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Exploitation of the vast reserve of geothermal energy for power generation and direct use has been elevated to the top of China's energy agenda, while the environmental impacts and human health risk have received little attention. This review systematically summarizes the environmental and human health impacts of geothermal utilization in China, and identifies the key technologies and policy measures that can be implemented to mitigate them. Geothermal fluids are typically enriched with a range of dissolved species and non-condensable gases, which originate from magma degassing and/or water-rock interaction under high temperature and pressure, and often low pH conditions in the reservoirs, and their releases could pollute local surface water, groundwater, soil, and air, and adversely affect biodiversity. The toxic elements (primarily As and F) could negatively impact the health of people living in geothermal areas through contaminated surface water, groundwater, and food crops. Among the gaseous pollutants, hydrogen sulfide often poses the most significant health concern, while radon might pose potentially significant radiological risk to the workers of geothermal spa and hot spring facilities. Improper disposal of the geothermal wastes enriched with natural radionuclides might elevate the radiation exposure of workers at geothermal facilities and people living in their vicinity. To minimize the potential environmental impacts and human health risk from large-scale expansion of geothermal exploitation, heat-extraction-only technologies should be promoted, while geothermal facilities should actively adopt pollution control and prevention measures. Government regulation and supervision can further ensure the negative environmental and human health impacts are adequately mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfilling is one of the most common waste management methods employed in all countries alike, irrespective of their developmental status. The most commonly used types of landfills are (a) municipal solid waste landfill, (b) industrial waste landfill, and (c) hazardous waste landfill. There is, also, an emerging landfill type called "green waste landfill" that is, occasionally, being used. Most landfills, including those discussed in this review article, are controlled and engineered establishments, wherein the waste ought to abide with certain regulations regarding their quality and quantity. However, illegal and uncontrolled "landfills" (mostly known as open dumpsites) are, unfortunately, prevalent in many developing countries. Due to the widespread use of landfilling, even as of today, it is imperative to examine any environmental- and/or health-related issues that have emerged. The present study seeks to determine the environmental pollution and health effects associated with waste landfilling by adopting a desk review design. It is revealed that landfilling is associated with various environmental pollution problems, namely, (a) underground water pollution due to the leaching of organic, inorganic, and various other substances of concern (SoC) contained in the waste, (b) air pollution due to suspension of particles, (c) odor pollution from the deposition of municipal solid waste (MSW), and (d) even marine pollution from any potential run-offs. Furthermore, health impacts may occur through the pollution of the underground water and the emissions of gases, leading to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects of the exposed population living in their vicinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution has become more diversified in recent years as technologies for urbanization is increasingly more advanced. Several environmental factors such as air and water pollutants have been linked to allergic symptoms. For instance, because of industrialization for city development in many countries, polluted soil or tiny particles in the air could result in an even more hazardous environment for people to reside. Aside from the aspects of environmental issues, other newly emerging factors such as the electromagnetic field (EMF) also require further investigation. Here, in this narrative review, we focused on allergens from atmospheric and water pollution, hygiene improvement, changes in food trend, and residential environmental pollution. Current evidences regarding the association between various pollutants and the potential clinical diseases could be induced. For people with high skin exposure to air pollutants such as PM 2.5, PM 10, or sulfur dioxide, potential onset of dermatological allergic events should be alerted. The mechanisms involved in allergic diseases are being discussed and summarized. Interactions between immunological mechanisms and clinical implications could potentially provide clearer view to the association between allergic status and pollutants. Moreover, understanding the mechanistic role of allergens can raise awareness to global environment and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength and shape of the dose–response relationship between different types of noise and myocardial infarction (MI) remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to summarize the evidence of the association between various types of noise and MI incidence and mortality through a dose–response meta-analysis. We performed a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to December 19, 2021. The generalized least-squares method and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the potential linear and nonlinear dose–response relationships between noise exposure and the risk of MI events. Twenty observational studies with 34 reports met the eligibility criteria. In the linear models, the pooled relative risk and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for MI incidence was 1.04 (95% CI: 1.02 − 1.05), and the MI mortality was 1.02 (95% CI: 1.02 − 1.03) for each 10 dB(A) increase in noise exposure. In addition, we observed an approximately J-shaped dose–response relationship between noise and MI mortality (Pnonlinearity = 0.0037), whereas the threshold for the statistical impact of noise on MI mortality may be 42 dB(A). Our findings support the notion that various types of noise exposure have a positive dose–response relationship with the risk of MI incidence and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries worldwide are struggling to develop strategies and infrastructure for appropriate disposal of the increasing medical waste generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines the available knowledge and current practices in medical/healthcare waste management worldwide, particularly in countries with transitional economies, including the dependence of medical waste generation rate on various socioeconomic and environmental parameters. