Building materials naturally contain radionuclides, potentially leading to internal and external radiation exposure in human dwellings. This study collected and analyzed data on natural radionuclides such as Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 in concrete samples from 16 countries worldwide. Internal and external doses for these concrete samples were estimated using the RESRAD-BUILD computer code. The RESRAD-BUILD model facilitates the evaluation of radiation exposure over a 70-year period, providing insights into the long-term health effects. The calculated long-term effective doses showed variations in external and internal doses over the years and among countries. The variations among countries underscore the importance of considering each country's geographical location and geological characteristics when establishing norms and guidelines related to emitted radiation limits from building materials.

These findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring of commonly used building materials, especially as radiation exposure is likely to increase in the near future due to the growing use of recycled materials and materials formerly considered waste in the building industry. Environmental quality, both indoor and outdoor, is crucial for human well-being and can serve as an indicator of human development, particularly since the majority of the population spends almost 80% of their time indoors. Therefore, measuring and controlling natural radiation in buildings is of great interest for ensuring human safety.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a widely used brominated flame retardant, is prevalent in various environmental matrices due to its extensive use and release from plastic products. TBBPA exposure is linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, and potential carcinogenicity. Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, have become common persistent pollutants in marine, inland, and freshwater environments, including remote regions like the polar areas. Ionic strength and dissolved organic matter (DOM) can influence the sorption behavior of MPs, which due to their small size and large areas can significantly facilitate the transfer and accumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) and heavy metals (HMs). Humic acid (HA), a mainly negatively charged natural organic matter, can interact with MPs, creating new sorption sites and potentially altering contaminant dynamics.

This study investigates the toxicity of TBBPA on the seawater microalgae Tisochrysis lutea. Additionally, the study evaluates the toxicity of TBBPA after adsorption onto LDPE MPs, both in the presence and absence of humic acid (HA) in four water matrices (seawater, lake water, wastewater and ultra-pure water), on Tisochrysis lutea.

The results showed significant inhibition of microalgae growth due to TBBPA exposure. The toxicity decreased in the presence of LDPE microplastics due to the potential adsorption of TBBPA onto the LDPE. In contrast, the presence of humic acid increased the toxicity of TBBPA, possibly by altering its sorption behavior on LDPE, making it more bioavailable. The findings aim to elucidate the complex interactions between MPs, TBBPA, and environmental factors, contributing to a better understanding of the ecological impact of these co-existing contaminants.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals with high persistence, that are utilized in numerous consumer and industrial applications. The most well-known substances of this group are perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). They are used in various products such as non-stick cookware, textiles, paint, firefighting foams, surfactants, food packaging, and personal care items. Due to their extensive usage, they are frequently detected in water sources globally, with PFOS’s reported concentrations reaching 187 and PFOA’s 1371 ng L^-1. PFOS and PFOA have also been reported in all levels of aquatic life. Indicatively, PFOS has been found in Crassostrea virginica in concentrations up to 1225 ng g^-1 (dw) and PFOA in Sebastes mentella at 5.3 ng g^-1 (dw). As PFASs are widely detected in the environment, they may induce toxic effects on a variety of aquatic organisms, and thus their investigation is crucial.

The present study aimed at investigating the potential toxic effects of PFOS and PFOA (individually), as well as those of their their mixture, on a saltwater microalga and a bacterium. The tested organisms were exposed to different concentrations of the studied compounds, and the growth inhibition percentages, alongside the IC₅₀ values, were calculated. The microalga and the bacterium presented different sensitivities to the target compounds. The mixture of PFOS and PFOA presented more adverse effects in comparison to the individual compounds in the bacterium. Dissimilarly, the highest effect on the microalga was observed when the organism was exposed to PFOA.

Rising maritime traffic and activities have caused oil pollution of the marine environment to increase considerably in recent decades, with illegal dumping of bilge water from ships being one of the main sources of this type of pollution. Numerous studies have established that the main hydrocarbons found in seawater are n-alkanes from diesel and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This source of pollution could be reduced through the installation, on the vessels themselves, of systems that allow the degradation of hydrocarbons. Advanced oxidation processes are of great importance as techniques for the degradation of organic pollutants, among which ozonation stands out. In this context, the aim of this work was to establish the effectiveness of ozonation to oxidise n-alkanes contained in diesel and PAHs declared by the EPA as priority pollutants in seawater. For this purpose, artificial seawater was prepared and contaminated with one of the two types of hydrocarbons of interest and the samples were then subjected to an ozonation process. After ozonation, the samples were extracted by SPME and then analysed by GC-MS. The results show that, under the conditions of this study, ozone was able to degrade 94.6% of the total PAHs in only 60 minutes, however, longer ozone exposure times (720 minutes) were needed to degrade 87.3% of the total n-alkanes present in the medium. It is noteworthy that, for both, PAHs and diesel, only 100% oxidation of the lower molecular weight compounds was achieved, therefore for the heavier compounds more aggressive oxidation conditions should be applied.

