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The purpose of this study is to analyse the elements and PM10 concentrations in air samples gathered in the winter of 2017/2018 in two small towns, namely Skala and Wadowice. The chemical elements were identified for each sample using the energy dispersive X-ray method. The spectrometer was equipped, among others, with an Mo-X-ray tube which was the source of the photons and the Si(Li) detector. The following chemical elements: Cl, K, Fe, Ca, Zn, Pb, Br, Ti, Cu, Mn, V, Co, Rb, Ni, Sr, and Cr were identified in the samples. In addition, As and Se were identified in Wadowice. First, the results were compared with each other and then with the results for the nearest city. It was observed that the PM10 concentrations were significantly higher than the UE limit value for PM10, which equals 50 μg·m−3 per 24 h. Moreover, the high concentrations of, among others, K, Pb, Cl or Zn, are likely to be linked with fossil fuels combustion and biomass burning. The levels of element concentrations in Wadowice and Skala resemble the levels observed several years earlier in Krakow.

Krakow is a city in southern Poland inhabited by about 741,000 people. However, Krakow’s agglomeration includes neighboring cities, hence more than 1 million people live there. The agglomeration is struggling with the problem of air pollution. In 2016, admissible average annual concentrations of PM10 (40 μg / m3) were exceeded at all measuring points. Furthermore, daily PM10 concentrations were regularly exceeded in the winter, which is associated with increased coal combustion during this period. Fortunately, interest in the subject of air quality in the world is constantly growing. People are more often aware of the negative impact on health of chemical compounds present in particulate matter (PM) such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which were proved to be cancerogenic and mutagenic for people. That is why it is so important to study their presence in the ambient air. PM10 collected in the center of Wadowice (22.12.2016 – 13.10.2017) were investigated. PAHs were extracted from particulate matter and analysed applying the GC/MS technique. The results are discussed in the article.

This work investigates the effect of the dust deposition and temperature on the photovoltaic module working under varying environmental conditions. The impact of the module temperature caused by the dust deposition, as well as direct impact caused by the dust particle absorption, scattering and reflectance on module performance, has been analysed. Presented results showed that dust deposition even in desert free country Poland influences the module temperature and power output significant. The estimated join effect of dust deposition and temperature increase, on power loss after three-four days of natural dust exposure in the city environment, was about 0.32 and 0.37 point of percentage for the selected sunny and cloudy days while evaluated PV system efficiency was in the range 13.37-14.14%.

The study investigated the application of char activated with CO2 and impregnated with amines solutions for removal of selected xenobiotics from aqueous solutions. The chars produced from the pyrolysis of waste tires. The solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) were used for impregnation of char. The sorption capacity of char impregnated with amines depended on amines chemical properties. The adsorptive removal of mixture of pharmaceuticals residues by modified materials was assessed. BET surface area of materials varied from 36 m2 g−1 to 128 m2 g−1. The highest removal efficiencies up to 99 % were observed for char impregnated with PEI.

Organic and elemental carbon content in PM10 was studied at three sites in Malopolska District representing the city centre (Krakow), rural/residential (Bialka) and residential/industrial environments (Krakow). The PM10 samples were collected during the winter time study. The highest concentrations of carbonaceous species were observed in Skawina (36.9 μg·m-3 of OC and 9.6 μg·m-3 of EC). The lowest OC and EC concentrations were reported in Krakow (15.2 μg·m-3 and 3.9 μg·m-3, respectively. The highest concentration of carbonaceous species and the highest wind velocities in Skawina influenced the highest values of the dry deposition fluxes. Correlations between OC, EC and chemical constituents and meteorological parameters suggest that a) Krakow was influenced by local emission sources and temperature inversion occurrence; b) Bialka was under the influence of local emission sources and long-range transport of particles; c) Skawina was impacted by local emission sources.

