1,720,968 research outputs found
From Literature Gaps to Integrated Risk Assessment: Unveiling the Complexity of Wastewater Reuse Impact Models
Full text linkThe complexity and inherent interconnection of the reclaimed wastewater (RWW) reuse system requires a thorough assessment of both its positive and negative impacts. In fact, either the reuse is direct or indirect, on one hand, RWW provides essential resources for crops, like water and nutrients, on the other hand, it spreads contaminants that pose potential risks to both human health and the environment. In this context, water utilities and decision makers would benefit from a comprehensive risk-based framework of models aimed at the assessment of its associated impacts.
This paper critically reviews the different models that are available for the assessment of RWW reuse impacts, focusing on: (i) the type of impacts, (ii) the evaluated compartments, and (iii) the targeted variables. This review identifies gaps in the evaluation of RWW reuse impacts and outlines future research directions to bridge these gaps.
Finally, a simplified approach is proposed for integrating and evaluating three types of risk due to the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in RWW for indirect reuse: human health risk, environmental risk and risk related to antibiotic resistance development
Assessing the Risk of Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture: Is Irrigated Crops’ Food the main Exposure Route for Alkylphenols compared to Drinking Water?
Full text linkThe excessive exploitation and contamination of freshwater pose threats to public health, leading to cross-contamination among interconnected environmental compartments such as freshwater, soil and crops. In particular, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) originating from human activities are not completely removed by wastewater treatments plants and the effluent discharged in surface waters as well as wastewater reuse determine their presence in drinking water (DW) sources, soil and crops intended for human consumption. Bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP) have been frequently detected in DW and food, namely the major exposure sources for humans, with adverse effect, respectively, on immune and renal systems. Currently, health risk assessments focus solely on individual exposure sources without considering the multiple exposure routes humans are exposed to. We propose an integrated approach to quantitatively assess health risk from CECs considering multiple exposure from both DW and food consumption across the relevant interconnected environmental compartments. This procedure was applied to BPA and NP to calculate their probabilistic Benchmark Quotient (BQ), demonstrating its ability to quantitatively apportion the risk between contaminants and exposure sources. Scenario analyses simulating BPA and NP reduction strategies were conducted, underscoring the quantitative risk assessment potential as a decision support tool for prioritizing mitigation actions. The estimated health risk from BPA was significantly higher compared to NP, with the consumption of food from edible crops posing a greater risk than tap water. Therefore, prioritizing mitigation actions for the prevention and removal of BPA from food would be more effective in minimizing the health risk
Monitoring and optimization of wastewater disinfection processes for ecosystem preservation
Full text linkA year-long monitoring initiative in northern Italy evaluated wastewater disinfection efficiency on E. coli and its impacts on the aquatic environment of the surface recipients, in terms of microbiological quality and ecotoxicity. Results showed significant differences in E. coli concentration between the effluent and the surface water upstream the discharge point, with most WWTPs having better quality compared to the recipients. Residual disinfectants, particularly sodium hypochlorite, exhibited higher dosed concentrations and eco-toxicity compared to peracetic acid. Finally, a mass balance and decay model approach have been formulated to support in setting discharge limits to mitigate ecotoxicity and by-product formation, crucial for public health and environmental integrity
A risk-based framework for comparing the direct and indirect wastewater reuse in agriculture by integrating microbial and chemical risks
Full text linkThe reuse of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation is increasing as a sustainable alternative to freshwater use. However, contaminants persisting in treated effluents pose potential human health risks. These contaminants include chemical pollutants, such as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and disinfection by-products (DBPs), as well as microbial pathogens, which can cause chronic and acute toxic effects, respectively. Current risk assessments often evaluate chemical and microbial risks separately, limiting the ability to understand their combined impact on human health.
This study presents an integrated risk assessment framework that simultaneously evaluates microbial and chemical risks in both direct and indirect wastewater reuse scenarios. The framework utilizes Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) to compare these risks on a common scale, providing a decision-support tool for risk mitigation and regulatory alignment. Data from a wastewater treatment plant in northern Italy inform the analysis, assessing compliance with wastewater reuse regulations and identifying potential health risks for farmers and consumers.
By comparing direct and indirect reuse, this study aims to inform targeted management strategies and policy measures to ensure safe wastewater reuse practices, promoting a regulatory framework that accounts for both planned and unplanned reuse scenarios
Multiple ingestion exposure routes for alkylphenols: an integrated human health risk assessment including drinking water and crops' food
Full text linkThe widespread occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in freshwater and soil raises significant public health concerns, particularly in urbanized areas where drinking water and food crops serve as key exposure pathways. Among CECs, bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP) are of particular interest due to their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and adverse health effects. However, conventional risk assessments often focus on single exposure routes, neglecting the combined impact of multiple ingestion pathways.
This study develops an integrated human health risk assessment framework to evaluate the cumulative exposure to alkylphenols from both drinking water and food crops. The probabilistic Benchmark Quotient (BQ) approach is applied, incorporating uncertainty analyses to address knowledge gaps in contaminant occurrence, fate, and toxicity. BPA and NP concentration data were retrieved from the literature, and risk was estimated based on ingestion exposure from tap water and edible crops (cereals, fruits, and vegetables). Results indicate that BPA poses a significantly higher health risk than NP, with food consumption contributing more to overall risk than drinking water.
This approach supports evidence-based decision-making by informing monitoring campaigns and prioritizing mitigation strategies for CECs, with potential applications for broader contaminant assessments in urban water management
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
An integrated human health risk assessment framework for alkylphenols due to drinking water and crops' food consumption
Full text linkThe increasing overexploitation and pollution of fresh water resources are potential threats for public health, causing cross-contamination among the interconnected environmental compartments (freshwater, soil, crops). In particular, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) originating from anthropic activities are not completely removed by wastewater treatments plants. This leads to their presence in drinking water (DW) sources, soil and crops intended for human consumption due to discharges of treated wastewater in surface waters and direct
wastewater reuse practices. Currently, health risk assessments are limited to single exposure sources without considering the multiple exposure routes to which humans are subjected. For instance, among CECs, bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP), respectively, adversely affect immune and renal systems and have been frequently detected in DW and food, their major exposure sources for humans. Here, an integrated procedure is proposed to quantitatively assess health risk from CECs due to multiple exposure from the consumption of both DW and food, considering the relevant inter-connected environmental compartments. This procedure was applied to BPA and NP to calculate their probabilistic Benchmark Quotient (BQ), showing its potential in quantitatively apportioning the risk between contaminants and exposure sources, and its use as a decision support tool for prioritizing mitigation measures. Our results indicate that, even though the human health risk due to NP is not negligible, the estimated risk due to BPA is significantly higher, and the consumption of food from edible crops determines a higher risk compared to tap water. Hence, BPA is undoubtedly a contaminant to be prioritized, especially through mitigation actions aimed at its prevention and removal from food
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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