It is reported in the literature that the most common pollutants in landfill leachate, apart from ammonium nitrogen, chlorides and sulfates, include heavy metals. Municipal waste landfills are considered a potential source of heavy metal contamination of groundwater, soil and plants. In high concentrations, they may pose a threat to human health and cause toxic effects in plants. Therefore, the aim of the study was to verify the content of heavy metals in leachate from four municipal waste landfills in Poland. The bioconcentration factor of heavy metals (BCF) from landfill leachate by emerged macrophytes (Phragmites australis) and submerged macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum) was assessed. Heavy metal translocation factor (TF) following exposure to landfill leachate were also analyzed. The obtained results showed that the content of selected heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, Cr and Cd) in leachate remained at a low level (i.e. < 1 mg/l), which shows that heavy metals are not currently a serious problem in landfill leachate in Poland. The BCF values ​​were >1 only in a few cases (e.g. for Cr, where the BCF ranged from 1.02 to 4.62). For most variants, slightly higher metal contents were recorded in the roots than in the shoots. The TF of heavy metals in P.australis in almost all cases it was <1.0 except for Cd, where values ​​up to 784 were achieved in the control variant.

Hydrogen production, a promising avenue for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is advancing through renewable energy sources. This study focuses on the techno-economic analysis of hydrogen generation using solar energy in western Algeria, a significant step toward sustainable energy solutions. The research optimised the arrangement between photovoltaic panels and electrolysers, aiming for the most cost-effective low-energy capacity system.

A multi-objective function based on artificial intelligence was employed to ensure comprehensive analysis, seeking to maximise green hydrogen production at the lowest cost. The study considered technical aspects such as the performance of PV panels under real climatic conditions, converter and electrolyser modelling, total system expenditure evaluation, and hydrogen production costs. Simulations were conducted across several provinces in western Algeria, known for their high solar potential.

Results indicate the southern provinces have significant potential for hydrogen production at a cost of 3.022-3.106 $/kg. In contrast, the central western region shows a slightly higher cost range of 3.1973-3.2217 $/kg, while the northwestern part has the highest range of 3.2787-3.3452 $/kg. These findings highlight the economic viability of hydrogen production in the southern regions. However, further investigation into transportation logistics is necessary due to the remoteness of these areas.

This study underscores the feasibility and economic potential of solar-powered hydrogen production in Algeria, contributing to the global efforts in renewable energy and sustainability.

Climate conditions in combination with the concentration of pollutants increase human health stress and exacerbate systemic diseases. The city of Rhodes is a desirable tourist destination that is located in a sensitive climate region of the southeastern Aegean Sea in the Mediterranean. In this work, hourly recordings from a mobile air quality monitoring system which is located in an urban area of Rhodes city were employed in order to measure the concentration of regulated pollutants (SO2, NO2, O3, PM10 and PM2.5) and meteorological factors (pressure, temperature and relative humidity). The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and Discomfort Index (DI) were calculated to study the impact of air quality and meteorological conditions on human health. The analysis was conducted during a hot summer period, from 29 June to 14 July 2024. During the second half of the studied period, a heatwave episode occurred, affecting the bioclimatic conditions over the city. The results show that despite the fact that the concentration of pollutants was lower than the pollutant thresholds (according to Directive 2008/50/EC), the AQHI and DI conditions degraded significantly over the heatwave days. In particular, the AQHI suggested a reduction in outdoor activities and the DI indicated that most of the population suffered discomfort. The AQHI and DI simultaneously increased during the days of the heatwave episode, showing a possible negative synergy for the health risk. Finally, both the day maximum and night minimum temperatures were increased (about 0.8 and 0.6 °C, respectively) during the heatwave days as compared to the whole studied period.