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of medical and healthcare waste management practices in 78 countries. We identified impediments and challenges facing the integration of medical waste management into a prospective circular economy according to statistical correlations with human development index (HDI), life expectancy (LE), healthcare expenditure (HE) per capita of gross domestic product (GDP), and environmental performance index (EPI). The results highlight the importance of knowledge and awareness of best practices for infection and injury prevention for waste management among workers. An average of 38.9% of medical waste was segregated for proper management, and only 41% of workers were trained in-service for medical waste disposal. Plastic materials constituted approximately 35% of medical waste, presenting an opportunity for sustainable resource recovery and recycling. It is imperative for all countries to adopt environmentally sustainable management of medical waste to prevent catastrophic stockpiling of infectious waste during and after pandemics. Additionally, we present an outline for future studies on medical waste generation rate and various socioeconomic and environmental parameters that should be investigated in future work to promulgate an inventory of the database for sustainable management of medical/healthcare waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The skyrocketing demand and progressive technology have increased our dependency on electrical and electronic devices. However, the life span of these devices has been shortened because of rapid scientific expansions. Hence, massive volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) is generating day by day. Nevertheless, the ongoing management of e-waste has emerged as a major threat to sustainable economic development worldwide. In general, e-waste contains several toxic substances such as metals, plastics, and refractory oxides. Metals, particularly lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, and copper along with some valuable metals such as rare earth metals, platinum group elements, alkaline and radioactive metal are very common; which can be extracted before disposing of the e-waste for reuse. In addition, many of these metals are hazardous. Therefore, e-waste management is an essential issue. In this study, we critically have reviewed the existing extraction processes and compared among different processes such as physical, biological, supercritical fluid technologies, pyro and hydrometallurgical, and hybrid methods used for metals extraction from e-waste. The review indicates that although each method has particular merits but hybrid methods are eco-friendlier with extraction efficiency > 90%. This study also provides insight into the technical challenges to the practical realization of metals extraction from e-waste sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers in recent years have utilized a broad spectrum of treatment technologies in treating bakers' yeast production wastewater. This paper aims to review the treatment technologies for the wastewater, compare the process technologies, discuss recent innovations, and propose future perspectives in the research area. The review observed that nanofiltration was the most effective membrane process for the treatment of the effluent (at >95% pollutant rejection). Other separation processes like adsorption and distillation had technical challenges of desorption, a poor fit for high pollutant load and cost limitations. Chemical treatment processes have varying levels of success but they are expensive and produce toxic sludge. Sludge production would be a hurdle when product recovery and reuse are targeted. It is difficult to make an outright choice of the best process for treating the effluent because each has its merits and demerits and an appropriate choice can be made when all factors are duly considered. The process intensification of the industrial-scale production of the bakers' yeast process will be a very direct approach, where the process optimisation, zero effluent discharge, and enhanced recovery of value-added product from the waste streams are important approaches that need to be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environment protection and food safety are two critical issues in the world. In this review, a novel approach which integrates statistical study and subjective discussion was adopted to review recent advances on environment and food safety. Firstly, a scientometric-based statistical study was conducted based on 4904 publications collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. It was found that the research on environment and food safety was growing steadily from 2001 to 2020. Interestingly, the statistical analysis of most-cited papers, titles, abstracts, keywords, and research areas revealed that the research on environment and food safety was diverse and multidisciplinary. In addition to the scientometric study, strategies to protect environment and ensure food safety were critically discussed, followed by a discussion on the emerging research topics, including emerging contaminates (e.g., microplastics), rapid detection of contaminants (e.g., biosensors), and environment friendly food packaging materials (e.g., biodegradable polymers). Finally, current challenges and future research directions were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, hundreds of different nanomaterials with a broad application in products that make daily lives a little bit easier, in every aspect, are being produced on an industrial scale at