Sustainable development requires clean water. In Sweden, water supply has historically been good, but a changed climate may alter that situation. Islands such as oland and Gotland, which already have a strained water situation due to their location and bedrock, can be useful case studies for understanding how industries adapt and overcome obstacles in changing behaviour to be more sustainable. Focus groups and a postal questionnaire were conducted to study the water shortage mitigations of the tourism and agriculture industries. The results indicated four salient steps for these industries: awareness/knowledge, responsibility, behaviour and mitigation measures. While awareness was high among all respondents, the level of knowledge varied. Both the tourism and agriculture industries acknowledged their own responsibility but primarily placed the responsibility on each other and on other actors. All respondents had ideas about what behaviours needed to be changed in others, but not as much about their own behaviours, which is a natural consequence of the transfer of responsibility. Finally, there were many ideas for mitigation measures with the agricultural industry focusing on traditional approaches such as irrigation ponds and collecting rainwater, and the tourism industry having more innovative ideas such as re-circulating water and behaviour changes but had not progressed as far in their implementation. This study has shown that industries have different prerequisites and that providing them with tools to help them use preventive measures could speed up the transition to a more sustainable future.

The objective of the present study was to assess historical emissions of Pb to air around a number of glassworks sites in southeastern Sweden, and the possible implications for human exposure. To do so, a four-step method was applied. First, emissions of Pb to air around 10 glassworks were modelled for the 20th century. Second, an assessment of the resulting exposure was made for a number of scenarios. Third, the number of people potentially exposed at different times was estimated, and fourth, measurements of “current” Pb concentrations in PM10 material from four sites were conducted in 2019. The results show that the highest emissions, and exposures, occurred from 1970 to1980. It coincides with the time period when the highest number of people resided in the villages. At this time, the average Pb concentration in air around the six largest factories was about 2.4 μg Pb/m3, i.e. 16 times the present US national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) of 0.15 μg Pb/m3. By year 2000 the modelled average concentration had dropped to 0.05 μg Pb/m3, a level that is normal for urban regions today. The PM10 measurements from 2019 indicate a further decline, now with a mean value of about 0.02 μg Pb/m3. Over the entire study period, inhalation hazard quotients (HQs) exceeded the dietary HQ by many orders of magnitude, indicating that inhalation has been the most prevalent exposure pathway in the past. At present, both pathways are judged to be associated with low exposures. Even if only roughly approximated, a picture of the historical exposure can increase our understanding of the connection between exposure and disease, and can be valuable when risks are to be communicated to residents near contaminated areas.

A great deal of research has been devoted to the characterization of metal exposure due to the consumption of vegetables from urban or industrialized areas. It may seem comforting that concentrations in crops, as well as estimated exposure levels, are often found to be below permissible limits. However, we show that even a moderate increase in metal accumulation in crops may result in a significant increase in exposure. We also highlight the importance of assessing exposure levels in relation to a regional baseline. We have analyzed metal (Pb, Cd, As) concentrations in nearly 700 samples from 23 different vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms, collected near 21 highly contaminated industrial sites and from reference sites. Metal concentrations generally complied with permissible levels in commercial food and only Pb showed overall higher concentrations around the contaminated sites. Nevertheless, probabilistic exposure assessments revealed that the exposure to all three metals was significantly higher in the population residing around the contaminated sites, for both low-, medianand high consumers. The exposure was about twice as high for Pb and Cd, and four to six times as high for As. Since vegetable consumption alone did not result in exposure above tolerable intakes, it would have been easy to conclude that there is no risk associated with consuming vegetables grown near the contaminated sites. However, when the increase in exposure is quantified, its potential significance is harder to dismiss - especially when considering that exposure via other routes may be elevated in a similar way.

Tourism development has, for many areas, become an important means to mitigate impacts from rural restructuring and out migration. At the same time, tourism is an additional stress factor on local infrastructures, environments and water resources. The peak season for both farming and coastal tourism often coincide with the dry summer season. As a result, since both farming and tourism have a high demand for freshwater consumption, water scarcity and related issues has become an increasingly pressing matter (Gössling 2001; Gössling Et al, 2012; Cole 2014). This is especially evident for many coastal and island destinations where freshwater demand and water consumption accelerate. The increasing demand is in part a result of increasing volumes of incoming tourists, cattle livestock changes as well as the 20th century wetland reductions to feed the need of larger areas of farmland. The capacity to cope with low amounts of precipitation for periods of continuous years becomes increasingly challenging. This paper examines the awareness of water scarcity among tourism and farming businesses in Öland and Gotland, as well as measures taken to mitigate of impacts and freshwater use. Focus group interviews as well as surveys have been conducted among tourism and farming businesses and stakeholders in Öland and Gotland. The results show significant differences between tourism- and farming stakeholders regarding perception of causes and effects of water scarcity. Variation in responses is also seen in water management issues as well as matters of responsibility and solutions. There is also a difference between tourism- and farming businesses regarding mitigation and the actions and measures taken to secure freshwater their access or reduce freshwater abstraction.

To achieve high rates of waste reuse and recycling, waste separation in households is essential. This study aimed to reveal how recycling programmes in Sweden and Bulgaria influenced inhabitants' participation in separation of household waste. The waste separation behaviour of 111 university students from Kalmar, Sweden and 112 students from Plovdiv, Bulgaria was studied using the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework. The results showed that a lack of proper conditions for waste separation can prevent individuals from participating in this process, regardless of their positive attitudes. When respondents were satisfied with the local conditions for waste separation their behaviour instead depended on their personal attitudes towards waste separation and recycling. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.