An Integrated Approach for the Environmental Characterization of a Wide Potentially Contaminated Area in Southern Italy

Abstract

This paper deals with the environmental characterization of a large and densely populated area, with a poor reputation for contamination, considering the contribution of environmental features (air, soil, soil hydraulic and groundwater) and the potential effects on human health. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) has made possible a georeferenced inventory and, by overlaying environmental information, an operational synthesis of comprehensive environmental conditions. The cumulative effects on environmental features were evaluated, taking into account superposition effects, by means of the Spatial MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (S-MCDA). The application of the S-MCDA for converging the combination of heterogeneous factors, related to soil, land and water, deeply studied by heterogeneous groups of experts, constitutes the novelty of the paper. The results confirmed an overall higher potential of exposure to contaminants in the environment and higher mortality rates in the study area for some tumours, but hospital admissions for tumours were generally similar to the regional trend. Besides, mortality data may be strictly dependent on the poor socioeconomic conditions, quality of therapy and a lack of welfare in the area relative to the rest of Italy. Finally, as regards the possible relationship between presence of contaminants in the environment and health conditions of the population no definite conclusions can be drawn, although the present study encourages the use of the new proposed methods, that increase the possibilities for studying the combined effect of more environmental factors.

Comparison of Surgical Smoke Generated During Electrosurgery with Aerosolized Particulates from Ultrasonic and High-Speed Cutting

“… 64 Two US states (Rhode Island, Colorado) have already implemented legislation requiring hospitals to adopt policies to capture and neutralize surgical smoke at the site of origin using “smoke evacuation systems” such as smoke evacuators, laser plume evacuators or LEVs, however there is no universal approach for removal of surgical smoke from the operating environment. 46 , 53 , 59 The NIOSH advise LEV in conjunction with room ventilation such as UDF for surgical smoke removal ( https://www.cdc.gov/niosh ). A study investigating commercially available portable surgical smoke LEV systems found that the highest smoke reduction (99 ± 1%) was observed with maximum suction and a UDF rate of 10,500 m 3 h −1 and with minimum suction and a UDF rate of 7500 m 3 h −1 smoke reduction dropped to 62 ± 12%.…”

Comparative assessment of autochthonous bacterial and fungal communities and microbial biomarkers of polluted agricultural soils of the Terra dei Fuochi

“…They were used as pilot fields in the LIFE-Ecoremed project aimed to validate eco-compatible techniques for soil remediation 64 . The two study sites (Giugliano, G: 40.960499 N, 14.118677 E and Trentola Ducenta, TD: 40.966496 N, 14.147811 E) were located 3 km apart in a potentially contaminated plain of Campania region 19 and therefore characterized by Mediterranean climatic conditions (rainy/temperate autumn-winter and arid/ warm spring-summer).…”

“…In this context, the aim of this study was to determine and describe the native microbiota and the impact of anthropogenic pollution (mainly by heavy hydrocarbons but in some cases also by copper and zinc) on the diversity and richness of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities occurring in soils of two rural sites of Campania (southern Italy) subject to illicit waste disposal and dumping or suspected to be polluted by metals due to agricultural practices. Both these sites are located in an area formerly classified as National Interest Priority Sites (NIPS) 19 and are actually identified by the Italian State as Regional Interest Priority Sites (RIPS) 20 .…”

Identification of Priority Areas for Soil and Water Conservation Planning Based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Using Choquet Integral

“…In recent years, MCDA has been introduced as a new qualitative approach for the evaluation of the soil erosion risk [7,15,33], and has been applied in various environmental fields due to its flexibility and ability for accommodating a variety of data types (quantitative and qualitative). The applications of this method include regional risk assessment [34,35], land management [36], policy making [37], and identification of forest landscape restoration priorities [38]. Previous studies have also suggested that the MCDA method could be adapted to assess soil erosion risk [5,7,15,16].…”