Fire events can impact physical and mental health through smoke exposure, evacuation, property loss, and/or other environmental stressors. In this study, we developed community-driven, cross-sectional online surveys to assess public attitudes, health impacts, and protective actions of residents affected by the Tustin hangar fire that burned for 24 days in southern California. Results showed the most frequently reported fire-related exposure concerns (93%) to be asbestos and general air pollution and the most commonly reported mental health impacts to be anxiety (41%), physical fatigue (37%), headaches (33%), and stress (26%). Nose/sinus irritation was the most commonly reported (26.0%) respiratory symptom, while skin- and eye-related conditions were reported by 63.0% and 72.2% of the survey population, respectively. The most commonly reported health-protective actions taken by residents included staying indoors and/or closing doors and windows (67%), followed by wearing face masks (37%) and the indoor use of air purifiers (35%). A higher proportion of low-income residents had to spend money on remediation or other health-protective actions compared to high-income residents. Participants overwhelmingly reported disapproval of their city’s and/or government’s response to the fire disaster. Findings from this study underscore the potential impacts of major pollution events on neighboring communities and offer critical insights to better position government agencies to respond during future disasters while effectively communicating with the public and addressing community needs.

Test feasibility of measuring physical activity levels and actual use of outdoor exercise equipment by park users through a human-centered virtual audit in an observational study in southern California. Approximately 3,000 h of continuous video footage were collected using a stationary, customized, wireless data-transmission-enabled outdoor camera in Eastgate Park, Garden Grove, California. The camera captured images of the outdoor exercise equipment every 30 s for 14 h a day over seven months. A virtual audit was conducted on 300 h of footage by a team of researchers who tracked weather conditions, equipment usage, duration of use, and observed the age, gender, and activity levels (sedentary, moderate, or vigorous) of park users. Equipment use was categorized as intended (correct use) or unintended (e.g., resting on equipment). Pooling observations from all eight exercise machines, adults used the equipment as intended an estimated 77

Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a target for urban mining operations due to the abundance of valuable metals in this waste stream and the large quantities generated annually. While metals are conventionally the focus of materials recovery efforts, organic materials can also be recovered, typically by pyrolysis. In this study, we define a hypothetical yet realistic process, derived from existing literature, for the pyrolysis of waste PCBs to produce pyrolysis oil, followed by purification to produce phenol. We use life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of the secondary phenol production process and compare it to primary phenol production from crude oil, both assuming industrial-scale processes. We also study the potential profitability of secondary phenol production through techno-economic assessment, considering market volatility for phenol. We hope that the clear environmental benefits associated with producing phenol from waste PCB pyrolysis and potential profitability will motivate future experimental studies to refine process details for industrial application.

Polylactic acid, a biodegradable biopolymer derived from renewable resources, is increasingly recognized as a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics that have contributed to toxic environmental pollution worldwide. Yet, various pathways to produce polylactic acid may differ in their environmental footprint and resource demands. In this study, we evaluate life cycle assessment data to compare polylactic acid production through six different routes: three from agricultural biomass feedstocks, and three from waste feedstocks, focusing on three sustainability parameters, including carbon intensity, energy intensity, and material intensity. The major findings show lower carbon emission intensity due to lower energy and material intensities that are required for producing polylactic acid from waste feedstocks than from agricultural biomass feedstocks. This research highlights the importance of optimizing polylactic acid production processes to minimize energy and material use for reduced carbon emissions and thereby maximize the sustainability value of this alternative polymeric material. Future research should focus on process innovations to further reduce carbon emissions.

