Evaluation of Human-impacted Soils in Szeged (SE Hungary) with Special Emphasis on Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties

The main differences between urban and natural soils result from the accumulation of anthropogenic materials, which form a cultural layer with specific properties and composition. Szeged is an ideal sampling area for researching urban soils due to intensive artificial infill following the 1879 Great Flood as well as other anthropogenic activities owing to the expansion of urban functions that define the morphology of soils here. We took samples at 25 sites in 2005 and 2006 from horizons of soil profiles located in city areas and peripheral profiles of the original genetic soil type for physical and chemical analysis. Average topsoil samples (0-10 cm depth, 2-4 m2) were taken near the profiles in order to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd) in these soils so as to classify them according to the toxic properties described in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources and to identify the origins of these elements (anthropogenic vs. geogenic). Topsoil samples were also collected in October 2006 at 10 sites representing three zones (city, suburban, peripheral zone) to survey some basic biological properties of mesofaunal elements and their community structure. We claim that all the soil parameters except total salt content are excellent markers of human influence. This is well supported by a discriminant analysis of the above-mentioned parameters. In our analysis of heavy metals, we distinguished elements of anthropogenic (Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and natural or lithogenic (Co, Cr, Cd) origin. Following a quantitative evaluation of elements, according to the proposal of the World Reference Base for Soil Resources, profiles where the concentration of any metal element exceeded the limit values in the topsoil were marked with the suffix Toxic. According to a mezofauna (oribatid mites, collembolans) investigation, it seems that the intermediate suburban zone has a more heterogeneous and stable mezofaunal community structure than the other two zones. The lowest abundance values were found in the city zone. Based on our evaluation of diagnostic properties and the results of our discriminant analysis, four main soil types can be identified in Szeged related to the degree of human influence

Európa legmodernebb mobil járványkórháza épült fel Kiskunhalason

The aim of my presentation is to demonstrate the protection tasks and good practices developed for an unknown situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic starting in December 2019, in the light of the measures taken by the Hungarian Prison Service. The construction of the Kiskunhalas Mobile Epidemic Hospital (hereinafter: Epidemic Hospital) and the increase in the prison service’s production capacity for health protection equipment, has become essential because of the pandemic. The well-equipped Epidemiological Hospital with 150 beds, and the means of protective equipment delivered to healthcare institutions within a short time have made a worthy contribution to the protection of the society and to the safety of its citizens. The production of face masks with employment of prisoners, as well as the production of other protective means, became parts of the state's self-sufficiency. The Epidemic Hospital closed on 31st May 2021, however, the institution may provide an opportunity for immediate future utilization in the case of a new wave, or a new pandemic.Jelen tanulmány célja, hogy a 2019 decemberében kezdődő COVID-19-világjárvány kapcsán kidolgozott védekezési feladatokat, jó gyakorlatokat bemutassa, a büntetés-végrehajtási szervezet által megtett intézkedések tükrében. A Kiskunhalasi Mobil Járványkórház (a továbbiakban: Járványkórház) megépítése, valamint az egészségügyi védőeszközök tekintetében a büntetés-végrehajtás gyártási kapacitásának növelése – a járvány következtében – elengedhetetlenné vált. A társadalom védelméhez, az állampolgárok biztonságához méltóképpen hozzájárult a világviszonylatban is kiemelkedő felszereltséggel rendelkező 150 férőhelyes Járványkórház, illetve a rövid idő alatt megtermelt, az egészségügyi intézményeknek szétosztott védőeszköz-mennyiség. A fogvatartotti foglalkoztatással megvalósuló szájmaszkgyártás, valamint az egyéb védőeszközök előállítása az állami önellátás részévé vált. A Járványkórház 2021. május 31-ével bezárt, azonban az intézmény lehetőséget biztosíthat a jövőben is arra, hogy egy esetleges új hullám, új világjárvány megjelenésekor azonnal bevethető legyen