The growing demand for local pollution free renewable energy sources in the world considered the solar energy as a one of the important renewable energy technologies and becomes dominant to the renewable energy source being exploited. The paper presents a unique approach to study and analysis off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system in order to provide the required energy for a one fold household in Diyala State, Iraq as well as the CO2 emissions and life cycle (LCC) and economical aspect was considered. The results of the study by depending on site metrological data shows that the unit of electrical cost of (1 kWh) about ($0.51) and this value is not expensive compared to the current unit cost of electricity and becomes effect and encouraged the use the PV system to electrify the rare sites. The average of CO2 emissions get avoidance about 1840 kg/year compared with conventional fuels used in Iraq to generate electricity.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), their nitro-derivatives (NPAHs) and hundreds of other organic compounds are present in ambient air in gas and particulate form. PAHs and NPAHs originate from diesel and gasoline exhaust emission and other combustion sources. NPAHs are also formed through the nitration of parent PAHs in the atmosphere. Concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs in the particulate matter fraction PM10 collected in the centre of Kraków (27.01.2014 – 17.02.2014) were investigated. The thirteen PAHs and four NPAHs: fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, 2-nitrofluorene, 9-nitroanthracene, 3-nitrofluoranthene and 1-nitropyrene were extracted from particulate matter and analysed applying the GC/MS technique. Depending on the compounds the relative recoveries ranged from 72 to 94%. The concentrations of PM10 in the study period ranged between 23.5 and 153.8 μg·m-3. The average concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs ranged from 26.6 to 276.4 ng·m-3 and from 0.6 to 9.1 ng·m-3, respectively. The highest concentrations were observed for benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, pyrene and fluoranthene. The average concentration of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), which is a marker for the particle-bound atmospheric PAHs, was 9.5 ng·m-3. The concentrations of 3-nitrofluoranthene and 1-nitropyrene were below the quantification limits of the method (< MQL).

