Gaseous pollutants from brick kiln industry decreased the growth, photosynthesis, and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Assessment of metals and metalloids agglutinated to airborne suspended particulate matter in selected plant species during the pre-and post-monsoon in the urban area

The elemental accumulation has emerged as a major environmental concern due to various anthropogenic sources such as vehicles, road dust, and industrial activities, contributing to the agglutination of elements to airborne Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). SPM-bound elements accumulate on plant surfaces impact air quality and human health due to their noxiousness. Therefore, plants' ability to capture and mitigate air pollutants plays a crucial role in urban areas. This study aimed to investigate the levels and distribution of twenty-six elements, comprised of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu Zn, Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, Ag, Mo, V, Ga, and Bi), light metals (B, As, Te, and Se), and metalloids (Al, Li, Sr, K, Mg, Na, Ca, and Ba) accumulated on the surface and inside the leaves of dominant plant species during the pre-and post-monsoon at six categorized (commercial, traffic-prone, residential, educational, greenbelt and industrial areas) locations in Delhi, India. In addition, the Metal Accumulation Index (MAI) was determined, and the statistical analysis was conducted using two-way ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). In the pre-and post-monsoon, two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) in metal concentrations. During the pre-monsoon plants exhibited the highest metal accumulation (∼21%) at the Anand Vihar (commercial) in Delhi, with the maximum average concentrations of Cr (118.25 mg/kg), Cu (204.38 mg/kg), Zn (293.27 mg/kg), and Fe (2721.17 mg/kg). Ficus benghalensis L exhibited the maximum 213.73 MAI at the Anand Vihar in the pre-monsoon. Ni and Cr indicated the highest correlation (P < 0.05, r = 0.82) in the PCA test. HCA test revealed similarity (∼87.7%) at ITO (traffic-prone) and Okhla Phase-2 (industrial) in F. religiosa regarding metal concentration patterns. Findings highlighted seasonal elemental pollutants uptake dynamics of plant species and explored species-specific metal accumulation, revealing potential implications of metal-tolerant plants for urban greenbelt.

The impact of brick kilns on environment and society: a bibliometric and thematic review

Bricks have a long history of being utilized as a construction material across the globe. The production processes involved in the manufacture of bricks have a significant impact on the environment, human health, economy, and society. This study conducts a thematic and bibliometric analysis to provide an in-depth review of the effects of brick kilns on humans and the environment. The PRISMA framework was used to identify relevant articles from the Web of Science database, resulting in the selection and critical review of 348 articles. The bibliometric analysis included an evaluation of historical growth, keywords, citation and co-citation, organizations, and countries. The articles were published in 213 journals, written by 1396 authors from 670 institutions in 66 countries. Thematic analysis revealed that brick kilns have a negative impact on the environment, including soil damage, and cause health problems for kiln workers and animals. Modern slavery and societal issues also persist in developing countries. The current research is focused on finding alternative materials for brick manufacturing, improving industry energy efficiency, managing waste, and technological advancements, such as the implementation of the zigzag or Hoffmann kiln to reduce pollution. In developing countries, utilizing waste from other industries in brick production can effectively lower production costs. While developed countries have embraced advanced technologies for brick production, it is recommended that developing countries adopt awareness campaigns to encourage the upgrading of kilns to cleaner and more sustainable systems. Future research directions should aim to support brick kiln owners in adopting such systems.

Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan

Brick kilns add enormous quantities of organic pollutants to the air that can cause serious health issues, especially in developing countries; poor air quality is associated with community health problems, yet receives no attention in Northern Pakistan. The present study, therefore, assessed the chemical composition and investigated the impacts of air pollution from brick kilns on public health. A field-based investigation of air pollutants, i.e., PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, CO2, CO, NO, NO2, H2S, and NH3 using mobile scientific instruments was conducted in selected study area locations. Social surveys were conducted to investigate the impacts of air pollution on community health. The results reveal the highest concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, i.e., 3377, 2305, and 3567.67 µg/m3, respectively, in specific locations. Particulate matter concentrations in sampling points exceeded the permissible limits of the Pakistan National Environmental Quality Standard and, therefore, may risk the local population’s health. The highest mean value of CO2 was 529 mg/L, and other parameters, such as CO, NO, NO2, H2S, and NH3 were within the normal range. The social survey’s findings reveal that particulate matter was directly associated with respiratory diseases such as asthma, which was reported in all age groups selected for sampling. The study concluded by implementing air pollution reduction measures in brick kiln industries to protect the environment and community health. In addition, the region’s environmental protection agency needs to play an active role in proper checking and integrated management to improve air quality and protect the community from air hazards.