An economic method of microplastic separation, extraction and identification in agricultural soils

Plastics has become became a major consumable product and alternative in agriculture as a result of its playing role in energy conservation, maintaining of uniform soil temperature, and controls of weeds and fertilizer transport and thereby contaminate the soils. This research aims to provide the cost-effective method for microplastics separation and extraction from the agricultural soils. The soils were randomly collected from the greenhouse farming and conventional agriculture. The plastics used for recovery tests were collected from the field and cut off into pieces. Result from the field shows that density separation with ZnCl2 using this method has the highest extraction capacity (400 ±100 pieces/Kg) and recovery rate (90%) compare to other floatation solutions. The method was very effective in extracting both low and high densities microplastics. Furthermore, the results infer that NaCl2 and distilled H2O were effective in extracting low densities microplastics such as LDPE and PP. This method provides several alternatives depend on the economy and target of users

Plastic contamination in agricultural soils: a review

Researchers are focused on the global issue of plastic contamination in agricultural soils because of the known effects of plastics on the soil ecosystem. Previous reviews did not pay attention to plastic sources, standardized extraction methods, soil characterization, and the abundance of plastics in agricultural soils. This study aims to review up-to-the-minute knowledge about plastic contamination studies, suggest the best method for microplastic studies, and propose future research areas. The research about plastic contamination in agricultural soils published from January 2018 to March 2022 was reviewed for this review article. Studies focusing on microplastics in soils other than agricultural soils were not considered in the present review. The data were acquired from several databases, namely Web of Science and Google Scholar. The keywords used to search these databases were "microplastics AND agricultural soils" and "macroplastics AND agricultural soils". Other literature sources were obtained from the reference lists of downloaded articles, and other pieces of literature that directly dealt with macroplastic and microplastic contamination in agricultural soils were obtained from relevant journals and books. Overall, 120 sources of literature, including 102 original research articles, 13 review articles, and five books, were selected, reviewed, and synthesized. As expected, agricultural soils, including arable lands, paddy lands, uplands, irrigation, and greenhouse soils, receive plastic contaminants. The contaminants of different sizes and forms are distributed spatially and temporally in the surface, subsurface, and profiles of the agricultural soils. Unlike previous studies that reported many studies on sewage sludge, the significant sources of plastic contamination in the agricultural soils included mulching, sludge and compost placement, and greenhouses abandonment. The distribution of plastic contamination studies in the agricultural lands is Asia: 60%; Europe: 29%; Africa: 4%; North America: 4%; Latin America: 3%; and Australia: 0%. After careful analysis of the methods used for the plastics contamination studies, the study concluded that floatations with low-density solutions such as distilled water and NaCl are efficient in separating light-density microplastics. In contrast, ZnCl and NaI are incredibly efficient in separating the heavy-density microplastics. Moreover, this review provides insight for future research in the field

Evaluation of off-site effects of wind-eroded sediments especially the content of pesticides

Wind-eroded sediment, as an environmental transport pathway of toxic elements and pesticids, can result in environmental and human exposure far beyond the agricultural areas where it has been applied. In our research we quantified the pesticide residues moving in the soil near Szeged (Hungary) on the original soil surface of agricultural areas with a portable wind tunnel. Before the experiments, a portion of the sample area was treated with chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin. A control area was also selected. In 2017-2019, a total of 42 wind event experiments were conducted by examining the topsoil samples. During the experiments, moving soil particles were trapped at various heights (5-10 cm, 20-25 cm and 50-55 cm) and the pesticide concentrates by GC-MS were measured. The enrichment ratios (ER) were calculated, and statistical analyzes were also carried out (SPSS). The measurements obtained that the pendimethalin ER is much higher in the rolled fraction (mean: 13.7) than chlorpyrifos (mean: 2.9). Our measurements showed that the enrichment of chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin can be detected in the rolling and suspended soil particles