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The automotive upholstery industry, which processes bovine leathers, has struggled with vast amounts of solid waste, of which the majority are fractions, such as shavings and splits and offcuts, both containing chromium (Cr) and free of Cr. In this work, a novel leather waste-to-fertiliser approach has been tested: four lightly processed (incubation with effective microorganisms) and three aggressively processed (using pyrolysis or hydrolysis processes) tanned leather waste fractions were used. They were applied as organic nitrogen-based fertilisers in two separate glasshouse experiments, consisting of four subsequent harvests, under spring–autumn conditions in northern Poland. The Cr stressing effect caused by bovine shavings containing Cr and splits and offcuts containing Cr stimulated an increase in ryegrass growth after 30 days, providing twice the dry matter yield than bovine shavings free of Cr and splits and offcuts free of Cr, then (after 90 and 120 days) it inhibited growth. The Monod kinetics model was developed using the best fitting procedure (R2 > 0.94) for the efficiency of internal N use in ryegrass for the lightly processed fractions of tanned leather-waste fractions and each harvest. In the case of the processed leather waste-fractions, the relation was quasi linear, evidencing less growth inhibition and no over-fertilisation effects. The acid hydrolysate of bovine shavings containing Cr showed the best performance, reaching a relative agronomic effectiveness (RAE, N utilization-based) equal to 89%, 95%, 19%, and 38% for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days, respectively, and 71% in total. For the lightly processed fractions, it was lower than 12%. The future perspective should focus on steps including scaling up the tests to field conditions; transportation, storage, and application methods; effectiveness for other crops; usage in crop rotation systems; environmental impact assessment; production carbon footprint; commercial potential; and optimizing the production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: does the pandemic affect the ability to achieve the sustainable development goals? Design/methodology/approach: The article analyzes selected, available literature on sustainable development, from the genesis of the phenomenon to the current situation. It invoked, among other things, the idea of the European Green Deal. The most current issues related to the pandemic reality were addressed. The themes and changes highlighted are based on data from available reports and statistical analyses. Findings: By the time the pandemic broke out, the sustainability goals had been achieved gradually. But the pandemic has forced policymakers to think long-term. The conditions for transition to the green economy, i.e. the green transition, have also become crucial. In many countries, including Poland, the need for better achievement of social goals in addition to economic or environmental ones has become apparent. Further work is needed to achieve the sustainable development goals. Research limitations/implications: The text refers to a limited number of studies. The problems presented in the paper still need to be empirically confirmed in relation to a greater number of examples, which should result in the publication of subsequent studies. It will also be necessary to fully diagnose the post-pandemic situation and retrace the threads taken up. Originality/value: The article points to already visible changes, being the result of the continuing pandemic, from the perspective of sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article contains main trends, assumptions and thesis about the social economy in Poland, which the author agree with. The main goal of it, is to bring together fundamental facts depicting the situation of the social economy in Poland (in theory and in practice) with the conditions that must be fulfilled in order for it to grow (also from the financial side). In the article, the aspect of profit in a social enterprise, was especially emphasized. To describe the topic the descriptive methods were used. The graphical analysis refers to the last three years, but to understand how the social economy operates in practice, author uses description of the data from 1999 to now, in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the mercury content in hair of inhabitants of Wrocław, in southwestern Poland. On the basis of a questionnaire and analysis of hair by atomic absorption spectroscopy, it was possible to indicate the sources of mercury exposure. The mean mercury level in hair of the whole population (n=321) was 0.203±0.181 mg⋅kg-1. The content of mercury in hair of subjects who consumed fish exceeded the upper limit of reference value, which was 0.397 mg⋅kg-1. Subjects who declared consumption of fish, honey, and mouldy cheese, contained statistically more mercury: 