Spatio-temporal variation of fluoride in groundwater and agricultural soil and crops of Unnao district, UP: Monitoring and assessment

Fluoride (F^-) contamination in groundwater of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh was reported for the first time in 1994, however comprehensive monitoring of F^- in different environmental matrices remains to be undertaken. The presented study reports spatio-temporal monitoring of F^- content in groundwater, crops and soil from F^- affected district Unnao, in pre-monsoon (PRM), monsoon (MO) and post-monsoon (PMO), to establish F^- groundwater-soil-plant continuum. More than 80% of groundwater samples were contaminated with F^-> 1.0 mg L^-1 with highest level (mg L^-1), at Patiyara (3.6 ± 0.64), during PRM > Pathakpur (2.73 ± 0.57) during PMO > Sarukheda (2.40 ± 0.43) during PRM. High Cr in groundwater was observed in Jajmau (7.08 ± 1.42). The level of F^- (mg Kg^-1) in agricultural soils followed 3.4 ± 0.71 at Patiyara (MO) > 2.9 ± 0.14 at Badlikheda (PRM) 1.89 ± 0.28 at Jagatkhera (PRM). Among the different edible parts of crops in selected sites, highest F^- content (mg Kg^-1), F^- level in grains of Oryza sativa ranged between 0.23 ± 0.02 to 2.01 ± 0.24. Whereas in the edible fruit of Trichosanthes diocia contained 1.47 ± 0.32 and Momordica charantia 1.47 ± 0.02. Leaf of spinach (1.03 ± 0.22) and seed of Brassica juncea (0.73 ± 0.08). Overall, comparing across all the three seasons, level of F^- was highest in all the plants during MO, as compared to PRM and PMO. The regression analysis of physiochemical properties of groundwater show negative relationship between Na⁺ and F^- whereas soil alkalinity exhibited strong influence in soil F^-. The high F^- content in soil and groundwater at Patiyara and Shekhpur also coincided with presence of several brick kilns, possibly contributing to the high F^-.

Impact of vehicular emissions on anatomical and morphological characteristics of vascular plants: A comparative study

Abbottabad is a famous tourist destination due to its greenery and location. However, rapid increase in population and unplanned urbanization cause various environmental problems. Among different environmental stress, vehicular emission is the major issue for the survival and sustainability of plant species. This study aimed to investigate the effects of atmospheric pollution (caused by vehicular emission) on the anatomical, biochemical and morphological aspects of plant species present alongside the roads of Abbottabad, Pakistan. The plants were also collected from control sites (away from road-sites) for comparison. The results showed that various morphological characteristics of plant species including petiole length, vein-to-vein difference between leaves and length to breadth ratio of leaves were adversely affected by air pollution. The stomatal index varies in plant species because of variations in the numbers of epidermal cells. The air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of plant leaves from contaminated areas was reported to be higher as compared to control (non-contaminated) areas. Consequently, the findings from this study confirmed that plant species growing alongside of Abbottabad roads has greater tolerance than plant species growing in solitude areas away from road sites (control sites). Among different studied plants, Juglans regia, Morus nigra, Xanthium strumarium, Prunus armenica, Diospterus lotus and Populus ciliata have highest APTI and found to be more suitable for plantation in Abbottabad.