thousands of tons per year. However, several scientists, researchers, politics, and ordinary citizens have stated their concern regarding the life cycle, collateral effects, and final disposal of these cutting-edge materials. This review summarizes, describes, and discusses all manuscripts published in the Journal Citation Reports during the last 10 years, which studied the toxicity or the effects of nanomaterials on human and environmental health. It was observed that 23.62% of the manuscripts analyzed found no ecological or human risks; 54.39% showed that several nanomaterials have toxicological effects on the ecosystems, human, or environmental health. In comparison, only 21.97% stated the nanomaterials had a beneficial impact on those. Although only 54.39% of the manuscripts reported unfavorable effects of nanomaterials on ecosystems, human, or environmental health, it is relevant because the potential damage is invaluable. Therefore, it is imperative to make toxicological studies of nanomaterials with holistic focus under strictly controlled real conditions before their commercialization, to deliver to the market only innocuous and environmentally friendly products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concern about aluminum (Al) toxicity has been proven in various cases. Some cases are associated with the fact that Al is a neurotoxic substance that has been found in high levels in the brain tissues of Alzheimer's disease (AD), epilepsy, and autism patients. Other cases are related to infants, especially premature infants and ones with renal failure, who are at the risk of developing the central nervous system (CNS) and bone toxicity. This risk is a result of infants' exposure to Al from milk formulas, intravenous-feeding solutions, and possibly from aluminum-containing vaccinations. Furthermore, most antiperspirants contain aluminum compounds that raise human exposure to toxic Al. This review paper is intended to discuss in detail the above concerns associated with aluminum, and hence urges the need for more studies exploring the effects of overexposure to Al and recommending mitigation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocoagulation (EC) is one of the emerging technologies in groundwater and wastewater treatment as it combines the benefits of coagulation, sedimentation, flotation, and electrochemical oxidation processes. Extensive research efforts implementing EC technology have been executed over the last decade to treat chemical oxygen demand (COD)-rich industrial wastewaters with the aim to protect freshwater streams (e.g., rivers, lakes) from pollution. A comprehensive review of the available recent literature utilizing EC to treat wastewater with high COD levels is presented. In addition, recommendations are provided for future studies to improve the EC technology and broaden its range of application. This review paper introduces some technologies which are often adopted for industrial wastewater treatment. Then, the EC process is compared with those techniques as a treatment for COD-rich wastewater. The EC process is considered as the most privileged technology by different research groups owing to its ability to deal with abundant volumes of wastewater. After, the application of EC as a single and combined treatment for COD-rich wastewaters is thoroughly reviewed. Finally, this review attempts to highlight the potentials and limitations of EC. Related to the EC process in batch operation mode, the best operational conditions are found at 10 V and 60 min of voltage and reaction time, respectively. These last values guarantee high COD removal efficiencies of > 90%. This review also concludes that considerably large operation costs of the EC process appears to be the serious drawback and renders it as an unfeasible approach for handling of COD rich wastewaters. In the end, this review has attempted to highlights the potential and limitation of EC and suggests that vast notably research in the field of continuous flow EC system is essential to introduce this technology as a convincing wastewater technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive use of surfactants in numerous fields resulted in their discharge into various environmental compartments including soil, sediment, and water. Alcohol ethoxysulfates (AES) together with alcohol ethoxylates (AE), alkyl sulfates (AS), and linear alkyl benzene sulfonates (LAS) find wide variety of applications in consumer products including both domestic and industrial applications. Consequently, all these surfactants pose several concerns to both aquatic and human health. In the context of environmental impacts, AES has almost equal importance as that of LAS though the literature on this topic is only emerging. This review provides a detailed overview on the various aspects of the anionic surfactant, AES, such as toxicity of AES, its fate in the ecosystem, technical advancements in the area of identification and quantification, its occurrence and distribution in different environmental compartments spanning across the world, and finally a remark of its potential removal strategy from the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal with widespread industrial use, but it is also a widespread environmental contaminant with serious toxicological consequences to many species. Pb exposure adversely impacts the cardiovascular system in humans, leading to cardiac dysfunction, but its effects on heart failure risk remain poorly elucidated. To better understand the pathophysiological effects of Pb, we review potential mechanisms by which Pb exposure leads to cardiac dysfunction. Adverse effects of Pb exposure on cardiac function include heart failure risk, pressure overload, arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia, and cardiotoxicity. The data reviewed clearly establish that Pb exposure can play an important role in the occurrence and development of heart failure. Future epidemiological and mechanistic studies should be developed to better understand the involvement of Pb exposure in heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is one of the major problems in the world and millions of people have no access to freshwater. Untreated wastewater is widely