ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Environmental Management
W. Corredor-Santamaría; I.C. Calderón-Delgado; Z. Arbeli; J.M. Navas; Y.M. Velasco-Santamaría
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are present in all environmental matrices. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-rich wastewater from the oil industry is discharged into natural water bodies. Detritivorous fish shown the effects of pollutants in water. Biomarkers of effect make ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are present in all environmental matrices. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-rich wastewater from the oil industry is discharged into natural water bodies. Detritivorous fish shown the effects of pollutants in water. Biomarkers of effect make it possible to demonstrate exposure to xenobiotics such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hepatic and erythrocyte response in Aequidens metae, a detritivorous fish, exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in terms of morphological, biochemical, and genotoxic changes.METHODS: Juveniles of Aequidens metae were exposed to 50 microgram per gram body weight of beta-naphthoflavone, 100 microgram per gram of naphthalene, 50 microgram per gram of phenanthrene and 10 microgram per gram of benzo[a]pyrene, for 72 hours. Water quality variables, total protein content, 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity, liver histopathological changes and genotoxic alterations in peripheral blood were measured during the assay.FINDING: In polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-exposed fish, analysis of liver tissue revealed parenchymal lesions and changes in the number and shape of hepatocyte nuclei. On the other hand, only fish exposed to benzo[a]pyrene shown significant increase in the 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity compared to solvent control. In peripheral blood erythrocytes, increased presence of nuclear abnormalities was higher in fish exposed to phenanthrene, followed by benzo[a]pyrene, beta-naphthoflavone, and naphthalene.CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that Aequidens metae is a suitable bioindicator for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons monitoring in aquatic ecosystems. Phenanthrene reveals for the first time a greater genotoxic effect than benzo[a]pyrene at sublethal concentrations. Juveniles of Aequidens metae exposed to concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons close to those found in the environment showed health-compromising damage.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Environmental Management
U. Muksin; E. Riana; A. Rudiyanto; K. Bauer; A.V.H. Simanjuntak; M. Weber
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Soil or rock types in a region are often interpreted qualitatively by visually comparing various geophysical properties such as seismic wave velocity and vulnerability, as well as gravity data. Better insight and less human-dependent interpretation of soil types can be obtained ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Soil or rock types in a region are often interpreted qualitatively by visually comparing various geophysical properties such as seismic wave velocity and vulnerability, as well as gravity data. Better insight and less human-dependent interpretation of soil types can be obtained from a joint analysis of separated and independent geophysical parameters. This paper discusses the application of a neural network approach to derive rock properties and seismic vulnerability from horizontal-to-vertical seismic ratio and seismic wave velocity data recorded in Majalengka-West Java, Indonesia.METHODS: Seismic microtremors were recorded at 54 locations and additionally multichannel analyses of surface wave experiments were performed at 18 locations because the multichannel analyses of surface wave experiment needs more effort and space. From the two methods, the values of the average shear wave velocity for the upper 30 meters, peak amplitudes and the dominant frequency between the measurement points were obtained from the interpolation of those geophysical data. Neural network was then applied to adaptively cluster and map the geophysical parameters. Four learning model clusters were developed from the three input seismic parameters: shear wave velocity, peak amplitude, and dominant frequency.FINDINGS: Generally, the values of the horizontal to vertical spectral ratios in the west of the study area were low (less than 5) compared with those in the southeastern part. The dominant frequency values in the west were mostly low at around 0.1–3 Hertz, associated with thick sedimentary layer. The pattern of the shear wave velocity map correlates with that of the horizontal to vertical spectral ratio map as the amplification is related to the soil or rock rigidity represented by the shear wave velocity. The combination of the geophysical data showed new features which is not found on the geological map such as in the eastern part of the study area.CONCLUSION: The application of the neural network based clustering analysis to the geophysical data revealed four rock types which are difficult to observe visually. The four clusters classified based on the variation of the geophysical parameters show a good correlation to rock types obtained from previous geological surveys. The clustering classified safe and vulnerable regions although detailed investigation is still required for confirmation before further development. This study demonstrates that low-cost geophysical experiments combined with neural network-based clustering can provide additional information which is important for seismic hazard mitigation in densely populated areas.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Environmental Management
A. Mallongi; S. Stang; R.D.P. Astuti; A.U. Rauf; M.F. Natsir
