Effluents from the paint industry have been a major source of environmental pollution. There is a need to investigate the compliance of wastewater discharged from paint industries with regulatory standards. In response, this study evaluates the physicochemical parameters of both raw and treated wastewater, the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) efficiencies as well as the compliance level of five selected paint manufacturing companies in Lagos, Nigeria with some regulatory standards: Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) in Nigeria, World Health Organization (WHO) and Department of Water Affairs (DWA) in South Africa. All parameters investigated were analysed using standard methods. The values of pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) levels were in the range of 4–12.2, 149.1–881.3 mS/m and 1100–6510 mg/L, respectively. The range of other parameters include total suspended solids (TSS); 0–2470 mg/L, TS; 1920–6510 mg/L, chloride; 63.8–733.8 mg/L, dissolved oxygen (DO); 0–6.7 mg/L, oil and grease (O & G); 44–100 mg/L, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD); 162.8–974.7 mg/L, chemical oxygen demand (COD); 543–1231 mg/L, nitrates;12.89–211.2 mg/L, phosphate; below detection limit (bdl)–0.02 mg/L, sulphate; 195–1434 mg/L, nickel; bdl–1.9 mg/L while copper, lead and chromium were below detection limits. The results indicated that the WWTPs of the studied paint companies were ineffective in reducing the TS, TSS, BOD, COD and (O & G) to acceptable limits. Routine monitoring of wastewater from paint industries is therefore recommended to prevent the risk of contamination to the receiving watershed which many communities rely on as source for domestic water.

Robotics and autonomous systems are reshaping the world, changing healthcare, food production and biodiversity management. While they will play a fundamental role in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals, associated opportunities and threats are yet to be considered systematically. We report on a horizon scan evaluating robotics and autonomous systems impact on all Sustainable Development Goals, involving 102 experts from around the world. Robotics and autonomous systems are likely to transform how the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved, through replacing and supporting human activities, fostering innovation, enhancing remote access and improving monitoring. Emerging threats relate to reinforcing inequalities, exacerbating environmental change, diverting resources from tried-and-tested solutions and reducing freedom and privacy through inadequate governance. Although predicting future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on the Sustainable Development Goals is difficult, thoroughly examining technological developments early is essential to prevent unintended detrimental consequences. Additionally, robotics and autonomous systems should be considered explicitly when developing future iterations of the Sustainable Development Goals to avoid reversing progress or exacerbating inequalities.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in dust from 16 cars, 12 homes, and 18 offices in Lagos, Nigeria. These represent the first and second reports respectively of contamination of Nigerian indoor dust with these contaminants, and the second report on PCBs in car dust worldwide. Concentrations of BDE-47 and BDE-99 in two car dust samples (9300 and 3700 ng g(-1) for BDE-47 and 4200 and 19,000 ng g(-1) for BDE-99), are amongst the highest ever reported in car dust. ANOVA comparison with Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA; reveals concentrations of BDEs-28, 49, 47, 66, 100, 99, 154, and 153 in Nigerian house dust, to be significantly lower than in Canada and the USA, with those of BDE-49 and 154 significantly lower than in New Zealand and the UK. Concentrations of BDE-209 in Nigeria were significantly lower than concentrations in the UK and the USA; while concentrations of PCB-180 were significantly greater than those in New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. Median concentrations of PCBs in cars were substantially higher than in the only previous study (in Kuwait and Pakistan). While median concentrations of PBDEs in cars generally exceeded those in homes, this was significant only for BDEs-49, 154, and 197, with concentrations in cars significantly greater than those in offices for BDEs-49 and 154. Contrastingly, concentrations of all target PCBs in offices exceeded significantly those in cars. This study underlines the truly global distribution of indoor contamination with PBDEs and PCBs.