Cannabis Cultivation Facilities: A Review of Their Air Quality Impacts from the Occupational to Community Scale.

This review addresses knowledge gaps in cannabis cultivation facility (CCF) air emissions by synthesizing the peer-reviewed and gray literature. Focus areas include compounds emitted, air quality indoors and outdoors, odor assessment, and the potential health effects of emitted compounds. Studies suggest that ß-myrcene is a tracer candidate for CCF biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Furthermore, ß-myrcene, d-limonene, terpinolene, and α-pinene are often reported in air samples collected in and around CCF facilities. The BVOC emission strength per dry weight of plant is higher than most conventional agriculture crops. Nevertheless, reported total CCF BVOC emissions are lower compared with VOCs from other industries. Common descriptors of odors coming from CCFs include "skunky", "herbal", and "pungent". However, there are few peer-reviewed studies addressing the odor impacts of CCFs outdoors. Atmospheric modeling has been limited to back trajectory models of tracers and ozone impact assessment. Health effects of CCFs are mostly related to odor annoyance or occupational hazards. We identify 16 opportunities for future studies, including an emissions database by strain and stage of life (growing cycle) and odor-related setback guidelines. Exploration and implementation of key suggestions presented in this work may help regulators and the industry reduce the environmental footprint of CCF facilities.

From Science to Policy and Practice: A Critical Assessment of Knowledge Management before, during, and after Environmental Public Health Disasters.

Canada regularly faces environmental public health (EPH) disasters. Given the importance of evidence-based, risk-informed decision-making, we aimed to critically assess the integration of EPH expertise and research into each phase of disaster management. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 leaders in disaster management from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and were complemented by other qualitative methods. Three topics were examined: governance, knowledge creation/translation, and related barriers/needs. Data were analyzed through a four-step content analysis. Six critical success factors emerged from the analysis: blending the best of traditional and modern approaches; fostering community engagement; cultivating relationships; investing in preparedness and recovery; putting knowledge into practice; and ensuring sufficient human and financial resources. Several promising knowledge-to-action strategies were also identified, including mentorship programs, communities of practice, advisory groups, systematized learning, and comprehensive repositories of tools and resources. There is no single roadmap to incorporate EPH expertise and research into disaster management. Our findings suggest that preparation for and management of EPH disaster risks requires effective long-term collaboration between science, policy, and EPH practitioners at all levels in order to facilitate coordinated and timely deployment of multi-sectoral/jurisdictional resources when and where they are most needed.

Leveraging the Canadian Health Measures Survey for environmental health research.

Since 2007, the nationally representative, cross-sectional Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) has collected detailed health and exposure data from more than 25,000 Canadians, including a wide range of chemical biomarkers analyzed in blood, urine, and environmental media. This article highlights the extent to which the CHMS dataset has been used in the peer-reviewed environmental health literature and opportunities for further expanding usage of the dataset. A literature search (2007-2018) was performed to identify peer-reviewed studies that have made substantive use of the CHMS dataset. Studies were analyzed according to the study type, data usage, populations studied, environmental health themes, citation/publication data, and institutional collaborations. A total of 51 environmental-health related CHMS studies were identified, including studies related to indoor and outdoor air quality, the built environment, and chemical and environmental tobacco smoke exposures. Health indicator data are being increasingly exploited, as is the ability to combine cycle datasets over time. Although these studies covered a range of environmental exposures, many CHMS variables remain underutilized. The CHMS dataset provides a valuable portrait of chemical exposures in Canadians of all ages, linked to a wide variety of health indicators. Many opportunities remain to exploit and expand both the use of the dataset and collaborations between Canadian agencies and domestic and international research institutions.

Biochar decreases dissolved organic carbon but not nitrate leaching in relation to vinasse application in a Brazilian sugarcane soil.

OBJECTIVES: Sugarcane cultivation is associated with catchment-wide impacts related to application of vinasse, a nutrient-dense effluent with high eutrophication potential. We evaluated the potential for biochar (charcoal produced from pyrolyzed filtercake) to mitigate carbon and nutrient leaching in a cultivated Brazilian Ferralsol after vinasse application. METHODS: Twelve soil columns (soil alone [S], soil with vinasse [SV], soil with vinasse and biochar [SVB], and soil with biochar [SB]) were flushed with water and then treated with water or vinasse. Samples collected via vacuum filtration were examined via UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. RESULTS: Biochar attenuated dissolved organic carbon (DOC) leaching in soil (S vs. SB) as well as in relation to vinasse application (SV vs. SVB). Biochar-amended soil preferentially retained high-molecular weight, humic-like DOC species, as revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy and optical indices, but did not retain low-weight amino acid-like species. Vinasse application also increased total NO3(-) flux, which may have been exacerbated by biochar co-application. CONCLUSIONS: Vinasse treatment strongly affects carbon and NO3(-) fluxes in this tropical soil. Biochar attenuated DOC leaching, likely through stabilization of complex compounds already present in soil, but did not lessen NO3(-) fluxes. Thus, biochar amendments in vinasse application areas may decrease carbon leaching.

Biochar from sugarcane filtercake reduces soil CO2 emissions relative to raw residue and improves water retention and nutrient availability in a highly-weathered tropical soil.