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic exposure to fine particulate matter may cause adverse health impacts on humans. The impact of fine particulate matter collected in the industrial area was explored. Therefore, this study aimed 1) to assess the levels and spatial distribution of fine particulate ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic exposure to fine particulate matter may cause adverse health impacts on humans. The impact of fine particulate matter collected in the industrial area was explored. Therefore, this study aimed 1) to assess the levels and spatial distribution of fine particulate matter and 2) to estimate the health risks due to the exposure of fine particulate matter in the population surrounding the Maros cement industry.METHODS: Fine particulate matter measurement was carried out using direct reading HAZ-Dust Environmental Particulate Air Monitor 5000. This study used the Human Health Risk Assessment method from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to estimate health risks. The Monte Carlo Simulation model was used to estimate the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of parameters.FINDINGS: The average fine particulate matter concentration was 23.68 micrograms per cubic meter, above the air quality guidelines of the World Health Organization. However, the Monte Carlo Simulation to assess the health risk with the 95th percentile demonstrated that children and adults are at low risk for developing adverse health effects. The result of sensitivity analysis showed that duration of exposure (27.0%) and concentration of fine particulate matter (25.7%) were the most contributing factors to health risks in adults and children, respectively. This new approach determines the critical factors with major effects on reducing the health risk of the vulnerable population.CONCLUSION: Fine particulate matter poses health risks to adults and children, despite the calculated risks are still acceptable. Thus, limiting exposure duration and maintaining fine particulate matter levels in the residential area are needed.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Environmental Management
C. Candrianto; H. Aimon; S.U. Sentosa
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Manager involvement is very important in environmental protection. Since then, many managers have integrated environmental sustainability into their business strategies by adopting green practices that focus on green products. The aim of the current study is to examine the ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Manager involvement is very important in environmental protection. Since then, many managers have integrated environmental sustainability into their business strategies by adopting green practices that focus on green products. The aim of the current study is to examine the effect of environmental knowledge on green products and the mediating role of environmental awareness and environmentally friendly attitudesMETHODS: This study used a structured questionnaire for collecting data, where respondents were asked to provide their responses to green products produced by environmentally friendly manufacturing companies. The partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test and analyze the relationships in the proposed model.FINDINGS: The results of the study explained that in order to create a green product, managers' awareness of the environment needs to be formed which can be realized by the presence of a number of knowledge about the environment. Thus, environmental awareness is a mediator between environmental knowledge and green products. However, an environmentally friendly attitude is not a mediator between environmental knowledge and green products.CONCLUSION: Managers' awareness of the environment must be realized by sharing knowledge about the importance of protecting the environment because this will affect the production of green products.
CASE STUDY
Environmental Science
N. Robertson; B. Oinam
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Land suitability analysis is a technique of attaining optimum utilization of natural available land resource. This study is the first attempt to map the potential rice suitability zone besides the existing rice cultivation zone in Imphal-Iril River catchment. The overriding ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Land suitability analysis is a technique of attaining optimum utilization of natural available land resource. This study is the first attempt to map the potential rice suitability zone besides the existing rice cultivation zone in Imphal-Iril River catchment. The overriding objective of this study is to identify the land suitability potential zones for rice crop cultivation. The study was carried-out in Imphal-Iril River catchment, Manipur, India.METHODS: The suitability analysis was carried-out based on soil, climate and topographic parameters as the input variable using integrated geographical information system and analytic hierarchy process, a multi criteria decision based approach. To compute criteria weight for various suitability classes, pairwise comparison matrix was applied using analytical hierarchy process and the resulting weights were used for assigning criteria ranking.FINDINGS: The study result indicates that the major section of high and moderate potential suitability zones of rice is concentrated in the flatter valley regions of the catchment. The result also indicates that there is 79.15 km2 of the area which can be potentially cultivated other than the existing agriculture cover. The major patches of such zones are found in the north-western portion of the valley region in the catchment.CONCLUSION: This study clearly indicates, the potential zones lying in the foothills in the north-western which are still not under the agriculture cover have the potential to be cultivated as per the model result. The model result clearly indicates the potential of geographical information system integrated with analytical hierarchy process technique can be utilized to decide the weights of each individual parameter using experts’ opinions which can serve as a versatile tool to carry-out such kind of analysis which can aid policy makers.
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