Impact of climate change on waterborne diseases

Change in climate and water cycle will challenge water availability but it will also increase the exposure to unsafe water. Floods, droughts, heavy storms, changes in rain pattern, increase of temperature and sea level, they all show an increasing trend worldwide and will affect biological, physical and chemical components of water through different paths thus enhancing the risk of waterborne diseases. This paper is intended, through reviewing the available literature, to highlight environmental changes and critical situations caused by floods, drought and warmer temperature that will lead to an increase of exposure to water related pathogens, chemical hazards and cyanotox- ins. The final aim is provide knowledge-based elements for more focused adaptation measures. Riassunto (Effetto dei cambiamenti climatici sulle malattie trasmesse dall'acqua). I cambiamenti cli- matici e del ciclo idrologico metteranno a rischio la disponibilita d'acqua e aumenteranno l'esposi- zione ad acqua contaminata. Le alluvioni, le siccita, le grandi tempeste, le variazioni nella frequenza ed intensita delle piogge, il riscaldamento e l'aumento del livello del mare crescono in ogni parte del mondo e influenzeranno le caratteristiche biologiche e chimico-fisiche dell'acqua attraverso diversi meccanismi, con il conseguente aumento del rischio di malattie trasmesse dall'acqua. L'analisi della letteratura disponibile, presentata in questo articolo, evidenzia i cambiamenti ambientali e le situa- zioni critiche causate da alluvioni, siccita e crescente riscaldamento che causeranno un aumento di esposizione a patogeni, inquinanti chimici e cianotossine, legati all'acqua. Lo scopo e di fornire gli elementi scientifici di base per misure di adattamento mirate. Parole chiave: cambiamenti climatici, malattie trasmesse dall'acqua, microrganismi patogeni, contaminanti chimi- ci, cianobatteri tossici

Impact of climate change on waterborne diseases

Change in climate and water cycle will challenge water availability but it will also increase the exposure to unsafe water. Floods, droughts, heavy storms, changes in rain pattern, increase of temperature and sea level, they all show an increasing trend worldwide and will affect biological, physical and chemical components of water through different paths thus enhancing the risk of waterborne diseases. This paper is intended, through reviewing the available literature, to highlight environmental changes and critical situations caused by floods, drought and warmer temperature that will lead to an increase of exposure to water related pathogens, chemical hazards and cyanotoxins. The final aim is provide knowledge-based elements for more focused adaptation measures

A Green Approach to Copper-Containing Pesticides: Antimicrobial and Antifungal Activity of Brochantite Supported on Lignin for the Development of Biobased Plant Protection Products

After cellulose, lignin is the most abundant plant-derived polymer in nature. It provides mechanical support to plants, but it has also a defense role against pests and diseases, thanks to antioxidant, bactericidal, and antifungal properties, deriving from its polyphenolic nature. Huge quantities of technical lignins are obtained during several industrial processes and they actually represent a waste of paper pulp and bioethanol industry. Although in the last decades many efforts have been directed to obtain lignin valorization in several fields and for diverse applications, this biobased polymer is still largely underutilized. In particular, very little is known about the possibility to exploit its antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties in the agronomical field. On the other hand, pest control is often achieved by using copper-based pesticides, but environmental and health issues urge for novel solutions implying reduced copper content. We here describe novel hybrid organic-inorganic materials obtained by combining copper(II) salts with two types of technical lignins. Cu-containing materials (lignin@Cu) have been characterized by different techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron spectroscopy analyses, revealing nanocrystals of brochantite (Cu4SO4(OH)6) grown in the lignin matrix. Lignin@Cu was tested for its antifungal and antibacterial profile against a vast panel of pathogens of agronomical interest. Furthermore, preliminary tests on crops in a greenhouse were performed: lignin@Cu had better performances than a commercial pesticide based on copper(II) hydroxide on tomato plants against Rhizoctonia solani, indicating a great potential of these materials as plant protection products

Attività dell’Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale sull’inquinamento negli ambienti confinati

Questo rapporto include le relazioni e i poster presentati durante il workshop. Il workshop ha avuto un duplice scopo: 1) fornire una panoramica delle iniziative a livello nazionale e internazionale in termini di studi, strategie di campionamento degli inquinanti chimici e biologici, e delle norme per prevenire e/o ridurre la contaminazione dell’aria indoor, 2) presentare le esperienze maturate sia dai componenti del Gruppo di Studio Nazionale sull’inquinamento indoor.This report includes the presentations at the workshop. The workshop had a dual aim: 1) to provide an overview of initiatives at the national and international level, in terms of ongoing studies and strategies for the prevention and the monitoring of indoor air quality; of criteria and methods for the monitoring of indoor air chemical and biological contaminants (air sampling, chemical and biological analyses); 2) to provide an overview on the competence experienced in the field by the members of the “National Working Group on indoor air”

Qualità dell’aria negli ambienti confinati: le attività dell’ISPRA

Questo volume include le relazioni presentate durante il workshop sull’inquinamento indoor, che ha avuto un duplice scopo di: 1) fornire una panoramica delle iniziative a livello nazionale e internazionale in termini di studi, strategie di campionamento degli inquinanti chimici e biologici, e delle norme per prevenire e/o ridurre la contaminazione dell’aria indoor; 2) presentare le esperienze maturate dai componenti del Gruppo di Studio Nazionale sull’Inquinamento Indoor e dalle principali istituzioni nazionali.This document reports the presentations at the workshop on indoor air pollution, which had a dual aim: 1) to provide an overview of initiatives at national and international level, in terms of ongoing studies and strategies for sampling and analysing indoor air chemical and biological contaminants, and technical regulations to prevent and/or to reduce indoor air contamination; 2) to report the experiences in the field by the members of the National Working Group on indoor air and main national institutions as well