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can provide objective and timely information on the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS), originally designed as legal alternatives of internationally controlled drugs. NPS have rapidly emerged on the global drug market, posing a challenge to drug policy and constituting a risk to public health. In this study, a WBE approach was applied to monitor the use of more than 300 NPS, together with fentanyl and its main metabolite norfentanyl, in influent wastewater collected from 12 European cities during March-June 2021. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of NPS in composite 24 h influent wastewater samples were based on solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In-sample stability tests demonstrated the suitability of most investigated biomarkers, except for a few synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids and phenetylamines. Fentanyl, norfentanyl and eight NPS were quantified in influent wastewater and at least three substances were found in each city, demonstrating their use in Europe. N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) were the most common NPS found, with the latter having the highest mass loads (up to 24.8 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Seven additional substances, belonging to five categories of NPS, were identified in different cities. Spatial trends of NPS use were observed between cities and countries, and a changing weekly profile of use was observed for 3-MMC. WBE is a useful tool to rapidly evaluate emerging trends of NPS use, complementing common indicators (i.e. population surveys, seizures) and helping to establish measures for public health protection., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Air quality is of large concern in the city of Krakow, southern Poland. A comprehensive study was launched by us in which two PM fractions (PM 1 and PM 10 ) were sampled during 1-year campaign, lasting from April 21, 2018 to March 19, 2019. A suite of modern analytical methods was used to characterize the chemical composition of the collected samples. The contents of 14 sugars, sugar alcohols and anhydrosugars, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, selected metals and non-metals and ions were analyzed, in addition to organic and elemental carbon content. The carbon isotope composition in both analysed PM fractions, combined with an isotope-mass balance method, allowed to distinguish three main components of carbonaceous emissions in the city: (1) emissions related to combustion of hard coal, (2) emissions related to road transport, and (3) biogenic emissions. The heating season emissions from coal combustion had the biggest contribution to the reservoir of carbonaceous aerosols in the PM 10 fraction (44%) and, together with the biogenic emission, they were the biggest contributors to the PM 1 fraction (41% and 44%, respectively). In the non-heating season, the dominant source of carbon in PM 10 and PM 1 fraction were the biogenic emissions (48 and 54%, respectively)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Here, we present the results of a comprehensive study of air quality in two tunnels located in the city of Krakow, southern Poland. The study comprised three PM fractions of suspended particulate matter (PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) sampled during campaigns lasting from March 14 to April 24, 2016 and from June 28 to July 18, 2016, in the road tunnel and the tram tunnel, respectively. The collected samples had undergone comprehensive chemical, elemental and carbon isotope analyses. The results of these analyses gave the basis for better characterization of urban transport as a source of air pollution in the city. The concentrations of particulate matter varied, depending on the analysed PM fraction and the place of sampling. For the tram tunnel, the average concentrations were 53.2 µg·m -3 (PM 1 ), 73.8 µg·m -3 (PM 2.5 ), 96.5 µg·m -3 (PM 10 ), to be compared with 44.2 µg·m -3 , 137.7 µg·m -3 , 221.5 µg·m -3 , respectively, recorded in the road tunnel. The isotope-mass balance calculations carried out separately for the road and tram tunnel and for each PM fraction, revealed that 60 to 79% of carbon present in the samples collected in the road tunnel was associated with road transport, to be compared with 15-33% obtained in the tram tunnel. The second in importance were biogenic emissions (17-21% and 41-49% in the road and tram tunnel, respectively. Sixteen different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified in the analysed samples. As expected, much higher concentrations of PAHs were detected in the road tunnel when compared to the tram tunnel. Based on the analysed PAHs concentrations, health risk assessment was determined using 3 different types of indicators: carcinogenic equivalent (CEQ), mutagenic equivalent (MEQ) and toxic equivalent (TEQ)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental pollutants that are generated by the incomplete combustion of organic materials. The main anthropogenic sources of PAHs are the combustion of solid fuels for heating purposes, illegal waste incineration, road transport and industries based on fossil fuels. PAHs can easily enter the body because they are present in all elements of the environment, including water, soil, air, and food. Due to their ubiquitous presence, PAHs, may exert a harmful effect on human health. Assessing PAH exposure through biomonitoring mostly involve techniques to measure the concentration of 1-hydroxypyrene in human urine. Nevertheless, through recent progress in analytical techniques, other common metabolites of PAHs in human biospecimens can be detected. A scientific literature search was conducted to determine which hydroxy derivatives of PAHs are markers of PAHs exposure and to reveal the leading sources of these compounds. Techniques for analyzing biological samples to identify OH-PAHs are also discussed. The most frequently determined OH-PAH in human urine is 1-hydroxypyrene, the concentration of which reaches up to a dozen ng/L in urine. Apart from this compound, the most frequently determined biomarkers were naphthalene and fluorene metabolites. The highest concentrations of 1- and 2-hydroxynaphthalene, as well as 2-hydroxyfluorene, are associated with occupational exposure and reach approximately 30 ng/L in urine. High molecular weight PAH metabolites have been identified in only a few studies. To date, PAH metabolites in feces have been analyzed only in animal models for PAH exposure. The most frequently used analytical method is HPLC-FLD. However, compared to liquid chromatography, the LOD for gas chromatography methods is at least one order of magnitude lower. The hydroxy derivatives naphthalene and fluorene may also serve as indicators of PAH exposure., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this study, we examined the sorption of selected "chemicals of emerging concern" (CEC) on humic substances commonly found in water and municipal wastewater. These were ibuprofen, diclofenac, caffeine, carbamazepine, estrone, triclosan, bisphenol A, and isoproturon. The humic substances (HSs) were synthetic and not contaminated by the tested organic substances. The elemental composition and content of mineral micropollutants, gravimetric curves, and the IR spectrum of HSs were determined. We determined a relationship between the process efficiency and the characteristics of a sorbent and sorbate using the properties of organic substances sorbed on HSs. This relationship was confirmed by sorption tests on the HS complex, i.e., the HS-organic micropollutant. It has been shown that the given complexes have a greater affinity for hydrophobic surfaces than hydrophilic surfaces. To confirm the nature of the sorbent surfaces, we determined their zeta potential dependence on the pH of the solution. Studies have shown that HSs are carriers of both mineral substances and CEC in water and sewage environments.

