Volume 16 - 2014

human health and the environment. The study aimed to explore the effects of exposure to pesticides on the liver functions and acetycholinesterase levels in serum (AChES) and red blood cells (AChER) of 100 male participating in agricultural work ranging in age between 20 and 60 year with mean age 37.11±9.3. One hundred males matched for age and socio economic status were recruited as a control group to compare levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilriubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein, AChES and AChER. The results indicate that AST, ALT and ALP were significantly (P<0.05) increased in pesticide-exposed workers compared with control. There was also a highly significantly (P<0.01) decrease in AChER among male agriculture workers compared with controls. At 10 - 50 times of pesticides applications there was a significantly (P<0.05) decrease in AChER and increase in AST, ALT and ALP activity among exposed group. However, there was a negative correlation between AST, ALT, direct bilirubin, and AChES and age among control group and a positive correlation between ALT and AST and age among exposed group. According to the number of pesticide application, there was a positive correlation between AST, ALP, total and direct bilirubin and number of pesticide application. Agricultural villages in Egypt require more attention to decrease the percentage of literacy among the farmers and raise their health awareness. 

Amoxicillin degradation with and without high frequency ultrasound waves of 2.4 MHz has been investigated. The concentration of amoxicillin was selected to be similar to that of outlet wastewater effluent concentration in pharmaceutical industry namely 50 and 100 ppm. The application of ultrasound waves together with the addition of hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂ increased the rate of degradation of antibiotic amoxicillin. The doses of H₂O₂ used were 5, 2, 1, and 0.1 ml in a solution of 50 ml of amoxicillin. The study showed that ultrasound waves and H₂O₂ had improved amoxicillin degradation. The ultrasound has improved the degradation rate more than two times in comparison to amoxicillin solution without ultrasound waves. This degradation rate has been achieved within 90 minutes. 

This work employs the environmental methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in compliance with ISO 14040 and uses software SimaPro® 7.3.2 to compare the environmental impact in process production of flat plate and evacuated tube solar collectors. In addition, an economic analysis was performed based on the acquisition budgets and the operation of such types of collectors. The results show that the manufacturing of flat plate solar collectors has larger environmental impact, and carcinogen is the major category which causes environmental impact in both types of collector as a result of the consumption and emission of arsenic and cadmium ions. Economically, the cost of acquisition of evacuated tube solar collectors is 104.04%. Therefore, the choice for a specific kind of collector depends on the desired advantages, and a complement is required for decision-making based on the availability of economic resources.

In this work, we performed a detailed full cost accounting for 7 types of existing and planned municipal solid waste management facilities (sanitary landfills, anaerobic digestion, biodrying, incineration, aerobic mechanical and biological, material recovery and waste transfer stations) in Greece. We used investment costs (IC), operating costs (OC) and future (restoration) costs (FC) to calculate the actual total unit cost (€/t) of the above types of facilities in 2012 prices. Mathematical cost functions were developed to describe the total cost (€/t) as a function of the MSW input rate (t/y). Actual data from several operating facilities in Greece were used, as well as estimated costs from facilities that are planned or are under construction in Greece. Results showed that the sanitary landfills follow the economy of scale with an average total unit cost of €45/t. The unit cost of the planned anaerobic digestion facilities ranged from €50 to €104/t. The biodrying facilities’ unit cost ranged from €48 to €138/t, whilst the sole MSW incineration facility was found to have a unit cost of €115/t. Aerobic MBT facilities did not follow the economy of scale. The average total unit cost from 23 MRFs was €32/t. The depreciated investment cost of 18 waste transfer stations (WTS) ranged from €0.5/t to €28/t.