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PubMed1992

[Quality assurance in the public health office].

Quality is assured not only by long-standing experience; it must be continually safeguarded. Preconditions are as follows: qualified training with scientific background and continual scientific supervision; regular continuing education via exchange of experience; standardising of methods on a intra-office level and by inter-office exchange on Lander level; internal and external cooperation; validity and plausibility controls; interdisciplinary cooperation. These principles are discussed by means of examples of health protection--health protection on environmental protection principles--expertising--medical statistics/health planning--health care aid/health advisory service.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2000

President puts renewed emphases on family planning.

President Jiang Zemin called for major improvements in the country's family planning, resources management and environmental protection at a work conference held in Beijing on March 12 this year on population control, natural resources and environmental protection. In his address, the president noted that the country will strive to control its population within 1.4 billion by the year 2010, halt the deterioration of the environment and noticeably improve it, and enhance resources management. ¿It is an arduous and important task for the Party and the whole nation,¿ the president said. As the world's most populous developing nation, China has limited per capita natural resources. ¿We must always see population control, preservation of resources and environmental protection from a strategic point of view,¿ Jiang said. In the 21st century, China must continue to make great efforts to stabilize the fertility level, maintain rational use and strict management of resources, and protect and improve the environment. ¿Our success or failure will have a direct bearing on the country's economic and social security, the quality of people's lives and the long-term development of China,¿ the president said. In the new century, it is imperative that we earnestly carry out the decisions of the Party and central government on family planning and the stabilization of a low fertility. On environmental protection, the president stressed that continued efforts should be devoted to both pollution prevention and control and ecological protection. The country should implement the strictest rules and regulations, and continue to uphold the principle of ¿developing while protecting: protecting while developing,¿ he said. In developing China's vast western region, it is also necessary to handle well the relationship between economic development and population control.

Asia↗
PubMed1987

[Environmental characterization: air pollution].

During the years of the epidemiological group-diagnostic examination (1982-1986) it was attempted to characterize the atmospheric air pollution in the industrial Rhine-Main area (Wiesbaden and Frankfurt) and, in comparison, in two control areas (Freiburg with the adjacent High Black Forest and the Starnberg area). For this the measurements of the air measuring stations of the network for emissions of the German Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Protection Agency) at Berlin and Frankfurt were used and well as those of the Hessische Landesanstalt für Umwelt, Wiesbaden (Hessian Office for Environmental Protection); Landesanstalt für Umweltschutz Baden-Württemberg, Karlsruhe (Regional Office for Environmental Protection of Baden-Württemberg); Bayerische Landesanstalt für Umweltschutz (Bavarian Office for Environmental Protection, Munich), were used. The comparison of the different measuring components used shows the pollutant concentration in the air at the measuring stations in Wiesbaden and Frankfurt attains the highest values. Opposed to that, the pollutant concentration in the areas Freiburg with the adjacent Black Forest and in the region of Starnberg can be judged to be relatively low. No statement can, unfortunately, be made on the heavy metal burden in the air of the Starnberg area, since heavy metal in the air have not been analysed.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2004

Swedish pre-school children's UVR exposure - a comparison between two outdoor environments.

BACKGROUND: Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in childhood is a major risk factor for skin cancer. Shady environments are recommended as one method of protection. METHODS: Environmental exposure to UVR and environmental protection were assessed by dosimeter measurements on 64 children aged 1-6 years at two geographically close and topographically similar pre-schools outside Stockholm. Outdoor play constructions of site 1 (34 children) were mainly exposed to the sun, and those of site 2 (30 children) were mainly shaded. Dosimetry was carried out during 11 work days in May-June 2002 under clear weather conditions. The reliability of dosimeters was tested with meteorologically modelled data from SMHI, and with stationary dosimeters exposed to free sky, and compared with other UV instruments. The differences between children's outdoor stays were adjusted for. RESULTS: The children's average daily exposures were approximately 200 J(CIE)/m(2) erythemally effective UVR. The average relative UVR exposure (% total available UVR 08:30-18:30) was 6.4% (7.0% at site 1, 5.7% at site 2). Fractions of available UVR during outdoor stay were 14.4% (both sites), 15.3% (site 1), and 13.3% (site 2). In terms of relative differences, 5-6-year-old children at site 2 were exposed to 41% less UVR, and 1-4-year-old children 6% less than those at site 1. CONCLUSION: The difference can be explained by the children's outdoor pre-school environments, and the behaviors linked to these environments. It is recommended to consider the attractiveness of shady environments in the design of children's pre-school playgrounds, particularly if these are extremely exposed to the sun.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Developments in ultrasound--non-medical.