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Francesco Canonaco and Anna Tobler work for Datalystica Ltd., which provides the SoFi software used in this paper. Otherwise, the authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Chronic exposure to PM 2.5 contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous disorders, although the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The study investigated whether exposure of human monocytes to PM 2.5 is associated with alterations in miRNAs. Monocytes were exposed in vitro to PM 2.5 collected during winter and summer, followed by miRNA isolation from monocytes. Additionally, in 140 persons chronically exposed to air pollution, some miRNA patterns were isolated from serum seasonally. Between-season differences in chemical PM 2.5 composition were observed. Some miRNAs were expressed both in monocytes and in human serum. MiR-34c-5p and miR-223-5p expression was more pronounced in winter. Bioinformatics analyses showed that selected miRNAs were involved in the regulation of several pathways. The expression of the same miRNA species in monocytes and serum suggests that these cells are involved in the production of miRNAs implicated in the development of disorders mediated by inflammation, oxidative stress, proliferation, and apoptosis after exposure to PM 2.5 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Observations of air pollution in Krakow have shown that air quality has been improved during the last decade. In the presented study two factors affecting the physicochemical characteristic of PM 2.5 fraction at AGH station in Krakow were observed. One is the ban of using solid fuels for heating purposes and the second is COVID-19 pandemic in Krakow. The PM 2.5 fraction was collected during the whole year every 3rd day between 2nd March 2020 and 28th February 2021 at AGH station in Krakow. In total 110 PM 2.5 fraction samples were collected. The chemical composition was determined for these samples. The elemental analysis was performed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique, ions analysis was performed by ion chromatography (IC) and black carbon by optical method. In order to identify the emission sources the positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used. The results of such study were compared to similar analysis performed for PM 2.5 for the period from June 2018 to May 2019 at AGH station in Krakow. The PM 2.5 concentration dropped by 25% in 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019 at this station. The concentrations of Si, K, Fe, Zn and Pb were lowering by 43-64% in the year 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019. Cu, Mn, Zn and Pb come from mechanical abrasion of brakes and tires while Ti, Fe, Mn and Si are crustal species. They are the indicators of road dust (non-exhaust traffic source). Moreover, the annual average contribution of traffic/industrial/soil/construction work source was reduced in 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019. As well the annual average contribution of fuels combustion was declining by 22% in 2020/2021 in comparison to 2018/2019. This study shows that the ban and lockdown, during COVID-19 pandemic, had significant impact on the characteristic of air pollution in Krakow., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Sewage sludge, produced in the process of wastewater treatment and managed for agriculture, poses the risk of disseminating all the pollutants contained in it. It is tested for heavy metals or parasites, but the concentration of pharmaceuticals in the sludge is not controlled. The presence of these micropollutants in sludge is proven and there is no doubt about their negative impact on the environment. The fate of these micropollutants in the soil is a new and important issue that needs to be known to finally assess the safety of the agricultural use of sewage sludge. The article will discuss issues related to the presence of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge and their physicochemical properties. The changes that pharmaceuticals undergo have a significant impact on living organisms. This is important for the implementation of a circular economy, which fits perfectly into the agricultural use of stabilized sewage sludge. Research should be undertaken that clearly shows that there is no risk from pharmaceuticals or vice versa: they contribute to the strict definition of maximum allowable concentrations in sludge, which will become an additional criterion in the legislation on municipal sewage sludge.

