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This review describes the instrumental use that the central power of Mexico makes of the territory of Hidalgo state, which is a consequence of colonialism, the intense metabolism of Mexico City (CDMX), and the neoliberal policies derived from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). To do this, the term "garbagization" was used to describe the subaltern position of Hidalgo state in relation to the interests of CDMX and the processes of capital accumulation. The consequences of this phenomenon, evident in the environmental degradation caused by mining, the cement industry, and sewage from CDMX, are presented. The concepts of "sacrifice zones" and "environmental hells" are used to explain community actions against the deterioration of air quality in the Apaxco-Tula-Atotonilco corridor, the construction of a hazardous waste landfill in Zimapán, the Tula de Allende Water Plan, and the construction of a sanitary landfill in Atitalaquia. The paper concludes that these actions respond to the historical garbagization of the affected communities and summarizes some key factors to reverse it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, was to determine the remediation coefficients of cadmium and lead of American Romerillo in soils contaminated. The analysis of heavy metals in two soils, the brown soil with carbonate and the dark plastic gleyseous, and in the different organs of the plant, was carried out by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The experiments were conducted at the laboratory level using experimental phytoremediation systems, with more controlled conditions and at the contaminated site, where only the brown soil was analyzed. The biological phytoremediation coefficients obtained, both for the experimental systems and in the in-situ experiments, were greater than one, except for the root biological uptake coefficient for lead. This result is in correspondence with the higher lead concentrations obtained in the leaves with respect to the root, showing the plant's capacity to assimilate this metal. The remediation coefficients obtained show that the American Romerillo has the capacity to bioaccumulate cadmium and lead in both soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Algae and Cyanobacteria species that grow in contaminated sites can accumulate high concentrations of heavy metals. In this work it was proposed to a) characterize the community of algae and Cyanobacteria and b) evaluate the effect of lead (Pb) on the composition of algae present in the rhizosphere of plants capable to accumulate Pb in Córdoba province. M&M: Soil samples were taken from the rhizosphere of Sorghum halepense, Bidens pilosa and Tagetes minuta at sites with different levels of Pb. In the laboratory, the soil was sown in capsules with sterilized Watanabe medium. The cultures grew 9 weeks. The algae and Cyanobacteria were identified over the time and the final relative frequency analyzed. Results: In contaminated soils, 24 species of Cyanobacteria, Chloroplastida and Xanthophyceae were identified. The heterocytous cyanobacteria Cylindrospermum muscicola, Nostoc commune and Calothrix clavata registered a relative mean frequency (between 21 and 60%). Trebouxia parmeliae (Chloroplastida) and Vaucheria sp. (Xanthophyceae) were present in soils with the highest level of Pb. Most of the species were concentrated in the lowest levels of Pb. Conclusions: A negative effect of Pb on the species richness of algae and Cyanobacteria was observed in the rhizosphere of the evaluated plants. Based on the composition of the community of algae and Cyanobacteria in the soil, two groups are determined and could be considered tolerant and non-tolerant communities of Pb contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the influence of different human activities, rivers and their associated biodiversity are under stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates of the Jordán River and its relation to water quality. Mining, water harvesting, livestock, agriculture, recreation and illegal occupation of the territory; take place in the evaluated section (5 650 m). A sampling site was established at 1 173 m.a.s.l. (E1), here the river receives wastewater. The second, at 1 069 m.a.s.l. (E2) was set up before the intake of an aqueduct. And the third, at 1 019 m.a.s.l. (E3) after the inlet pipe. Concentrations of physicochemical variables (n = 15) were measured. Aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected in gravel, pebbles and macrophytes using Surber nets (0.36 m2, 500 μm), a screen net (1.6 m2, 350 μm) and a D-net (0.9 m2, 500 μm). The assemblage structure was assessed using abundance categories. The diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate and physicochemical variables were associated using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The physicochemical variables showed that E3 was the most contaminated site. There were 9 orders, 23 families and 31 taxa. E3 had the lowest richness and in E2 Rhagovelia was dominant. The CCA showed that variables that have the greatest influence on the diversity of macroinvertebrates are oxygen, BOD5, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and turbidity. It is concluded that the diversity of macroinvertebrates decreases with increasing organic matter possibly due to sewage and flow decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposition of solid wastes in the Katenguenha dump site is a serious environmental issue in the locality of Huambo (Angola). The objective of this work is to assess the environmental impact caused by solid waste deposition. The integrated relevant criteria method was used to identify and evaluate the environmental impact. The results indicated that the solid waste dump site has a negative impact on all environmental aspects (physical, biological and social). They are category II environment impacts with an environmental impact rate above 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the chemical hazards-related disaster risk reduction (drr) scheme in the petrochemical industry oriented city of Coatzacoalcos (Mexico) in the context of political decentralization. This work addresses the role of public-private partnerships, as well as the institutional environment around civil protection and chemical risk management. The paper identifies the scopes of action of public and private agents, and analyzes the legal framework, the informal political agreements and the non-legal regulations that allow these agents' collaboration. The study shows that the functionality of these partnerships is based on forms of trust that do not rely entirely on the normative framework established by State organizations and international agreements; the trust that underlies their schemes of collaboration is relatively autonomous from the bureaucratic side of this institutional environment. The study concludes that the benefits and rights accessed through personal networks are the core of the institutional environment around risk governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this document we evaluate the determinants of shipments of hazardous waste to the US. We consider a sample of firms operating in the state of Baja California for the 2008-2010 sample period. The analysis consists on the estimation of two econometric specifications. The first refers to a truncated model in the spirit of Tobit. The second is a probabilistic model. The results of the Tobit model suggest that size, location and origin of the firm influence the amount of shipments. In particular, shipments are positively associated with larger firms; those located in the municipality of Tijuana and those whose origin is foreign. The probabilistic model finds that a depreciation of the Mexican peso contributes to an increase in the likelihood of sending a shipment. This may be the result of an improvement in the border economic environment due to the depreciation of the currency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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