Commercialization of rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has revolutionized the design of portable electronic devices and is facilitating the current transition to electric vehicles. The technological specifications of Li-ion batteries continue to evolve through the introduction of various high-risk liquid electrolyte chemicals, yet critical evaluation of the physical, environmental, and human health hazards of these substances is lacking. Using the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals approach, we conducted a chemical hazard assessment (CHA) of 103 electrolyte chemicals categorized into seven chemical groups: salts, carbonates, esters, ethers, sulfoxides-sulfites-sulfones, overcharge protection additives, and flame-retardant additives. To minimize data gaps, we focused on six toxicity and hazard data sources, including three empirical and three nonempirical predictive data sources. Furthermore, we investigated the structural similarities among selected electrolyte chemicals using the ChemMine tool and the simplified molecular input line entry system inputs from PubChem to evaluate whether chemicals with similar structures exhibit similar toxicity. The results demonstrate that salts, overcharge protection additives, and flame-retardant additives contain the most toxic components in the electrolyte solutions. Furthermore, carbonates, esters, and ethers account for most flammability hazards in Li-ion batteries. This study supports the complementary use of quantitative structure-activity relationship models to minimize data gaps and inconsistencies in CHA. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:2231-2244. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Decarbonization plans depend on the rapid, large-scale deployment of batteries to sufficiently decarbonize the electricity system and on-road transport. This can take many forms, shaped by technology, materials, and supply chain selection, which will have local and global environmental and social impacts. Current knowledge gaps limit the ability of decision-makers to make choices in facilitating battery deployment that minimizes or avoids unintended environmental and social consequences. These gaps include a lack of harmonized, accessible, and up-to-date data on manufacturing and supply chains and shortcomings within sustainability and social impact assessment methods, resulting in uncertainty that limits incorporation of research into policy making. These gaps can lead to unintended detrimental effects of large-scale battery deployment. To support decarbonization goals while minimizing negative environmental and social impacts, we elucidate current barriers to tracking how decision-making for large-scale battery deployment translates to environmental and social impacts and recommend steps to overcome them.

The current digital age is defined by increasingly revolutionary developments in artificial intelligence, social networks, rapid communications, and advanced computing that have permeated all regions of the world. This revolution is enabled by a wide range of consumer electronic products, which have long been considered effective forms of humanitarian aid because of their function in education and their potential to bridge the digital divide between heavily industrialized countries and countries with economies in transition. However, electronics are sophisticated products manufactured with a variety of toxic materials. Here, we disentangle the intersection of humanitarian aid and the rapidly emerging global health problems associated with the international movement of electronic waste. Our goal for this chapter is to examine the question of "who gives to whom" through an assessment of the circularity of material resources for manufacturing new electronic products and the management of e-waste in the context of international humanitarian transactions.

AbstractThe large-scale deployment of battery energy storage systems is critical for enabling the electrification of transport and the integration of renewable energy resources into regional electricity systems. Producing these systems, however, can impose various types and extents of environmental impacts and resource requirements. For relatively mature battery technologies, such as lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride, and certain variations of lithium-ion batteries, a robust life cycle assessment (LCA) literature exists that characterizes the environmental impacts and material requirements for these systems. Newer battery technologies, however, are constantly being explored, developed, and refined to improve upon the cost, durability, efficiency, or other performance parameters of relatively mature battery technologies. These newer technologies, including but not limited to solid-state lithium batteries, metal anode-based lithium batteries, non-lithium-based chemistries, flow batteries of different chemistries, and metal-air batteries, show promise from an in-use performance standpoint but do not yet have as robust of an LCA literature that characterizes their environmental impacts and resource requirements at scale. Here, we provide an overview of the present state of the art in the research literature of LCAs that characterize the potential environmental impacts and resource requirements of these emerging technologies as a basis for outlining needs for future research.

Recovery of valuable resources from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) is affected by the low recycling rate of discarded WPCBs and their highly heterogeneous material composition. Conventional electronic waste management processes, including incineration and disposal in landfills, generate toxic pollution. Alternatively, the valuable metals contained in WPCBs make “urban mining” of this resource increasingly attractive. Instead of conventional recovery processes that convert valuable metals in WPCBs into pure substances, recent strategies focus on alternative material recovery processes that can directly convert WPCBs into functional value-added materials, such as nanopowders. In this study, recently-developed experimental processes for producing copper-based nano-/superfine powders from WPCBs were reviewed. Six alternative material recovery processes were selected for assessment, including three chemical processes: selective leaching, slurry electrolysis, and microemulsion; two thermal processes: low- and high- temperature thermal processing; and one physical process: mechanical alloying. An alternatives assessments (AA) approach was applied to evaluate functional performance, scale-up potential, and sustainability of each of these material recovery processes. The results from the evaluation of fourteen attributes showed that chemical processes performed better in functional performance but were material intensive. In contrast, thermal and physical processes showed better scale-up potential but were energy intensive. Thus, this study provides a robust assessment to guide future process design before these processes advance into commercial production. Moreover, by incorporating multiple divergent attributes for evaluation, the comprehensive and scientifically rigorous AA framework informs strategies to improve the circular economy of WPCBs by systematically comparing the benefits and potential drawbacks of early-stage alternative material recovery processes.