Organic aerosol (OA) is a key component of total submicron particulate matter (PM 1 ), and comprehensive knowledge of OA sources across Europe is crucial to mitigate PM 1 levels. Europe has a well-established air quality research infrastructure from which yearlong datasets using 21 aerosol chemical speciation monitors (ACSMs) and 1 aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) were gathered during 2013-2019. It includes 9 non-urban and 13 urban sites. This study developed a state-of-the-art source apportionment protocol to analyse long-term OA mass spectrum data by applying the most advanced source apportionment strategies (i.e., rolling PMF, ME-2, and bootstrap). This harmonised protocol was followed strictly for all 22 datasets, making the source apportionment results more comparable. In addition, it enables quantification of the most common OA components such as hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), biomass burning OA (BBOA), cooking-like OA (COA), more oxidised-oxygenated OA (MO-OOA), and less oxidised-oxygenated OA (LO-OOA). Other components such as coal combustion OA (CCOA), solid fuel OA (SFOA: mainly mixture of coal and peat combustion), cigarette smoke OA (CSOA), sea salt (mostly inorganic but part of the OA mass spectrum), coffee OA, and ship industry OA could also be separated at a few specific sites. Oxygenated OA (OOA) components make up most of the submicron OA mass (average = 71.1%, range from 43.7 to 100%). Solid fuel combustion-related OA components (i.e., BBOA, CCOA, and SFOA) are still considerable with in total 16.0% yearly contribution to the OA, yet mainly during winter months (21.4%). Overall, this comprehensive protocol works effectively across all sites governed by different sources and generates robust and consistent source apportionment results. Our work presents a comprehensive overview of OA sources in Europe with a unique combination of high time resolution (30-240 min) and long-term data coverage (9-36 months), providing essential information to improve/validate air quality, health impact, and climate models., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Particular attention is devoted to pharmaceutical residues in sewage sludge caused by their potential ecotoxicological effects. Diclofenac, ibuprofen and carbamazepine, 17-α-ethinylestradiol, β-estradiol, were analysed in four types of fertilizers, based on sewage sludge commercial products, in compliance with Polish requirements. The release of active pharmaceutical compounds from fertilizers to water the phase after 24 h and 27 days was analysed. Solid-water partition coefficients (K d ) and partitioning coefficient values normalized on organic carbon content (log K OC ) were evaluated. The environmental risk to terrestrial ecosystems, due to the application of fertilizers onto soils, was estimated. Cumulative mass of pharmaceuticals emitted to water from fertilizers ranged from 0.4 to 30.8 µg/kg after 24 h contact. The greatest amount of the material that was released, over 70%, was observed for carbamazepine. No presence of compounds except ibuprofen was observed after 27 days of testing. The highest environmental risk in fertilizers is due to carbamazepine, risk quotation, RQ = 0.93 and diclofenac RQ = 0.17. The values of risk quotation estimated for soil were below RQ = 0.01. This fact means that no risk to terrestrial ecosystems is expected to occur. The important decrease of the concentrations of active compounds after passing from sewage sludge to fertilizers [and] to fertilized soil could be observed., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The composition and distribution of airborne particles in different locations in a salt mine were determined in terms of their origin, the distance from the air inlet, and the adaptation of post-mining chambers and corridors for tourists and general audience. The composition of aerosols in air was also evaluated from the perspective of human health. Air samples were collected on filters by using portable air pumps, in a historical underground salt mine in Bochnia (Poland), which is currently a touristic and recreation attraction and sanatorium. The particulate matter (PM) concentration was determined using the gravimetric method by weighing quartz filters. The content of carbon, water-soluble constituents, trace elements, and minerals was also determined. A genetic classification of the suspended matter was proposed and comprised three groups: geogenic (fragments of rock salt and associated minerals from the deposit), anthropogenic (carbon-bearing particles from tourist traffic and small amounts of fly ash, soot, and rust), and biogenic particles (occasional pollen). The total PM concentration in air varied between 21 and 79 μg/m 3 (with PM 4 constituting 4-24 μg/m 3 ). The amount of atmospheric dust components coming from the surface was low and decreased with the distance from the intake shaft, thus indicating the self-cleaning process. NaCl dominated the water-soluble constituents, while Fe, Al, Ag, Mn, and Zn dominated the trace elements, with the concentration of majority of them below 30 ng/m 3 . These metals are released into air from both natural sources and the wear or/and corrosion of mining and tourists facilities in the underground functional space. No potentially toxic elements or constituents were detected. The presence of salt particles and salty spray in the atmosphere of salt mine, which may have anti-inflammatory and antiallergic properties, is beneficial to human health. This study will allow for a broader look at the potential of halotherapy in underground salt mines from a medical and regulatory point of view., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

