The aim of this study was to estimate the population burden of respiratory diseases in the Zasavje region of Slovenia that can be attributed to outdoor air pollution in order to gain relevant grounds for evidence based public health activities. In 2008, 981 schoolchildren (age 6 to 12 years) were observed in a prevalence study. The prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) and frequent a...

Detection of traces of toxic chemicals in drinking water supplies, in polar ice caps, groundwater sources and episodes such as those in Minamata Bay, Japan and Love Canal, USA have focussed the attention of the public worldwide on the risks posed by the inappropriate disposal of hazardous waste and accidental release of toxic chemicals into the environment. In India regulations to control and m...

The paper discusses the characteristics of leachate generated from municipal solid waste landfilling sites of Ludhiana City, Punjab (India). Leachate samples were collected and analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters to estimate its pollution potential. This study aims to serve as a reference for the implementation of the most suitable technique for reducing the negative environmental ...

Landmines are indiscriminate weapons of mass terror that detrimentally affect human beings, the ecological system they live in, the regional economy, and political stability. Despite the extensive nature of the impacts, the landmine crisis is almost exclusively advocated on the basis of human rights principles. A comprehensive framework that considers environmental degradation as a principal af...

Following nest destruction, the laying of physiologically committed eggs (eggs that are ovulated, yolked, and making their way through the oviduct) in the nests of other birds is considered a viable pathway for the evolution of obligate interspecific brood parasitism. While intraspecific brood parasitism in response to nest predation has been experimentally demonstrated, this pathway has yet to...

Conventional methods of weed control are weather dependent, costly and labour intensive. Indiscriminate use of chemicals for controlling weeds may pose environmental problems. Sorghum allelopathy is a new technique, which has been tested for controlling weeds of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as a substitute for chemical herbicides to reduce environmental pollution. Mature sorghum herbage contain...

The natural nighttime light environment of the earth has been significantly transformed by human activities. Such “light pollution” has a profound influence on ecosystems. Protected areas (PAs) play key ecological functions and are only effective at low light pollution levels or without any light pollution. In China, with rapid population growth and high urbanization rates, light pollution in P...