Protecting and improving the environment is an important part of achieving sustainable development and is vital in the long-term period. One of the most important documents in the field of water resources management and by means of water protection is the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) [1]. This directive is a milestone in a history of water policy in Europe. The WFD establishes a common framework for a sustainable and integrated management in relation to a different types of water. The main purpose of the directive was to establish a framework for the protection of inland surface waters and groundwater. It will ensure that all inland and coastal waters, including Pol.
AbstractCommercial surface water classification is preliminarily based on physicochemical analyses. The ecotoxicological analyses performed during the research confirm that bioassays can support traditional monitoring as a useful tool for preliminary assess and predicting environmental damage. The problem of contaminant migration into the aquatic environment is particularly important in highly industrialized and urbanized areas, wherein rivers are constantly exposed to pollution due to anthropogenic action and for which, in accordance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) recommendations, it is necessary to achieve good status and potential of the waters. Taking into account the above provisions, the ecotoxicological potential of surface water samples from the Kłodnica River has been assessed. During the research we used a biotest battery composed of organisms which represent three trophic levels of aquatic ecosystems: Vibri fischeri, Daphnia magna, and Lemna minor. Also, we performed physicochemical on-site analyses. Estimated values of selected physical and chemical indicators confirm the poor state of the Kłodnica. However, high toxic effect was obtained only in a few analysed samples. Moreover, is worth noting that within the study we found a relationship between the high salinity of river water samples and the response of exposed bioindicators.
Aerosol transmission constitutes one of the major transmission routes of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. Due to the pathogen’s properties, research on its airborne transmission has some limitations. This paper focuses on silica nanoparticles (SiO2) of 40 and 200 nm sizes as the physicochemical markers of a single SARS-CoV-2 particle enabling experiments on the transmission of bioaerosols in public spaces. Mixtures of a determined silica concentration were sprayed on as an aerosol, whose particles, sedimented on dedicated matrices, were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Since it was not possible to quantitatively identify the markers based on the obtained images, the filters exposed with the AirSampler aspirator were analyzed based on inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The ICP-OES method enabled us to determine the concentration of silica after extracting the marker from the filter, and consequently to estimate the number of markers. The developed procedure opens up the possibility of the quantitative estimation of the spread of the coronavirus, for example in studies on the aerosol transmission of the pathogen in an open environment where biological markers—surrogates included—cannot be used.
W celu oszacowania wpływu zanieczyszczeń antropogenicznych na ekosystemy wodne, dla rzeczywistych próbek środowiskowych przeprowadzono analizę ekotoksykologiczną. Badania bioindykacyjne wykonano dla próbek wód powierzchniowych pobranych w 10 wyznaczonych miejscach pomiarowych rz. Kłodnicy na odcinku od źródła-do ujścia Potoku Bielszowickiego. W ramach analizy ekotoksykologicznej zastosowano baterię biotestów, obejmującą testy na skorupiakach (Daphnia magna), bakteriach (Vibrio fiascherii) oraz roślinach hydrofitowych (Lemna minor). Z przeprowadzonych badań wynika, że za wyjątkiem miejsc zlokalizowanych bezpośrednio za punktami zrzutu, próbki wód rzecznych nie wpływają negatywnie na organizmy testowe. Żadna z przeanalizowanych próbek wody nie wpłynęła na przeżywalność skorupiaków z gatunku Daphnia magna. Podobne wyniki uzyskano w teście MICROTOX ® z wykorzystaniem bakterii bioluminescencyjnych Vibrio fischerii, w którym, w skutek stymulacji procesów metabolicznych u organizmów testowych odnotowano wystąpienie zjawiska hormezy. Osiem z dziesięciu przeanalizowanych próbek wody sklasyfikowano jako próbki nietoksyczne (Klasa I-brak ostrego zagrożenia). Z uwagi na wynik testu fitotoksyczności (inhibicja na poziomie 25% i 50%) dwie z dziesięciu przeanalizowanych próbek wód powierzchniowych sklasyfikowano jako próbki charakteryzujące się niewielkim ostrym zagrożeniem (Klasa II).
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