This is the first study of broad range of chemical classes CECs conducted in the upper Wisla river catchment including the biggest WWTPs in this region and surface waters. The list of compounds is extensive and the paper provides, for the first time, better understanding of environmental burden from PCPCs in Poland. Cumulative contribution of hypertension pharmaceuticals, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and lifestyle chemicals was 89% and 95% in wastewater influent, and 75% in wastewater effluent at both WWTPs. Significant removal efficiencies, exceeding 90%, were found for parabens, UV filters, NSAIDs, steroid estrogens, plasticizers, antibacterials/antibiotics, stimulants and metabolites and lifestyle chemicals. The comparison of the average mass loads of CECs between the influent and effluent, has shown that 27% and 29% of all detected CECs were removed by less than 50%. An increase of concentrations of CECs in the effluent was observed for 18% and 20% of all detected CECs in Kujawy and Plaszow WWTPs, respectively. Negative mass balances of fexofenadine, venlafaxine, o-desmethyltramadol, ketamine and temazepam were noted within WWTPs, which are a result of dissolution of persistent contaminants accumulated in aggregates and/or back-transformation or de-conjugation of metabolites into parent compounds. 44 CECs were detected in surface waters located upstream and downstream of the WWTPs. The concentrations of compounds were largely dependent on the dilution factor of WWTP discharge. The risk quotation (RQ) values for compounds present in surface waters were calculated in relation to their potential for bioaccumulation. Among compounds with high potential for bioaccumulation, with log K OW  ≥ 4.5, diclofenac, atorvastatin and triclosan were found to be of high risk. Many CECs with high, moderate or even low environmental impact have shown high potential for bioaccumulation and should be considered as priority at the same risk level. Moreover, possible synergistic action is still of concern., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can be a useful tool to face some of the existing challenges in monitoring the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS), as it can provide objective and updated information. This Europe-wide study aimed to verify the suitability of WBE for investigating the use of NPS. Selected NPS were monitored in urban wastewater by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The main classical illicit drugs were monitored in the same samples to compare their levels with those of NPS. Raw composite wastewater samples were collected in 2016 and 2017 in 14 European countries (22 cities) following best practice sampling protocols. Methcathinone was most frequent (>65% of the cities), followed by mephedrone (>25% of the cities), and only mephedrone, methcathinone and methylone were found in both years. This study depicts the use of NPS in Europe, confirming that it is much lower than the use of classical drugs. WBE proved able to assess the qualitative and quantitative spatial and temporal profiles of NPS use. The results show the changeable nature of the NPS market and the importance of large WBE monitoring campaigns for selected priority NPS. WBE is valuable for complementing epidemiological studies to follow rapidly changing profiles of use of drugs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The EU directive 2013/39/EU has incorporated four biocidal compounds as priority substances: diuron, isoproturon, cybutryne, and terbutryn. The research was undertaken to determine the concentration of biocides in surface waters in three locations in southern Poland: the Wisła River in Kraków, the Wisłoka River in Mielec, and the drainage ditch draining water from arable fields located near Mielec. Environmental samples were taken in two series: winter (February) and spring (May and June). The analyses were carried out using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The seasonality of biocides in surface waters was observed. In winter samples, the concentrations were below MQL, while in spring, they ranged from a few to several dozen nanograms per liter. The highest concentrations of all analyzed compounds were recorded in water taken from the Wisła River. According to directive 2013/39/EU, the maximum allowable concentration was exceeded only in the case of cybutryne in water from the Wisła, both in May and in June. The assessment of the toxicity with the tested compounds was defined based on the Environmental Risk Assessment method. Low risk was estimated for diuron and isoproturon, while moderate risk for terbutryn and cybutryne.

Background and Aims: Wastewater-based epidemiology is an additional indicator of drug use that is gaining reliability to complement the current established panel of indicators. The aims of this study were to: (i) assess spatial and temporal trends of population-normalized mass loads of benzoylecgonine, amphetamine, methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in raw wastewater over 7 years (2011-17); (ii) address overall drug use by estimating the average number of combined doses consumed per day in each city; and (iii) compare these with existing prevalence and seizure data., Design: Analysis of daily raw wastewater composite samples collected over 1 week per year from 2011 to 2017., Setting and Participants: Catchment areas of 143 wastewater treatment plants in 120 cities in 37 countries., Measurements: Parent substances (amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA) and the metabolites of cocaine (benzoylecgonine) and of Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol) were measured in wastewater using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Daily mass loads (mg/day) were normalized to catchment population (mg/1000 people/day) and converted to the number of combined doses consumed per day. Spatial differences were assessed world-wide, and temporal trends were discerned at European level by comparing 2011-13 drug loads versus 2014-17 loads., Findings: Benzoylecgonine was the stimulant metabolite detected at higher loads in southern and western Europe, and amphetamine, MDMA and methamphetamine in East and North-Central Europe. In other continents, methamphetamine showed the highest levels in the United States and Australia and benzoylecgonine in South America. During the reporting period, benzoylecgonine loads increased in general across Europe, amphetamine and methamphetamine levels fluctuated and MDMA underwent an intermittent upsurge., Conclusions: The analysis of wastewater to quantify drug loads provides near real-time drug use estimates that globally correspond to prevalence and seizure data., (© 2019 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.)