60.5%, 35.4%, and 37.8%, respectively, than those who did not eat these types of food. It was noticed that there was no effect from the place of residence, the presence of pollution emitters, gender, age, weight, height, presence of amalgam fillings, hair dyeing, and smoking cigarettes on mercury content in hair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work hair mineral analysis of 110 individuals was carried out to determine environmental exposure based on the distance from a subject's residence to a pollutant source. The subjects were asked to fill in a questionnaire concerning their place of living in the city of Wroclaw (lower Silesia, Poland), which was divided in 12 sectors. The content of minerals in hair was determined by ICP-OES and ICP-MS technique in a laboratory certified by the Polish Centre for Accreditation and ILAC-MRA (No. AB 696). The results were elaborated statistically. Each person served as the experimental unit. Post-hoc comparisons were made by Tukey's test and the Spjotvoll/Stolin test. Results were considered significantly different when p<0.1. The dif- ferences in the content of As were statistically significant between IV-V regions (p=0.0182), IV-VII (p=0.0720), and IV-XII (p=0.0586). In the case of Cd, statistically significant differences were found between II and XII region (p=0.0377). Hair has been found to be a valuable indicator of environmental pollution in Wroclaw. The highest content of Al was found in sector VII, As -- IV, Cd -- II, Hg -- VIII, Ni -- V, and Pb -- IX. The explanation could be the vicinity to a heat and power generating plant and a non-ferrous metals plant or other industrial units, as well as interactions between elements in a human organism. Additionally, statistical- ly significant differences between Ni content (p=0.0591) in hair of males and females were found. These results showed that hair mineral content reflected exposure to elements from the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a biomonitoring study of exposure to elements released by water pipes by hair mineral analysis with the consideration of gender. Hair of a population of 117 students living in an urban area in Poland was analyzed for the content of elements by ICP-OES (macroelements) and ICP-MS (micro-, toxic and other trace elements). The participants were grouped according to the material of which water pipes in their households were made (steel, copper, plastic). The population was of uniform age (21-22 years). The mean values and standard deviations of the content of 34 elements were reported for the whole population as well as for other populations and the subgroups. The mean level of the following elements was higher: As, Ba, Bi, Ca, Na, and lower: Hg. Statistically significant differences between the subpopulations for which the grouping variable was the type of tap water pipes were found for the following elements: Fe, Mn, Na, Ti (release order: plastic>steel>copper), Mg (copper>plastic>steel), Ni (plastic>copper>steel). The composition of water (from the same water purification station), from pipes made of different materials: steel, copper and plastic was determined. The release of elements to water was confirmed. The results of biomonitoring study by hair mineral analysis were compared with multielemental analysis of water. Plastic pipes were found to release the highest quantities of elements, which was confirmed by both a biomonitoring study and direct analysis of water: Ni, Ti, Al, Hg, Sn, Mo, Li, Ag, Cu, Sr, B. For copper pipelines both types of analyses showed release of: Ag, Cu, Si, As, and in steel: Zr and Zn. Elements, the level of which depended on sex, were indicated. The content of elements in hair and also the effect of gender were compared with other populations reported in the literature. Additionally, ratios between elements in the present and in various groups were investigated. It was found that the content of alkaline earth metals (Ba, Ca, and Mg) was statistically significantly higher in hair of females than males in almost all the groups. The release of elements with gender as additional grouping variable was confirmed for Ag and As, which were eluted in the highest amounts from copper plumbing, Mn and Si from plastic pipes. Hair of males seemed more appropriate for a biomonitoring study since more statistically significant differences were confirmed. This can be explained with the cosmetic treatment of hair by females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a comparative analysis of biomonitoring research results using hair mineral analysis today and 10 years ago. The aim of the present work was to examine the impact of individual factors, on the content of elements in human hair. The mineral analysis of 115 hair samples was carried out using ICP-OES and AAS technique. It was shown that calcium, barium, copper, mercury, magnesium, manganese and selenium content depend on gender and is higher for