Ultrasound is defined as sound of a frequency that is too high for the human ear to detect--i.e. it is inaudible. Nevertheless this "silent sound" has a large range of applications in science, medicine and industry. The study of the effects of ultrasound on materials--known as sonochemistry--is one of the broadest and most exciting areas in current research. In this review some recent developments with major potential are identified from the fields environmental protection and materials processing. Environmental protection can refer to methods of preventing pollution or to the removal of existing pollution. Here we will look at examples drawn from the latter in which ultrasound has been used for the purification of water (chemical and biological), the decontamination of the atmosphere and soil remediation i.e. the classic three domains of water, air and land. In terms of materials processing two examples have been chosen, the treatment of sewage sludge and the control of crystallisation. In both of these cases it is predominantly the mechanical effects of acoustic cavitation, which produce the enhanced digestion, and dewatering of sludge and provide for the control in crystallisation processes.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed2006

A regression spline model for developmental toxicity data.

Observed dose-response patterns of data from several developmental toxicity experiments appear to be nonlinear and should be characterized by an appropriate model to adequately fit this observed pattern. Information from these animal studies of ambient substances that are noncarcinogenic, yet potentially toxic, to humans is used by federal protection agencies (Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Food and Drug Administration) to determine safe exposure levels, such as no observed adverse effects level and benchmark dose. We have developed a flexible regression linear B-spline model for application to developmental toxicity dose-response data from animal studies of these noncarcinogens. We apply our model to data from two CD-1 mice studies of the National Toxicology Program; the observed dose-response pattern from both appears nonlinear: (1) experiment of 131 pregnant mice allocated over five exposure levels (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15% diet) of diethylhexyl phthalate and (2) experiment of 111 pregnant mice exposed to five levels (0, 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg/day) of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether. In each study, we measure litter response as the proportion of adversely affected fetuses. Upon applying our B-spline model to the data from both studies, we predict nonlinear dose-response, with improvement over the more typical logistic dose-response model in each of the two studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

From natural resources to natural assets.

This article examines the scope for strategies to build natural assets in the hands of low-income individuals and communities. Natural assets include sources of raw materials such as forests and fisheries, and the airsheds, lands, and water bodies that provide environmental sinks for the disposal of wastes. These resources become assets when people have rights to access their benefits. Four strategies for natural asset-building are identified: investment to increase the total stock of natural assets; redistribution to transfer natural assets from others; internalization to increase the ability of the poor to capture benefits generated by their stewardship of natural assets; and appropriation to establish rights for the poor to open-access resources. Building on the democratic principle that all individuals have equal rights to clean air, clean water, and other common heritage resources, these strategies simultaneously can advance the goals of poverty reduction, environmental protection, and environmental justice.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Landscape eco-environmental research on littoral zone in China.

Littoral zone is a special land/landscape type. As an important kind of land resource in support, the use of littoral zone is vital to eastern coastal areas in China. And the research on littoral zone relates to the key theory of landscape ecology. Based on the theory of landscape ecology, the littoral zone was divided into four types: mud flat, sand beach, bench, and biological flat. The distribution of each type in China is pointed out. As a typical open system, littoral zone has six landscape ecological characteristics: (1) high sensitivity to disturbance; (2) distinct edge effect; (3) spatial aggregation of natural resources; (4) frequently spatial oscillation; (5) obviously spatial heterogeneity; and (6) noticeably spatial differentiation. Some proposals are also put forward on the land use and development of littoral zone for environmental protection and environmental management.