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) make up a substantial amount of electronic waste (e-waste) generated annually. Waste PCBs contain high quantities of copper and gold in comparison to natural ores. As such, “urban mining” of waste PCBs to recover these metals is of commercial interest. In this work, we used life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impact of four copper and gold recovery processes. We evaluated pyrometallurgy, chemical leaching, and bioleaching, as well as a hybrid leaching process that uses bioleaching to recover copper and chemical leaching to recover gold. Furthermore, we considered differences in environmental impact based on differences in electricity sources. If electricity comes from fossil fuels, the pyrometallurgical process results in the lowest environmental impact in all impact categories studied. If electricity comes from carbon-free sources, the pyrometallurgical process results in the lowest environmental impact in all categories studied except global warming, where the hybrid leaching process results in the lowest impact. In all cases, metal recovery from waste PCBs leads to lower environmental impact than primary metal production. Our goal is to guide e-waste recyclers towards more environmentally sustainable metal recovery processes and to provide knowledge gaps in the field to guide future research.

Throughout human history, the capacity to invent, manufacture, and use chemicals and materials has transformed concepts of development with path-dependent solutions to problems encountered in various industrial and societal sectors, including energy, transportation, food production, textiles, and personal care. It is increasingly clear that the trajectory of development initiated by some path-breaking materials is not sustainable. Recent developments in the concept of planetary boundaries have explored some reasons for unsustainability and ineffectiveness of current chemicals management practices. The reasons are almost always due to previously unknown chemical characteristics such as toxicity, reactivity, environmental recalcitrance, or increasing scarcity. In some cases, the suspected but ignored potential hazard of chemicals manifests slowly or becomes uncontrollable due to accumulation and biochemical or physical transformation in the environment. Consequently, environmental pollution by such chemicals is associated with alarmingly high levels of human mortality and disease burden worldwide. Recent examples include halogenated chemicals used as flame retardants and the thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer; bisphenol A used in plastics and microplastics widespread in biotic and abiotic ecosystem components, including the ocean; hormone mimicking chemicals such as phthalates in human tissues; neurotoxicity of lead used in solder materials, paints, and water distribution pipes; neurodevelopmental diseases associated with mercury used in ore beneficiation, in dental amalgams and lighting systems; and asbestos fibers used in ceiling tiles, roofs, and automobile brakes. These notorious examples have forced the introduction of retroactive policies to restrict the use of certain chemicals in materials development, and a few proactive policies designed to prevent the initial use of certain chemicals known or suspected to be hazardous. Improvements in the scientific knowledge and development of tools to screen for chemicals of concern have also led to the development of forecasting tools for improved management of chemicals. It could be impossible to foresee all potential risks associated with chemicals. Therefore, such management approaches can be most effective in supporting sustainable development of materials when they generate boundaries within which criteria for safety are understood and alternative assessments are continuous. This article situates the power of selected forecasting tools for early warning systems in a planetary boundary framework while highlighting gaps and incongruencies inherent in their use to support proactive and reactive regulatory policies, and for developing performance standards for lowering the chemical footprint of consumer products.

Background One Health is defined as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems; this approach attracts stakeholders from multiple sectors, academic disciplines, and professional practices. The diversity of expertise and interest groups is frequently and simultaneously framed as ( 1 ) a strength of the One Health approach in the process of understanding and solving complex problems associated with health challenges such as pathogen spillovers and pandemics and ( 2 ) a challenge regarding consensus on essential functions of One Health and the sets of knowledge, skills, and perspectives unique to a workforce adopting this approach. Progress in developing competency-based training in One Health has revealed coverage of various topics across fundamental, technical, functional, and integrative domains. Ensuring that employers value the unique characteristics of personnel trained in One Health will likely require demonstration of its usefulness, accreditation, and continuing professional development. These needs led to the conceptual framework of a One Health Workforce Academy (OHWA) for use as a platform to deliver competency-based training and assessment for an accreditable credential in One Health and opportunities for continuing professional development. Methods To gather information about the desirability of an OHWA, we conducted a survey of One Health stakeholders. The IRB-approved research protocol used an online tool to collect individual responses to the survey questions. Potential respondents were recruited from partners of One Health University Networks in Africa and Southeast Asia and international respondents outside of these networks. Survey questions collected demographic information, measured existing or projected demand and the relative importance of One Health competencies, and determined the potential benefits and barriers of earning a credential. Respondents were not compensated for participation. Results Respondents ( N = 231) from 24 countries reported differences in their perspectives on the relative importance of competency domains of the One Health approach. More than 90% of the respondents would seek to acquire a competency-based certificate in One Health, and 60% of respondents expected that earning such a credential would be rewarded by employers. Among potential barriers, time and funding were the most cited. Conclusion This study showed strong support from potential stakeholders for a OHWA that hosts competency-based training with opportunities for certification and continuing professional development.