Under the threat of climate crisis, renewables are an alternative that are aligned to European principles for the clean energy and green transition strategy. The revised Renewable Energy Directive of European Union set as a target for renewables a minimum of 42.5% till 2030. Past studies have shown that Eastern Mediterranean presents notable short and long term wind speed variability due to climate change. In this context, this work investigates the mean changes in Wind Energy Potential (WEP) in a typical height of offshore turbines (80m) over the climatic sensitive area of Aegean Sea during early (from 2010 to 2039), middle (from 2040 to 2069) and late (from 2070 to 2099) periods of 21st century with reference to a basis period (the historical period from 1970 to 2005). Data, available from EURO-CORDEX project under the moderate and extreme future scenarios (rcp4.5 and rcp8.5) as well as the recent past (historical) period (from 1970 to 2005), are analyzed here. In both future scenarios, the majority of model simulations indicates increase of the WEP over the Aegean area as compared to the basis (historical) period. In particular, the maximum increase of WEP is presented in extreme (rcp8.5) as compared to moderate (rcp4.5) scenario. The most significant changes are shown over the southeastern (the straights between Crete and Rhodes Island) and central-eastern Aegean area.

Background: Although thallium (Tl) is scarce in soils, it is highly toxic and can accumulate in plants. Previously, we have observed an increment of 100% in its content in urban topsoils monitored across Alcalá de Henares (Spain) in a year in 2001. A further monitoring study was carried out in July 2017 to identify potential risks for inhabitants.

Methods: Tl was quantified in 66 urban, 24 industrial and 4 public garden topsoil samples collected in 2017 by ICP-MS. Data was compared with 97 topsoils collected in the same locations in the urban area in 2001.

Results: The presence of Tl, which was detected in all the 2017-topsoil samples (LoD=0.022 mg/kg), showed a 38.3% significant increment in the urban area when compared with the previous sampling (0.166 vs. 0.12 mg/kg), suggesting some accumulation in these topsoils. The increment of Tl detected may be attributed to its inorganic nature and the growth of the city, which may increase its anthropogenic inputs in manufacturing processes and use of cement. A significantly higher contamination in industrial (0.249) and garden (0.246) topsoils was detected versus urban soils (p-value<0.001), which would be logical due to its uses in the manufacture of electronics, detectors, optical lenses, smelting. Thus, the content of Tl was significantly higher in the suburban area that supports more industries when compared with the other subareas (0.214 vs. 0.184, 0.150, 0.127; all in mg/kg). These levels were lower than, or similar to, the background concentration level suggested in soils from south-east Spain (0.2 mg/kg), and much lower than those detected in two mine-affected catchments in the north-west Madrid Region (0.87-2.65 mg/kg), suggesting a minor contamination by Tl in Alcalá’s topsoils.

Conclusions: The levels of Tl recently monitored in Alcalá’s topsoils would not represent a significant risk for the population derived from the ingestion/inhalation of Tl present in the urban soils.

When there is an absence of or no implementation of measures targeting disaster prevention, natural hazards can be promptly converted into disasters. An essential part of disaster risk management is the geospatial modelling of devastating hazards, where the polygon shapefiles containing the extent, time period and cause of various disastrous events are significant input datasets in the context of early-warning systems. However, equally important are Earth observation satellite data for constructing remote sensing indices, a high-resolution digital elevation model, updated land cover data, socio-economic data like demographics and spatially referenced data, such as wind characteristics, temperature and precipitation. This research work points out the usefulness of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) in disaster risk reduction through a literature review, focusing on the necessity of data unification and disposal. Initially, the principles and implementations of SDIs are presented, and subsequently, their benefits for achieving the specific targets and priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 are elaborated. Thereafter, the challenges in SDIs are investigated in order to underline the main drawbacks the stakeholders in emergency management have to come up against, namely a lack of semantic alignment, which induces a time-consuming data search, and malfunctions in the interoperability of the datasets and web services, the non-availability of the data in spite of their existence and a dearth of quality data. Thus, diachronic observations on disasters will not be found, despite these comprising a meaningful dataset in disaster mitigation. Consequently, recommendations for an efficient SDI that is geared towards natural hazards are proposed to the involved participants for the purpose of disaster preparedness. SDIs constitute an ongoing collaborative effort intending to offer valuable operational tools in decision-making under the threat of a devastating event. Notwithstanding the functionality of SDIs, data collection is an intricate task.