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This book details the state-of-the-art methodological advances for delineating the toxicology and working mechanisms of nanomaterials, microplastics, fine aerosol particulates (PM2.5) as well as emerging organic pollutants. It also provides latest computational approaches for toxicity prediction and risk assessment of nanoscale materials which possess realistic chances to enter the environment and human organism. Written by leading scientists at the frontiers of environmental science and nanomedicine, this book is intended for both young researchers and experienced professionals working in the fields of environmental protection, human health and occupational safety, nanotechnology, material science and nanomedicine, as well as graduate students majoring in environmental and health sciences.

Eating locally and developing an urban-rural food continuum is a rapidly evolving movement. Integration of multi-functional forms of agriculture - termed New Forms of Urban Agriculture (NFUA) - could be a critical adaptation to strengthen this movement and for the sustainability of cities. While NFUA have the potential to provide diverse benefits to humans, there is an absence of reliable empirical data on the scale and impact of urban resources on NFUA which has a profound impact on its viability and sustainability. In this book, we shift the focus from how NFUA have potential to impact the urban system to investigate the potential impacts of urban resources on NFUA. Access to resources such as land, labour, clean water, etc. are major barriers to enter the agriculture sector in the cities; the chapters in this book present projects or reviews recent research on the subject from different cities in the world. This edited volume offers critical perspectives from diverse disciplines, expertise, and geographic contexts related to the actual and potential role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in the developing and the developed world where forms, adaptations, and debates around NFUA vary distinctively. Using and urban ecology lens, the book provides empirical evidence of how urban resources of land, water/waste, labour, and biodiversity impact NFUA.

This book focuses on a monograph published in 2017 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), discussing its carcinogen hazard classification of four pesticides: parathion, malathion, diazinon, and tetrachlorvinphos as well as the herbicide glyphosate. The monograph provided a detailed discussion of considerations and conclusions made by a group of experts who met in 2015 to evaluate these compounds. Although not universally true, many of these substances, from the time of their commercial introduction to their present-day use, have spread significantly in the environment, affecting animals and plants in the larger ecosystem, the overall health of the environment, and human health. This book develops each of these issues before turning to the IARC review process, both the general process and its evolution over time, and compound selection criteria and deliberations regarding the substances discussed in the 2017 monograph. Final book sections detail scientific and private sector reactions to and implications of the IARC classifications. Hazard identification is contrasted with various models of quantitative risk assessment. The last chapters highlight the importance of hazard identification for members of domestic and global underserved communities involved in farming and landscape work, where exposures may vary widely, are not well-regulated, and where health outcomes are often not carefully documented.

This book represents the latest research on urban forestry in a Malaysian context. It demonstrates that urban forestry is concerned not only with environmental enhancement, but also other aspects, such as recreation, health and well-being, and government policies. This edited collection provides a comprehensive overview of urban forestry studies from various researchers in Malaysia, and includes rich historical perspectives of urban forestry in the country. It also tackles related issues in policy. The greening of urban Malaysia in the 1970s focused primarily on beautification and was primarily the province of horticulturists, landscapers, nursery workers, town planners, and architects, with negligible inputs from foresters, particularly urban foresters. Perhaps for that reason, the term "e;landscaping"e; has been used more widely than "e;urban forestry"e; by government and private institutions, politicians, stakeholders, academicians, and the public. Nevertheless, the authors show that the concept of urban forestry is not new for developing countries such as Malaysia, where urbanization is increasing at a rapid rate. The book unpacks this demographic shift from a predominantly rural to a principally urban society. As the only unified body of work on urban forestry and arboricultural studies in Malaysia, this volume presents an important interdisciplinary reference for students, researchers, and scholars in physical geography, forestry and urban forestry, arboriculture and landscape architecture, both in Malaysia, and in other developing urbanizing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia. It is also an important resource for those working in environmental policy and practice, excavating the vital connection between the environment and well-being.

This book deals with the general principles, policy instruments, sustainability of supply chain, and business of health-care waste (HCW) management including inputs on exercise in immune health defense against COVID 19. Health-care waste management is very important in any country for protection of environmental and animal and human health. The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition, has augmented this importance to a greater extent. Italy has been successful in curbing the problems related to HCW management during the COVID-19 pandemic at very fast rates from the worst situation, while for a few countries in Asia and Africa, challenges still exist. It is necessary that policy makers, researchers, and implementers gain more knowledge and information on these aspects and improve the strategies and actions. Addressing these issues will reduce the cost of health care as well as resource inefficiency hindering sustainable development goals. This book is of interest and useful to practitioners, capacity builders and policy makers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and general people, and is a valuable source of reference to the relevant researchers and students in global markets. The book serves as a reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of environmental science, waste management, and medical science. National and international scientists as well as policy makers will also find this to be a useful read. 

