Case Studies

Ozone, comprised of three linked oxygen atoms, is generated in the stratosphere by the action of solar radiation on oxygen gas, and absorbs 99% of the sun’s biologically harmful UV-B radiation (280 - 315 nm) that is a cause of skin cancers in humans. A rare molecule, it is concentrated in a band around 20-25 km above sea level...

Ionizing radiation can cause sickness or even death in those exposed to it. Nuclear incidents can arise by accident or, potentially, by direct acts of terrorism. In both scenarios an accurate knowledge of the amount and type of radiation present is important to allow appropriate decisions and introduce countermeasures. Static ...

Major nuclear disasters are rare but when they occur large amounts of radionuclides, are released. In 1986 explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) covered an area of Europe greater than 200 000 km2 with radioactive caesium and other radioactive nucleotides. Twenty-five years later, in 2011, a tsunami disrupted the...

Air pollution remains the main environmental factor in human ill-health, with about 400,000 premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollution annually in the EU. Industrial processes account for a sizeable share of polluting emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), produced by burning fuels containing sulfur compounds an...

Air pollution remains the main environmental factor in human ill-health, with about 400,000 premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollution annually in the EU. Industrial processes account for a sizeable share of polluting emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), produced by burning fuels containing sulfur compounds an...

The 2008 Air Quality Directive and related legislation measurably improved Europe’s air quality. For example, a 2018 analysis noted a 54 % reduction in early deaths due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution. Nonetheless, almost all Europeans remained exposed to polluted air, at the cost of 400,000 premature deaths a year in the E...