The adsorption of ketoprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs) on halloysite/carbon nanocomposites and non-modified halloysite were investigated in this work. Halloysite/carbon nanocomposites were obtained through liquid phase impregnation and carbonization using halloysite as the template and saccharose as the carbon precursor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption method were employed to study the morphological and structural changes of the halloysite/carbon nanocomposites. The effects of contact time, initial concentration of adsorbates, pH of solution, and mass of adsorbent on the adsorption were studied. Adsorption mechanism was found to fit pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models. The obtained experimental adsorption data were well represented by the Langmuir multi-center adsorption model. Adsorption ability of halloysite/carbon nanocomposites was much higher for all the studied NSAIDs in comparison to non-modified halloysite. Optimized chemical structures of ketoprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac obtained by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation showed that charge distributions of these adsorbate molecules and their ions can be helpful to explain the details of adsorption mechanism of NSAIDs on halloysite/carbon nanocomposites.

Solid particles impair the performance of the photovoltaic (PV) modules. This results in power losses which lower the efficiency of the system as well as the increases of temperature which additionally decreases the performance and lifetime. The deposited dust chemical composition, concentration and formation of a dust layer on the PV surface differ significantly in reference to time and location. In this study, an evaluation of dust deposition on the PV front cover glass during the non-heating season in one of the most polluted European cities, Kraków, was performed. The time-dependent particle deposition and its correlation to the air pollution with particulate matter were analysed. Dust deposited on several identical PV modules during variable exposure periods (from 1 day up to 1 week) and the samples of total suspended particles (TSP) on quartz fibre filters using a low volume sampler were collected during the non-heating season in the period of 5 weeks. The concentration of TSP in the study period ranged between 12.5 and 60.05 μg m -3 while the concentration of PM10 observed in the Voivodeship Inspectorate of Environmental Protection traffic station, located 1.2 km from the TSP sampler, ranged from 14 to 47 μg m -3 . It was revealed that dust deposition density on a PV surface ranged from 7.5 to 42.1 mg m -2 for exposure periods of 1 day while the measured weekly dust deposition densities ranged from 25.8 to 277.0 mg m -2 . The precipitation volume and its intensity as well as humidity significantly influence the deposited dust. The rate of dust accumulation reaches approximately 40 mg m -2 day -1 in the no-precipitation period and it was at least two times higher than fluxes calculated on the basis of PM10 and TSP concentrations which suggest that additional forces such as electrostatic forces significantly influence dust deposition.

The maximisation of the efficiency of the photovoltaic system is crucial in order to increase the competitiveness of this technology. Unfortunately, several environmental factors in addition to many alterable and unalterable factors can significantly influence the performance of the PV system. Some of the environmental factors that depend on the site have to do with dust, soiling and pollutants. In this study conducted in the city centre of Kraków, Poland, characterised by high pollution and low wind speed, the focus is on the evaluation of the degradation of efficiency of polycrystalline photovoltaic modules due to natural dust deposition. The experimental results that were obtained demonstrated that deposited dust-related efficiency loss gradually increased with the mass and that it follows the exponential. The maximum dust deposition density observed for rainless exposure periods of 1 week exceeds 300 mg/m 2 and the results in efficiency loss were about 2.1%. It was observed that efficiency loss is not only mass-dependent but that it also depends on the dust properties. The small positive effect of the tiny dust layer which slightly increases in surface roughness on the module performance was also observed. The results that were obtained enable the development of a reliable model for the degradation of the efficiency of the PV module caused by dust deposition. The novelty consists in the model, which is easy to apply and which is dependent on the dust mass, for low and moderate naturally deposited dust concentration (up to 1 and 5 g/m 2 and representative for many geographical regions) and which is applicable to the majority of cases met in an urban and non-urban polluted area can be used to evaluate the dust deposition-related derating factor (efficiency loss), which is very much sought after by the system designers, and tools used for computer modelling and system malfunction detection.