China↗
PubMed2005

Continuous determination of fine particulate matter mass in the Salt Lake City Environmental Monitoring project: a comparison of real-time and conventional TEOM monitor results.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) mass was determined on a continuous basis at the Salt Lake City Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Monitoring for Public Awareness and Community Tracking monitoring site in Salt Lake City, UT, using three different monitoring techniques. Hourly averaged PM2.5 mass data were collected during two sampling periods (summer 2000 and winter 2002) using a real-time total ambient mass sampler (RAMS), sample equilibration system (SES)-tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM), and conventional TEOM monitor. This paper compares the results obtained from the various monitoring systems, which differ in their treatment of semivolatile material (SVM; particle-bound water, semivolatile ammonium nitrate, and semivolatile organic compounds). PM2.5 mass results obtained by the RAMS were consistently higher than those obtained by the SES-TEOM and conventional TEOM monitors because of the RAMS ability to measure semivolatile ammonium nitrate and semivolatile organic material but not particle-bound water. The SES-TEOM monitoring system was able to account for an average of 28% of the SVM, whereas the conventional TEOM monitor loses essentially all of the SVM from the single filter during sampling. Occasional mass readings by the various TEOM monitors that are higher than RAMS results may reflect particle-bound water, which, under some conditions, is measured by the TEOM but not the RAMS.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1984

Round robin investigation of methods for recovering human enteric viruses from sludge.

To select a tentative standard method for detection of viruses in sludge the American Society for Testing and Materials D19:24:04:04 Subcommittee Task Group initiated round robin comparative testing of two procedures that, after initial screening of several methodologies, were found to meet the basic criteria considered essential by the task group. Eight task group member laboratories agreed to perform round robin testing of the two candidate methods, namely, The Environmental Protection Agency or low pH-AlCl3 method and the Glass or sonication-extraction method. Five different types of sludge were tested. For each particular type of sludge, a single laboratory was designated to collect the sludge in a single sampling, make samples, and ship it to the participating laboratories. In most cases, participating laboratories completed all the tests within 48 h of sample arrival. To establish the reproducibility of the methods, each laboratory tested each sludge sample in triplicate for the two candidate virus methods. Each processed sludge sample was quantitatively assayed for viruses by the procedures of each individual round robin laboratory. To attain a more uniform standard of comparison, a sample of each processed sample from all laboratories was reassayed with one cell line and passage number by a single laboratory (Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio). When the data were statistically analyzed, the Environmental Protection Agency method was found to yield slightly higher virus recoveries for all sludge types, except the dewatered sludge. The precisions of both methods were not significantly different.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aluminum↗
PubMed2001

Achieving compliance with the radium standards for drinking water in a midwestern community: a case study.

The problem of elevated levels of radium in the drinking-water supply of DeKalb, Illinois, a Midwestern community about 65 miles west of Chicago with approximately 35,000 residents, has been a contentious issue for over a decade. The central players in the controversy include a group of concerned citizens, city officials, the Illinois Pollution Control Board, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Achieving a satisfactory resolution to the problem has been a long, drawn-out process that illustrates how ill-timed proposals, changing risk assessments, different perceptions of risk, and the high costs of compliance can influence the direction of risk management decisions. The purpose of this study is to analyze how these factors sustained the debate and prevented an expeditious solution to the problem. The study uses document analysis as its primary research tool. The questions raised by the controversy, along with their implications for environmental policy, are discussed, as are some of the more important lessons learned from the case. Because of many uncertainties, there were no clear winners in the controversy, although, in the context of the most recent U.S. EPA risk assessments, the community is now poised for better protection from the potential dangers of radium in drinking water than it might have been had citizen action been absent.

Carcinogens↗
PubMed2001

Chemical industry reduces emissions--from production to the consumer.

Responsible care has always been an important issue at a chemical industry like Bayer. In recent years, the company has made extensive efforts to further improve its products and processes with regard to environmental protection and safety. In this contribution, a number of examples will highlight recent achievements of Bayer in the field of low or no emission processes and products. Examples are given in the fields of production-integrated environmental protection measures (new and improved processes e.g., for the production of adipic acid), the application of integrated environmental protection measures (2K-PUR water-borne coatings for cars) and product-integrated environmental protection measures (targeted application of insecticides/Attract and Kill) as a new low emission method to control insect pests.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2005

Development of a multiple objective planning theory and system for sustainable air quality monitoring networks.