Electronic waste, with printed circuit boards (PCBs) at its heart, is the fastest-growing category of hazardous solid waste in the world. New materials, in particular biobased materials, show great promise in solving some of the sustainability and toxicity problems associated with PCBs, although several challenges still prevent their practical application.

Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) contain valuable material resources and hazardous substances, thereby posing a challenge for sustainable resource recovery and environmental protection initiatives. Overcoming this challenge will require mapping the toxic footprint of WPCBs to specific materials and substances used in manufacturing electronic components (ECs). Therefore, this work collected 50 EC specimens from WPCBs in five ubiquitous consumer products, such as television, refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine and computer. The work extracted and analyzed metal contents and used leachability assessments based on tests adopted by the regulatory policies from China and the United States. The work found that copper and iron are the most abundant constituents in ECs, with concentrations ranging 5.90-796.62 g/kg and 0-831.53 g/kg, respectively; whereas abundance of precious metal content is in the order of silver > gold > palladium > platinum, with silver concentration ranging 15-5290 mg/kg. The content of marginally-regulated toxic substance arsenic ranged 0-9700 mg/kg; whereas fully regulated toxic metals such as chromium, lead and mercury did not exceed the thresholds set by China and US standards. The work found new toxic threats from arsenic and selenium leached from 20 of 50 ECs exceeding regulatory standards. These results will aid manufacturers and recyclers in protecting workers' health and environmental quality from arsenic and selenium pollution, and should initiate discussion about regulating these toxic components as part of a comprehensive program to reduce the toxic footprint of electronic products.

Summary Prevention of diseases caused by pathogenic fungi exemplifies the need for a One Health approach because a fungal species can cause similar disease in humans and animals and can survive long in the environment. This case study of coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) illustrates the power of integrative surveillance for One Health. Fungi belong to a taxonomically distinctive group of organisms that are among the most diverse, widely distributed and metabolically versatile organisms on earth. Physically, fungi range in size from microscopic yeasts, visible mould with colourful spores, and mushrooms, which may be larger than a human palm. Through their genetic profile and heterotrophy, fungi are more related to animals than to plants. Fungi can cause disease in humans, animals and plants, and they produce infectious forms such as lightweight spores, which can survive long in natural environments. Therefore, many diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are better understood and controlled through a transdisciplinary One Health approach. Fungi produce antibiotics such as penicillin, and they are also capable of developing resistance to many medications used to treat infections, making them a major threat to global health. This case study focuses on coccidioidomycosis (valley fever), an illness that develops from inhaling spores of the fungus Coccidioides imitis or Coccidioides posadasii , which are commonly found in soils of the south-western USA and in Central and South America, where the disease has been long recognized as a threat. Communities of people, pets and farm animals inhabiting periodically dry environmental conditions are particularly vulnerable, and investigators have suggested that the current incidence of the disease and the geographical expansion of zones of vulnerability are linked to climate change. 1 Improved understanding of the One Health context of valley fever should inform public communication strategies for preventing the disease.

Brazil, the largest producer of e-waste in Latin America, recently enacted a new law for the reverse logistics of this waste. The implementation of the new regulation will require the integration of different stakeholders to overcome existing barriers including lack of awareness, data and technical expertise in e-waste management, as well as the existence on an illegal e-waste recycling market. A reverse logistics model is described as a potential solution to these barriers if the challenges to the model’s implementation are resolved.

Advocacy for a fully circular economy of electronic products has intensified in response to relentless demand for materials and the toxic legacy of electronic waste (e-waste). Convergence of innovation in resource recovery, regulatory policies, and consumer participation is needed to bend the curve of the electronics revolution toward a circular economy.