This book covers the research fields in biodiversity conservation, the Belt and Road eco-environmental cooperation, China's five-year plan for eco-environmental protection, sustainable development goals assessment, and human health loss assessment. In the past, these achievements have played an important scientific role in supporting China's ecological and environmental protection, and produced extensive social impacts and significant environmental benefits. At the same time, the relevant research ideas and methods also show the latest progress and trend in the field of environmental strategy and planning in China in recent years, which can be used for reference by experts and scholars of other countries in the field of ecological environment.

This book focuses, in seven chapters, on the perspectives and solutions that different research groups offer to try to address problems related to SDG 14: Life Below Water. The different objectives developed in SDG 14 are treated independently, with an attempt to give a global vision of the issues. The mechanism used to select the book's content was through an Artificial Intelligence program, choosing articles related to the topics by means of keywords. The program selected those articles, and those that were not related to the topic or did not focus on SDG 14 were discarded by a subject matter expert. Obviously, the selection was partial and the entire subject is not covered, but the final product gives a very solid idea of how to orient ourselves to delve deeper into the topic of SDG 14 using published chapters and articles. The AI program itself selected the text of these contributions to show the progress in different topics related to SDG 14. This mode of operation will allow specialists (and non-specialists) to collect useful information for their specific research purposes in a short period of time. At a time when information is essential in order to move quickly by providing concrete answers to complex problems, this type of approach will become essential for researchers, especially for a subject as vast as SDG 14.

This book addresses the operationalization of community resilience in the United Kingdom (UK) in connection with severe floods. Written for early academic professionals, students, and community practitioners, it investigates the educational and practical meaning and application of community resilience using a UK-centric local-level case study. Exploring the perceptions of both those who have been affected by a natural hazard and those who have not, the book reveals how trust, community resources, and neighborhood security can offer effective ways of bringing communities together after a natural hazard.The author introduces the topic of community resilience as it applies to disasters in Chapter 1 and its implications for securing and improving the wellbeing of disaster-affected communities in Chapters 2 and 3. In Chapter 4, the lessons learned contributing to the available information and research on community resilience are reviewed. Finally, the author offers recommendations and outlines future directions in coping with the uncertainty and insecurity caused by natural hazards in Chapter 5.

This volume discusses climate change impacts on groundwater quality in arid and semi-arid regions, and provides human health risk assessments due to pollution of surface and groundwater. The book presents recent trends in monitoring groundwater management and implementing pollution mitigation strategies, including practices involving remote sensing and GIS techniques, entropy water quality index, weighted arithmetic water quality index, fuzzy logic applications, and improved irrigation methods. The book also outlines hydrological processes in arid and semi-arid regions and hydrochemical properties of surface and groundwater as a necessary background for understanding how pollution impacts groundwater quality and resources, and how geographical modeling of hydrological processes can aid in human health risk assessments. The book is intended for academics, administrators, policymakers, social scientists, and professionals involved in the various aspects of climate change impact on groundwater quality, hydrological process, pollution mitigation strategies, sustainable development, and environmental planning and management. 

This book discusses a wide range of health-related mining issues, with particular reference to occupational diseases, metal toxicity, postural injuries in miners, modern fire safety controls, noise-induced hearing loss prevention, and noise mapping. Mining plays a central role in the development of modern civilization. By providing the essential raw materials, mining ensures progress, safety, and comfort of people. However, this necessary activity comes with several woes, the most important of which are occupational health hazards. Mines act as sources of constant danger and risk to the miners irrespective of the scale of mining, such as large-scale industrial mining or small-scale artisanal mining. Not only are there accidents, but continuous exposure to dust, metal toxicity, hazardous gases and fumes, and loud noises, giving rise to a variety of diseases to mine workers. The comprehensive coverage of issues and the case studies will make this book an essential reference and critical reading. Medical geology is a necessary discipline in earth sciences. Unfortunately, not much literature is available on this subject. Therefore, this book is essential for practicing engineers and supervisors in mines, health and safety professionals, researchers, and mining industry students.

