Groundwater arsenic poisoning in a primary educational institution:health risks to school-going children

This study aimed to estimate arsenic(As)and iron(Fe)content in tubewell water(n=58)in primary educational institutions and subsequently assess the health risks to school-going children.Results described that the As concentration ranged between 0.002 and 0.994 mg L^(-1)with an average value of 0.044 mg L^(-1);which exceeded the World Health Organization(WHO)provisional guideline value of 0.01 mg L^(-1).Similarly,the Fe content varied from 0.05 to 10 mg L^(-1)averaging to 2.84 mg L^(-1).Samples of 55.17%contained a greater As concentration than0.01 mg L^(-1)and 18.97%greater than Bangladesh drinking water quality(BDWQ)standard of 0.05 mg L^(-1),respectively.Meanwhile,75.86%of samples contained a higher Fe concentration than the maximum Bangladesh permissible limit of 1 mg L^(-1).Health risk assessment indicated that girls are more vulnerable than boys are.The average hazard quotients(HQs)for As intake through drinking water were 6.01±17.85 and 7.41±22.03 for boys and girls,respectively,implying non-carcinogenic health risks to both genders.The HQs for Fe intake were less than threshold value of 1 indicating no health issues may arise from Fe intake alone.However,consumption of As and Fe may trigger health risks to students as indicated by the hazard index(HI),which was higher than 1.The average cancer risk(CR)values for both boys(0.0027±0.008)and girls(0.0033±0.0099)exceeded the threshold limit of 10-6-10-4,suggesting a possibility of lifetime cancer risks to the school-going children.Consequently,school authorities should find alternative ways to ensure safe drinking water for school-going children to avoid possible cancer and non-cancer health risks through consumption of As-poisoning water.

Air Quality Status of Respirable Particulate Levels at Selected Traffic Junctions along the Section of Lateral Highway in Hyderabad

The aerodynamic diameter of an air borne particle is the key property in determining its respiratory deposition. The study aim to assess PM2.5 level and its size distribution at 5 traffic junctions located along the lateral highway connected to NH-202. A cascade impactor has been used to measure the size function range of PM2.5 apart from PM10 of atmospheric dust particles in air being PM2.5 is concern with respect to effect on human health and is able to tend deeply into the respiratory tract reaching the lungs. It is observed that weight % of PM2.5 values are in the range of 40% - 60% of PM10 and few values of PM2.5 are exceeding the standards prescribed by CPCB. It is concluded that free flow of traffic is main concern and maintenance of road should be carried out during low traffic hours.

Chromium adsorption on surface activated biochar made from tannery liming sludge:A waste-to-wealth approach

In a beamhouse,liming plays a key role in the removal of hair/wool and epidermis,but problems are created when waste liming sludge is discharged to the environment.The treatment of tannery wastewater is another major challenge to the industry.In this study,thermally-activated biochars derived from liming sludge were studied for their effective adsorption of chromium(Cr)from the tannery wastewater.The thermally activated biochars(B500,B550,B600,and B650)were prepared at different temperatures from the liming sludge.Their characteristics before and after the treatment were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,Bru-nauer-Emmett-Teller,and scanning electron microscopy analyses.The related functional groups(C-H,O-H,C-N,and=C-O)and chromium adsorption capacity were determined according to the surface morphology,element contents(C,O,Ca,Na,Al,Mg,and Si),surface area(5.8-9.2 m^(2)/g),pore size(5.22-5.53 nm),and particle size(652-1034 nm)of the experimental biochars.The biochar originated at 600°C from the tannery liming sludge(B600)had a greater surface area with a chromium adsorption capacity of 99.8%in comparison to B500,B550,and B650 biochars.This study developed an innovative way of utilizing liming sludge waste to minimize the pollution load and wastewater treatment cost in the tannery industry.

Detection and Mapping of Water Quality Variation in the Godavari River Using Water Quality Index, Clustering and GIS Techniques

The objective of this research is to develop a tool for planning and managing the water quality of River Godavari. This is achieved by classifying the pollution levels of Godavari River into several categories using water quality index and a clustering approach that ensure simple but accurate information about the pollution levels and water characteristics at any point in Godavari River in Maharashtra. The derived water quality indices and clusters were then visualized by using a Geographical Information System to draw thematic maps of Godavari River, thus making GIS as a decision support system. The obtained maps may assist the decision makers in managing and controlling pollution in the Godavari River. This also provides an effective overview of those spots in the Godavari River where intensified monitoring activities are required. Consequently, the obtained results make a major contribution to the assessment of the State’s water quality monitoring network. Three significant groups (less polluted, moderately and highly polluted sites) were detected by Cluster Analysis method. The results of Discriminant Analysis revealed that five parameters?i.e.?pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Faecal Coliform (FC), Total Coliform (TC) and Ammonical Nitrogen (NH3-N) were necessary for analysis in spatial variation. Using discriminant function developed in the analysis, 100% of the original sites were correctly classified.

Pytoremediation of fluoroquinolone group of antibiotics from waste water

The study involved selection of wetland plant species hyper efficient in removing fluoroquinolone group of antibiotics so that they can be used in a constructed wetland system patented by NEERI, India (European Patent Office (EPO) Pub. No.: WO2004087584) or any other constructed wetland. Phyto removal of these antibiotics at such high concentrations without any toxic effect on the plant species is very useful as incomplete removal of certain antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin, and Ofloxacin from waste waters is of concern due to their health effects if they do persist in finished waters even at ng/l levels. Five different wetland plant species which were also tested for their efficiency to treat municipal wastewater were used to test their efficiency to scavenge commonly used fluoroquinolone antibiotics (which are not degraded easily) namely Ciprofloxacin, Gemifloxacin mesylate, Ofloxacin and Gatifloxacin from aqueous medium (Hoagland-Arnon solution). EC double beam UV-VIS spectrophotometer was used to obtain lambda max of Ciprofloxacin, Gemifloxacin mesylate, Ofloxacin and Gatifloxacin in Hoagland-Arnon solution. The most efficient plant species for each antibiotic were selected and tested again for confirmation of antibiotic removal efficiency at a high concentration of 50 mg/l of each antibiotic. Taxodium distichum was found to be the most suitable for the removal of Ofloxacin, Gatifloxacin and Ciprofloxacin showing maximum removal of 32 mg/l (on 6th day), 21 mg/l (on 8th day), 32 mg/l (on 9th day), respectively and Canna indica was found to be the most suitable for removal of Gemifloxacin mesylate showing maximum removal of 38 mg/l (on 8th day).