The legacy effects of PM2.5 depositon on Nerium Oleander L

Green plants have the capability to retain atmospheric particulate matter (PM) on their leaves, which can effectively reduce PM pollution, especially in the urban settings. Some studies reported that the periodic PM pollution could change plant retaining PM capacity, which, indeed, was the reason of physiological responses. In advancing the previous studies, we selected Nerium oleander L. to measure PM retention on leaf surface in a controlled environment by the following periods: initial pollution period (S1), recovery period (R), and secondary pollution period (S2) for a total of 12 weeks. The experimental design was one elevated pollution treatment (166 μg m^-3) and one ambient control (28 μg m^-3) with three replications. Results showed that during S2, the total retention decreased by 8.87 μg cm^-2, which was about 10.4% significant lower than in S1. During the third week, the ascorbic acid content (ASA) in S1 was 6.71 mg g^-1 significantly lower than that in S2 in the treatment. The total chlorophyll (Chl T) of the treatment decreased continuously and significantly by 33.8% in S1, but showed no similar trend in S2. The net photosynthetic rate of the treatment was significantly lower than that of the control, and the plants in the treatment showed a consistently high dark respiration rate than that in the control. The correlations between PM retention and ASA, Chl T and RWC were weaker in S1 than that in S2. In addition, air pollution tolerance index (APTI) showed a significant decline in plant pollution tolerance in the treatment during the third week.

Study of occupational exposure to brick kiln emissions on heavy metal burden, biochemical profile, cortisol level and reproductive health risks among female workers at Rawat, Pakistan

The present study was planned to understand the heavy metal burden and its possible actions in blood of occupational females working at brick kilns at Rawat, Pakistan. A total of 232 women were included in the study, of which 114 presented control subjects. Apart from collection of demographic data, fertility indicators and body mass index (BMI), blood was collected from subjects that was later used for the determination of heavy metal concentrations using atomic absorption spectroscopy and haematological profile. Blood was centrifuged and plasma was obtained and stored at - 20° to study biochemical variables (sodium dismutase, peroxidase, reactive oxygen species, thiobarbituric acid reactive species, protein estimation), lipid profile and cortisol concentrations among the two groups. Analysis of heavy metal in blood showed elevated levels of cadmium (3.09 ± 0.01 μg/dl), chromium (4.20 ± 0.02 μg/dl) and nickel (5.59 ± 0.03 μg/dl) in worker's group as compared with control. Increased platelet count; decreased antioxidant enzyme and increased oxidants level; increased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride (TG); decreased total protein and high-density lipoprotein (HDL); and increased cortisol levels were evident among workers as compared with the control group. The study concluded that occupational workers experience increased heavy metals burden in blood and, therefore, pose a risk to human health by causing reduction in antioxidant enzymes concentration and increase in stress conditions.

Cleaner and Sustainable Energy Production in Pakistan: Lessons Learnt from the Pak-TIMES Model

The energy planning process essentially requires addressing diverse planning objectives, including prioritizing resources, and the estimation of environmental emissions and associated health risks. This study investigates the impacts of atmospheric pollution for Pakistan from the energy production processes under various modalities. A national-scale bottom-up energy optimization model (Pak-TIMES) with the ANSWER-TIMES framework is developed to assess the electricity generation pathways (2015–2035) and estimate GHG emissions and major air pollutants, i.e., CH4, CO, CO2, N2O, NOX, PM1, PM10, PM2.5, PMBC, PMOC, PMTSP, SO2, and VOC under five scenarios. These scenarios are: BAU (business-as-usual), RE-30 (30% renewables), RE-40 (40% renewables), Coal-30 (30% coal), and Coal-40 (40% coal). It is revealed that to reach the electricity demand of 3091 PJ in 2035, both the Coal-30 and Coal-40 scenarios shall cause maximum emissions of GHGs, i.e., 260.13 and 338.92 Mt (million tons) alongside 40.52 and 54.03 Mt emissions of PMTSP in both of the scenarios, respectively. BAU scenario emissions are estimated to be 181.5 Mt (GHGs) and 24.30 Mt (PMTSP). Minimum emissions are estimated in the RE-40 scenario with 96.01 Mt of GHGs and 11.80 Mt of PMTSP, followed by the RE-30 scenario (143.20 GHGs and 17.73 Mt PMTSP). It is, therefore, concluded that coal-based electricity generation technologies would be a major source of emission and would contribute the highest amount of air pollution. This situation necessitates harnessing renewables in the future, which will significantly mitigate public health risks from atmospheric pollution.