This book details how the water quality of the Blesbokspruit River in Gauteng, South Africa was socially constructed by stakeholders and key individuals in the context of acid mine drainage (AMD) and its treatment. Social constructionism is used as the framing for this research to explain how water is intrinsically social. Findings presented here show that stakeholders are aware that the changes in the physicality of the Blesbokspruit resulted from human interventions and varied uses of the water over the years. Such knowledge, among factors such as the historical context of mining, current coal mining, flows and volumes of water, technology used and processes followed, information and communication, and vested interests influence social constructions of the water quality. What counts as the truth about water varies depending on the individual's perspective, their purpose, and their individual interests. Further, how one defines water quality influences what treatment processes are preferred in order to improve water quality.  The book explains why, for example, a treatment process meant to improve water quality gained a bad reputation by the public because of the South African government's silo approach. The book explains how these social constructions are entrenched in power relations between stakeholders regarding AMD treatment and illustrates how power was used to influence decisions to improve the water quality of the Blesbokspruit. The case presented in this book offers insights and recommendations for policymakers working in water governance, including means to influence social constructions of water quality and ways to clarify roles and responsibilities in pursuit of improved cooperative government.

This volume provides a collection of research findings on the distribution and risk associated with emerging contaminants (ECs) in water and wastewater across the globe, and effective remediation techniques and technologies. The book covers various monitoring techniques for ECs in water and wastewater and its related impacts on the ambient environment, and offers valuable information on cost-effective monitoring techniques and sustainable treatment technologies for ECs. The authors detail the risks and biological effects of ECs and legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in freshwater and marine systems, including their adverse interactions with aquatic organisms, while also discussing the associated impacts on human health. The book comprehensively covers current research outcomes on treatment methods, cost-effectiveness, and infrastructure needs for effective removal of ECs. It will be of interest to students, researchers, and scholars in environmental science and engineering, water and wastewater, toxicology, environmental biotechnology, soil sciences, and microbial ecology.

This book covers every aspect of radiation myelopathy and considers the evidence from all species in which it has been studied. The historical and current understanding of the pathogenesis of this rare but devastating injury is first discussed. The evidence regarding the role of a variety of factors in radiation myelopathy is then reviewed. Readers will find detailed information on the impacts of total radiation dose, radiation volume, dose fractionation, hyper fractionation, age, anatomic level, comorbidities, radiation modifiers, other therapies, and retreatment of the spinal cord. Given the similarity of the pathogenesis of radiation myelopathy in humans and experimental animals, the potential for cross-species modelling of dose response is explored, with attention to relevant species differences. Treatment of the condition is also fully considered. New theories are presented regarding retreatment, small volume response, and the final step in white matter necrosis. The final chapter addresses the medicolegal issues elicited by radiation myelopathy, which is often the result of treatment error. Radiation Myelopathy will be of high value for radiation oncologists, radiation physicists, dosimetrists, biologists, neurologists, medical oncologists, and attorneys.

This book brings together innovative research that examines respectively climate change, agricultural production, environmental impacts, food security, nutrition and human health issues with regard to international policies as well as sustainable development goals.  As sustainability continues to be a high concern in the scholarly community, food security has become a critical worldwide topic. Food supplies are challenged by factors such as toxicity, substandard food processes, difficulties in providing food to struggling populations and changes to the environment due to climate change egislation can protect public health, but law-makers must understand the current complications facing food security today. This book features a broad range of topics including ecotoxicology, smart food, and wastewater reuse impacts.The book aims to look at how we can protect and improve the health of vulnerable populations as well as innovative solutions to food insecurity. It is ideally designed for university students, from undergraduate to Ph.D. level, professors, researchers, professionals, environmentalists, physio-pathologists, medical doctors, epidemiologists, policies makers and sociologists.

Coal and Coalbed Gas: Resilient Resource: Fueling the Future, Second Edition provides the latest research and advances, highlighting shifting trends of coal use and remaining resiliency on 'a tale of two worlds,' one half (West Europe, North America) moving away for cleaner energy sources and the other half (Asia-China-Pacific region, East Europe, South America) upping coal demand as an affordable energy source. The book emphasizes coalmine gases (CMM and AMM) as equally important as coal-fired power plants CO2 emissions as sources of potent anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) prioritized for capture, use and storage and underscores R&D of emerging non-fuel uses towards coal-to-carbon-based products.Each chapter in this book is fully updated, with two new chapters covering the global occurrence of coal, the environmental impact of coal and coalbed gas use, and alternative, non-fuel uses of coal.