: A repeated measured study

BACKGROUND

Particulate matter (PM) less than 2.5 μm in diameter and 10 μm (PM₁₀) contains heavy metals, but whether exposure to PM is significantly associated with the burden of heavy metal exposure in the population is unknown. We investigated the association between exposure to PM and blood concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in Korean housewives.

MATERIALS & METHODS

From July 2017 to January 2020, we recruited 115 housewives in Ulsan, Republic of Korea. After excluding participants with missing information, we finally included 88 Korean housewives in our study. We measured the concentrations of indoor PM using a gravimetric method 24 h before blood sampling and the concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Hg in blood, twice at a 1-year interval. We used a linear mixed effect model to estimate the associations between indoor PM and blood heavy metals.

RESULTS

Exposure to PM₁₀ was significantly associated with blood concentrations of Cd among Korean housewives. A 10 μg/m³ increase of PM₁₀ the previous day was associated with a 2.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1%, 4.6%) and a 1.5% (95% CI = -0.1%, 3.1%) increase in blood concentrations of Cd and Pb in the linear mixed effect model, respectively.

CONCLUSION

There was a significant association between indoor PM exposure and blood Cd concentrations among Korean housewives. This result suggests that the body burden of heavy metals is significantly associated with air pollution.

Addressing climate change through a market mechanism: a comparative study of the pilot emission trading schemes in China

The questions of how to mitigate climate change and its impact on human health are currently high on the Chinese agenda for future development. The emission trading scheme (ETS) has become one of China's most important instruments to address climate change through a market mechanism. In the wake of the evolution from regional pilots to a nationwide scheme, it is inevitable to be confronted with tremendous political-economic-institutional challenges. To facilitate a smooth start-up of the upcoming nationwide ETS, this study provides a systematic overview of seven ETS pilots, involving the detailed comparison of ETS design and the in-depth evaluation of market performance, both internal and external performance, based on trading data. Then, the achievements and deficiencies of seven ETS pilots are summarized, several challenges for the current time are discussed, and policy proposals for China's national-level ETS are navigated further coupled with international experience. This study finds that China's ETS pilots, from the short-term perspective, are successful, especially in the reinforcement of China's capacity to develop a market-based scheme in an economy that still cherishes many non-market endowments. However, deficiencies lie in both the internal and external market performance, such as the carbon price lacking a signal function, insufficient incentives for compliance, too low market liquidity, and much too high market fragmentation. Moreover, the retrospective examination of China's ETS pilots suggests that a nationwide ETS should at least be based on an extension of the cap duration from single year to several years, uniform rules on monitoring/reporting/verification and allowance allocation, and the improvement of institutional foundation.

Potential Health Risk of Endocrine Disruptors in Construction Sector and Plastics Industry: A New Paradigm in Occupational Health

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) belong to large and diverse groups of agents that may cause multiple biological effects associated with, for example, hormone imbalance and infertility, chronic diseases such as diabetes, genome damage and cancer. The health risks related with the exposure to EDs are typically underestimated, less well characterized, and not regulated to the same extent as, for example, carcinogens. The increased production and utilization of identified or suspected EDs in many different technological processes raises new challenges with respect to occupational exposure settings and associated health risks. Due to the specific profile of health risk, occupational exposure to EDs demands a new paradigm in health risk assessment, redefinition of exposure assessment, new effects biomarkers for occupational health surveillance and definition of limit values. The construction and plastics industries are among the strongest economic sectors, employing millions of workers globally. They also use large quantities of chemicals that are known or suspected EDs. Focusing on these two industries, this short communication discusses: (a) why occupational exposure to EDs needs a more specific approach to occupational health risk assessments, (b) identifies the current knowledge gaps, and (c) identifies and gives a rationale for a future occupational health paradigm, which will include ED biomarkers as a relevant parameter in occupational health risk assessment, surveillance and exposure prevention.