Air quality monitoring data are important bases for air quality management strategies planning and performance assessment. Therefore, the environmental protection authorities need to plan the air quality monitoring network effectively. However, in Taiwan, the national Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and some county environmental protection bureaus (EPB) separately installed their own monitoring stations. This study developed an integrated methodology and computer system for planning air quality monitoring networks. The environmental, social, and economic objectives and sub-objectives, and their weights were identified using system analysis and multiple objective planning, based on the principles of sustainable development. A multiple objective optimization model and procedure for sustainable air quality monitoring networks planning are developed in this study. According to the procedure, a multiple objective planning system for sustainable air quality monitoring networks (MOPSSAQMN) is developed using computer software based on the modified bounded implicit enumeration algorithm with the constraint arrangement method. The air quality monitoring network of Taoyuan County, in northern Taiwan, was used as a case study to demonstrate the proposed method. Two satisfactory alternatives based on different conditions were generated using MOPSSAQMN. The compared results show that this study generated better alternatives than the current monitoring network. An installation schedule for the alternative was proposed, and its first step is now being implemented by the EPB of Taoyuan County Government. The procedure and computer system developed in this study can be used to assist the competent authorities to devise good and different alternatives for air quality monitoring networks planning.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of the NESHAP radiological risk assessment.

The Environmental Protection Agency performed a risk assessment as a basis for the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. This paper compares the Environmental Protection Agency's risk assessment with the models used by the National Research Council's fifth Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiations, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Comparison of the parameters used by each organization suggests that the Environmental Protection Agency could improve its own risk assessment by adopting one of the assessments done by the BEIR V Committee, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Validating existing data in the Environmental Technology Verification Program.

Establishing the credibility of existing data is an ongoing issue, particularly when the data sets are to be used for a secondary purpose, i.e., not the original reason for which they were collected. If the secondary purpose is similar to the primary purpose, the potential user may have little difficulty establishing credibility since the acceptance criteria for both purposes should be similar. If the secondary purpose is different, then data credibility may be more difficult to establish because the experiment generating the data may not have been conducted optimally for the secondary purpose and all of the necessary quality assurance data ("metadata") may not have been collected. In either case, a process will be required to determine the acceptability of the data. For this reason, at the time the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program was established, similar certification and verification programs run by states or foreign countries routinely used existing data sets, for cost reasons, rather than generate new data by testing. The issue of whether existing data could be used in the ETV program immediately surfaced. In response, a policy and a process that addressed existing data were written and published in Appendix C of the ETV Quality and Management Plan (Hayes et al., 1998). This paper discusses how the ETV program determines the credibility of existing data used to verify the performance of environmental technologies.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMed2002

Impact of current good manufacturing practices and emission regulations and guidances on the discharge of pharmaceutical chemicals into the environment from manufacturing, use, and disposal.

The current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and effluent emission (use and disposal) regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and manufacturing effluent discharge and emission regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) require contained manufacture, use, and disposal of pharmaceuticals with the goal of minimizing the release of pharmaceutical chemicals into the environment. However, debate has recently arisen in several scientific forums over whether these regulations adequately protect human and environmental health from the new pharmaceutical drugs introduced each year into the marketplace and the multitude of existing products, each with many distinct biochemical modes of actions. To address this issue, it is important to understand the relevance of current cGMP regulations and emission regulations that have a direct bearing on the releases of pharmaceutical chemicals into the environment during the manufacture, use, and disposal of active pharmaceutical ingredients (drug substances) and drug products. This knowledge may help us assess the quantity of residues that may be released into the environment. Additionally, the information on physical, chemical, and degradation and sorption properties of the pharmaceutical chemicals may help determine the net residue levels that could persist in the environment to evaluate if such residues have any bearing on human and environmental health. The scientific and regulatory aspects of issues related to the manufacture, use, and disposal of pharmaceutical chemicals are discussed in this article, with special emphasis on potential environmental exposure pathways during the life cycle of an active pharmaceutical ingredient or drug product. The mechanisms of degradation (transformation or depletion) and dilution of pharmaceutical residues that may be released into aquatic or terrestrial environmental compartments are described. Such degradation and dilution of pharmaceutical chemicals in the environment may significantly reduce the residues. It is important to evaluate whether such residue levels have any measurable impact on human and/or environmental health.

Drug Industry↗