In Brazil, the degradation of nutrient-poor Ferralsols limits productivity and drives agricultural expansion into pristine areas. However, returning agricultural residues to the soil in a stabilized form may offer opportunities for maintaining or improving soil quality, even under conditions that typically promote carbon loss. We examined the use of biochar made from filtercake (a byproduct of sugarcane processing) on the physicochemical properties of a cultivated tropical soil. Filtercake was pyrolyzed at 575°C for 3 h yielding a biochar with increased surface area and porosity compared to the raw filtercake. Filtercake biochar was primarily composed of aromatic carbon, with some residual cellulose and hemicellulose. In a three-week laboratory incubation, CO2 effluxes from a highly weathered Ferralsol soil amended with 5% biochar (dry weight, d.w.) were roughly four-fold higher than the soil-only control, but 23-fold lower than CO2 effluxes from soil amended with 5% (d.w.) raw filtercake. We also applied vinasse, a carbon-rich liquid waste from bioethanol production typically utilized as a fertilizer on sugarcane soils, to filtercake- and biochar-amended soils. Total CO2 efflux from the biochar-amended soil in response to vinasse application was only 5% of the efflux when vinasse was applied to soil amended with raw filtercake. Furthermore, mixtures of 5 or 10% biochar (d.w.) in this highly weathered tropical soil significantly increased water retention within the plant-available range and also improved nutrient availability. Accordingly, application of sugarcane filtercake as biochar, with or without vinasse application, may better satisfy soil management objectives than filtercake applied to soils in its raw form, and may help to build soil carbon stocks in sugarcane-cultivating regions.

A role for the lysosomal protease cathepsin B in zebrafish follicular apoptosis.

This study presents evidence that cathepsin B, a lysosomal protease, may be involved in the regulation of apoptosis during serum-starvation in teleost follicles. Zebrafish vitellogenic follicles were isolated, incubated under serum-free conditions and homogenized. The follicle extracts demonstrated caspase-3-like activity using the fluorogenic substrate DEVD-AMC, indicating the onset of apoptosis. Cathepsin B activity as measured using the fluorogenic cathepsin B substrate, Z-Arg-Arg-AMC was elevated within the first 6h of incubation in serum-free media and coincided with the onset of apoptosis. This increase in cathepsin B activity was sensitive to the cathepsin B inhibitor, CA-074-ME. Furthermore, adding CA-074-ME to the follicle incubation blocked caspase-3-like activation, suggesting that cathepsin B activity is a positive regulator of the apoptotic cascade during serum-starvation. Interestingly, the increase in cathepsin-B-like activity was not preceded by an increase in cathepsin B mRNA transcription, suggesting that regulation of this enzyme is at a level other than of the gene. These results suggest a regulatory role for cathepsin B during follicular apoptosis in zebrafish ovarian follicles.

Role of leptin in the control of feeding of goldfish Carassius auratus: interactions with cholecystokinin, neuropeptide Y and orexin A, and modulation by fasting.

To assess the role of leptin on food intake regulation in goldfish, we examined the effects of central (intracerebroventricular, ICV) and peripheral (intraperitoneal, IP) injections of recombinant murine leptin on feeding behavior. Centrally (100 ng/g) and peripherally (300 ng/g) injected leptin both caused a significant decrease in food intake, compared to the saline-treated controls. To test the hypothesis that leptin influenced orexigenic neuropeptide systems in goldfish, fish were co-injected with neuropeptide Y (NPY) or orexin A and leptin. Both NPY (5 ng/g) and orexin A (10 ng/g) significantly increased food intake. Fish co-injected ICV with NPY (5 ng/g) or orexin A (10 ng/g) and leptin (1 or 10 ng/g) had a food intake lower than that of fish treated with NPY or orexin A alone. NPY mRNA expression in goldfish brain was reduced 2 and 6 h following central injection of leptin. To test the hypothesis that the cholecystokinin (CCK) mediates the effects of leptin in goldfish, fish were simultaneously injected ICV with an ineffective dose of leptin (10 ng/g) and either ICV or IP with an ineffective doses of CCK (1 ng/g ICV or 25 ng/g IP). These fish had a food intake lower than vehicle-treated fish, suggesting that leptin potentiates the satiety actions of CCK. CCK hypothalamic mRNA expression was increased 2 h following central treatment with leptin. The CCK receptor antagonist proglumide blocked both central and peripheral CCK satiety effects. Blockade of CCK brain receptors by proglumide resulted in an inhibition of the leptin-induced decrease in food intake and an attenuation of the inhibiting action of leptin on both NPY- and orexin A-induced feeding. These data suggests that CCK has a role in mediating the effects of leptin on food intake. Fasting potentiated the actions of leptin and attenuated the effects of CCK. Whereas fasting had no effects on the brain mRNA expression of CCK, it increased the brain mRNA expression of NPY and decreased the expression of CART. These changes in neuropeptide expression were partially reversed when fish were treated ICV with leptin. These results provide strong evidence that, in goldfish, leptin influences food intake, in part by modulating the orexigenic effects of NPY and orexin and that its actions are mediated, at least in part, by CCK.