This study presents the air pollution findings of the submicron (PM1) and fine (PM2.5) particulate matter. The submicron particles are entirely absorbed by the human body and they cause the greatest health risk. For the PM2.5 concentration, there are yearly and/or daily limit values regulations by the European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO). There are no such regulations for PM1 but for health risk reason the knowledge of its concentration is important. This paper presents the seasonal concentration contribution of PM1 and PM2.5, their chemical composition and assessed three basic sources. Daily samples of both fractions were collected from 2nd July 2016 to 27th February 2017 in Krakow, Poland. Apart from PM1 and PM2.5 the concentration of 16 elements, 8 ions and BC for each samples were measured. Based on these chemical species the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor modeling was used for the determination of three main sources contribution to the PM1 and PM2.5 concentrations. Daily average concentrations of PM2.5 were 12 μg/m 3 in summer and 60 μg/m 3 in winter. For PM1 it was 6.9 μg/m 3 in summer and 17.3 μg/m 3 in winter. These data show a significant difference in percentage contribution of PM1 in PM2.5 in summer (58%) and in winter (29%). For the combustion source, the concentrations calculated from PMF modeling in winter were 4.8 μg/m 3 for PM1 and 31 μg/m 3 for PM2.5. In summer, the concentrations were smaller than 1 μg/m 3 for both fractions. Secondary aerosols' concentration for PM1 was 3.4 μg/m 3 in summer and 11 μg/m 3 in winter - for PM2.5 these were 7.1 μg/m 3 and 17 μg/m 3 respectively. The third source - soil, industry and traffic together, had small seasonal variation: for PM1 it was from 1.4 to 1.8 μg/m 3 and for PM2.5 from 4.7 to 7.9 μg/m 3 ., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study the diffusion coefficients of isoproturon, diuron and cybutryn in acrylate and silicone resin-based renders were determined. The diffusion coefficients were determined using measuring concentrations of biocides in the liquid phase after being in contact with renders for specific time intervals. The mathematical solution of the transient diffusion equation for an infinite plate contacted on one side with a limited volume of water was used to calculate the diffusion coefficient. The diffusion coefficients through the acrylate render were 8.10·10(-9) m(2) s(-1) for isoproturon, 1.96·10(-9) m(2) s(-1) for diuron and 1.53·10(-9) m(2) s(-1) for cybutryn. The results for the silicone render were lower by one order of magnitude. The compounds with a high diffusion coefficient for one polymer had likewise high values for the other polymer., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An analysis of wastewater from Krakow (Poland) for the presence of controlled and uncontrolled stimulant drugs of abuse was performed. Samples were collected from the Plaszow wastewater treatment plant, Krakow, Poland, and prepared by solid phase extraction. The LC-QTOFMS method was applied for identification and quantification of popular stimulants: MDMA, mephedrone, 4-MEC, MDPV and mCPP. Environmental loads of illicit drugs were calculated; the WWTP discharged loads ranging from 3.6 to 6.7 mg day(-1) 1000 inhabitants(-1) of MDMA, 3.6 to 7.1 mg day(-1) 1000 inhabitants(-1) of mephedrone and 4.8 to 5.8 mg day(-1) 1000 inhabitants(-1) of 4-MEC. The results confirmed the growing popularity of new psychoactive substances in Poland.

In this study it was tested, which mechanism for the transport of biocides in polymeric renders is more relevant: (1) evaporative transports (meaning there is a flow of water through the material due to evaporation on the surface), which transports also the biocides to the surface, (2) transport through the polymer and (3) transport through water filled pores. It turned out that under the experimental conditions evaporative transport was not relevant, while transport through soaked (constantly wetted) renders was considerably faster than by other means. Additionally it turned out that also the equilibria were influenced by the water content. Differences in equilibria can be up to factor 10 between constantly wetted (soaked) and un-wetted materials. The two tested materials (one silicone and one acrylate render) had significantly different leaching behavior concerning equilibria and dynamics of mass flows, but for both the pre-wetted materials leached most., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biocides are used in the building industry to prevent algal, bacterial and fungal growth on polymericrenders and thus to protect buildings. However, these biocides are leached into the environment. To better understand this leaching, the sorption/desorption of biocides in polymeric renders was assessed. In this study the desorption constants of cybutryn, carbendazim, iodocarb, isoproturon, diuron, dichloro-N-octylisothiazolinone and tebuconazole towards acrylate and silicone based renders were assessed at different pH values. At pH 9.5 (porewater) the constants for an acrylate based render varied between 8 (isoproturon) and 9634 (iodocarb) and 3750 (dichloro-N-octylisothiazolinone), respectively. The values changed drastically with pH value. The results for the silicone based renders were in a similar range and usually the compounds with high sorption constants for one polymer also had high values for the other polymer. Comparison of the octanol water partitioning constants (Kow) with the render/water partitioning constants (Kd) revealed similarities, but no strong correlation. Adding higher amounts of polymer to the render material changed the equilibria for dichloro-N-octylisothiazolinone, tebuconazole, cybutryn, carbendazim but not for isoproturon and diuron., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)