women. Statistically significant synergistic correlations were identified between the following pairs of elements: (Ca-Mg), (P-S), (Mo-Sb) and (Ba-Pb). The results of the present work were compared with the previous assessment in 2009 on students of the same age. The content of most of the heavy metals in hair was reduced significantly, which is a sign of the improving state of the local environment. The greatest decrease was recorded for silver (96.6%), arsenic (93.4%), mercury (45.1%), lead (67.7%), antimony (55.2%), thallium (10 times) and cobalt (93.7%). The level of the following elements increased: Ba: 27.3%, Cu: 28.5%, Ni: 22.4%, Ti: 191%, Zn: 11.0%. Changes in the content of most heavy metals in hair have been noted, as well as changes of reference ranges, which may indicate an improvement in the state of the environment in Wrocław, Lower Silesia (Poland) over the last 10 years. These results were confirmed by biomonitoring studies carried out with human hair, which was shown to be a reliable biomarker of human exposure to toxic elements., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The effect of orange juice and Coca Cola(®) on the release of metal ions from fixed orthodontic appliances., Materials and Methods: A continuous flow system designed for in vitro testing of orthodontic appliances was used. Orange juice/Coca Cola(®) was flowing through the system alternately with artificial saliva for 5.5 and 18.5h, respectively. The collected samples underwent a multielemental ICP-OES analysis in order to determine the metal ions release pattern in time., Results: The total mass of ions released from the appliance into orange juice and Coca Cola(®) (respectively) during the experiment was calculated (μg): Ni (15.33; 37.75), Cr (3.604; 1.052), Fe (48.42; ≥ 156.1), Cu (57.87, 32.91), Mn (9.164; 41.16), Mo (9.999; 30.12), and Cd (0.5967; 2.173)., Conclusions: It was found that orange juice did not intensify the release of metal ions from orthodontic appliances, whereas Coca Cola(®) caused increased release of Ni ions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the present work was to investigate the exposure to lead from various sources by investigation of mineral composition of human scalp hair. The research was carried out on hair sampled from 267 young adults living in Wrocław (southwest Poland). The effect of the place of residence, diet, and lifestyle on lead content in hair was examined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Lead was determined at the wavelength 220.353 nm. These outcomes were reached by linking the results of lead level in hair with the results of questionnaire survey. The mean lead level in hair of the whole examined population was 2.01 ± 2.10 mg kg(-1). Lead can enter the human body mainly by inhalation and gastrointestinal absorption. It was found that consuming cheese, fish, and lettuce caused increased level of lead in hair. On the other hand, drinking of milk, tea, coffee, or lemon resulted in decreased content of lead in hair. Additional source of exposure to lead could be cigarette smoking, distance to the traffic road, painting the walls, amalgam filling. Based on the results, it can be concluded that exposure to lead can occur mainly from eating habits and environmental exposure.

The aim of the present article was to assess the effect of wearing silver jewelry on mineral composition of human scalp hair. To investigate the possible effect of gender, a group of females and males was distinguished. Subjects, who declared in the questionnaire wearing silver jewelry, constituted 55% of the whole population. It was found that individuals wearing jewelry had increased levels of Ag (~3 times), Ba (30%), Ca (33%), La (40%), Li (25%), and Zn (27%) in hair and lowered level of: Al (34%), K (79%), and Na (32.5%) in comparison with the group that did not wear jewelry. Those differences were statistically significant. Lower levels of K and Na in hair of subjects wearing jewelry was probably related with an antagonism between Ag-K and Ag-Na found in the present work. Analyzing the effect of two grouping variables-gender and wearing silver jewelry-on hair composition, it was observed that statistically significant differences were determined for the following elements: As, Ba, Ca, and Se. Female hair contained two times more Ca, four times Ba, 36% less As, and five times less Se. It was found that 34% of the population wearing silver jewelry had higher Ag content in hair than the upper value of the reference range (0.567 mg/kg) determined for subjects who did not wear jewelry. Ag and other metals (especially Cu and Zn) from jewelry could be absorbed through the skin and therefore hair mineral analysis is useful in the assessment of this exposure. The study was carried out on Poles, among which silver jewelry is particularly popular. The population can be thus considered as exposed., (© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011)