used for agriculture in many countries. This is one of the world-leading serious environmental and public health concerns. Instead of using untreated wastewater, treated wastewater has been found more applicable and ecofriendly option. Moreover, environmental toxicity due to solid waste exposures is also one of the leading health concerns. Therefore, intending to combat the problems associated with the use of untreated wastewater, we propose in this review a multidisciplinary approach to handle wastewater as a potential resource for use in agriculture. We propose a model showing the efficient methods for wastewater treatment and the utilization of solid wastes in fertilizers. The study also points out the associated health concern for farmers, who are working in wastewater-irrigated fields along with the harmful effects of untreated wastewater. The consumption of crop irrigated by wastewater has leading health implications also discussed in this review paper. This review further reveals that our current understanding of the wastewater treatment and use in agriculture with addressing advancements in treatment methods has great future possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this paper is to present a review of specific cases that reported lead concentrations in blood, objects, food, soil, bioindicators, air, and water in specific places in Colombia and evaluate the reported concentrations against target values. Materials and Methods: A systematic qualitative literature review of publications between 1995 and 2019 was done; using Boolean operators 1571 papers were identified, to which 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria were applied. A total of 57 studies met the defined criteria. The reports in these studies were geolocalized and compared with acceptable values. Results and Discussion: Results suggest that lead is present in all environmental matrices, widely distributed in the Colombian territory, and that 72 % of the cases exceeded regulation limits. The percentage of noncompliance per environmental matrix was 89 % for blood samples, 71 % in food, 63 %, in soil, 89 % for bioindicators, 60 % for air, and 55 % for water. Conclusion: These results show that lead pollution is a large-scale problem in the country, more systematic studies are needed, and control measures, policy-making and regulatory updating should be pursued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) with an average size of less than 5 mm, along with nanoplastics (NPs) of an average size of fewer than 0.1 μm are the result of huge plastic waste fragmentation or straight environmental emissions. Pollution from micro- and nanoplastics is a worldwide paradigm that raises environmental and human health concerns. They may also comprise very harmful chemicals that are implemented in plants and animals when MPs/NPs are used that may lead to higher accumulation of these compounds in food chains. In addition, higher surface area-to-volume ratio, characteristic of MPs/NPs can contribute to their potentially harmful impact as other pollutants, like continuous organic contaminants, can also be bio-accumulated and adsorbed. A complex issue correlated with MPs/NPs is their ability to absorb and interact with other common pollutants in the environment, such as metals, pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants. Thus, MPs/NPs can directly influence on destiny and toxicity of these substances to the environment and organisms. In this review, first, we introduce possible sources and formation, their destinies, and environmental impact of MPs/NPs and then explain feasible paths of all these particles entering the human body. Then, the review highlights the effect of MPs/NPs on human health. Finally, it provides a brief summary of the potential as well as the neurological toxicity of MPs/NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between tourism development, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions has been examined in a variety of contexts; however, the extant studies report contradictory findings mainly due to utilizing arbitrary empirical techniques. We present a comprehensive literature review and the effects of tourism development, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Specifically, the effects of gross domestic product, renewable energy consumption, and tourism receipts on carbon dioxide emissions in OECD countries are examined utilizing the bootstrap panel cointegration technique and the augmented mean group estimator. The results showed that tourism development has negative and significant effects on CO2 emission in Canada, Czechia, and Turkey, while tourism development has positive and significant effects on CO2 emission in Italy, Luxembourg, and the Slovak Republic. Also, Belgium, France, New Zealand, and the Slovak Republic have shifted towards sustainable tourism practices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaption of the open-up reform policies in China some three decades ago has resulted in a rapid economic transformation of which the tourism sector has equally witnessed fast development. Therefore, the essence of this article is to review the evolution and expansion of the tourism industry in China and its obligation to observing international sustainable development policies and practices. Indications of the current policy regime, establishment, and institutions, sustainable development strategies to ensure continuity and availability of resources for future use, environmental sustainability laws and regulations, and promotional events for the development of the tourism industry are made available in this article. In effect, this article reviews how the activities of the tourism sector impacts on the environment. The findings show that China in its quest to be a world leader of tourists' destination has impacted negatively on the environment which by extension affect the economy and society at large. On the other hand, as a leading nation in the United Nations, China has in contemporary times adapted sustainable development strategies to help safeguard the environment. However, more needs to be done in the area of advanced technology and renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]