Water is a unique and irreplaceable natural resource of limited quantities and uneven spatial and temporal distribution. All life forms and all human activities are more or less related to water, clearly showing the importance of the relationship with water. It is a necessary resource in households as drinking water, washing and food preparation, in agriculture for irrigation, and in industry it plays an important role in almost all industrial processes. Economic development and urbanization lead, on the one hand, to a large increase in water demand, and on the other hand to the threat to water resources and the aquatic environment. Water can thus become a limiting factor in development, a threat to human health and the sustainability of natural ecosystems. Until recently, there was a centuriesold illusion of water inexhaustibility, and the concept of minimum investments for the purification of used water and water protection in general appeared. Much of the water used is not purified before it is discharged into watercourses and thus pollutes the water mass and reduces the resources of drinking water. Providing enough drinking water is one of the world's most important issues today. Therefore, it is especially important for every society to balance these relations and devise policies and strategies for the regulation, exploitation and protection of water resources.

The problem of air pollution has been a challenge for modern humanity in recent times. The environment, including the air, is burdened by a large amount of pollutants that are released into the environment. The atmosphere contains primary and secondary pollutants, emitted as basic or specific pollutants. Air pollution is present in industrial areas and larger cities, with the fact that there are no areas without any impact of air pollution. Air pollution is also present in the Republic of Srpska, as is the case in other areas. Areas of increased pollution in Republic of Srpska, with high concentrations of pollution, can further worsen the impact on the population and lead to unwanted health effects.

Waste is a by-product of human activities and living. With the increase in the number of inhabitants, the standard of living and urbanization, the quantities of municipal waste are increasing day by day. Every segment of waste management starting from generation, through collection, storage, transport, treatment and disposal can pose a potential hazard to human health and the environment. Waste management in Republic of Srpska is organized at the regional level. Since only waste disposal is still present in the Republic of Srpska, the regional approach implies that there is a landfill on the territory of one of the local self-government units, where all local self-government units in the region dispose of waste. In addition, waste disposal in illegal and unregulated landfills is still evident. LGUs or utility companies often face a lack of money to organize waste collection, with the result that not all households are covered by waste collection. In recent years, a lot has been invested in infrastructure, such as the filling of containers and containers and the purchase of new or newer used waste collection vehicles. Future directions of improving the waste management system in Republic of Srpska must go in the direction of sustainable waste management, ie waste management in a way to reduce the negative impact on human health and the environment, as well as avoiding leaving this problem to future generations.

Waste disposal is just one of the segments in solid municipal waste management system. During the entire life cycle of waste, starting from waste generation, through storage, collection, transport, recycling, treatment and disposal, several different pollutants are emitted. By disposing solid waste, non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) emits various pollutants into the air such as CO2, CO, NMVOC, PM, PAHs, heavy metals, etc. These substances can pose certain problems for human health and the environment. The subject of this study is the calculation of air emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, NMVOC, PM10, CO, Cd, Cr and PAHs (chrysene and benz[a]anthracene) from NRMM which are included in the activities of receiving and disposing of waste at the Banja Luka landfill. The study evaluates the emission of pollutants using the EEA guidelines for the assessment of the emission of pollutants into the air, based on the consumption of diesel fuel during the year. This study, which is based on the calculation of NRMM emissions at the Banja Luka landfill, should serve as an example not only to other landfills but also to sectors that use NRMM on the importance of keeping track of pollutant emissions. The goal is to look at these emissions and introduce changes and improvements in this sector by replacing old NRMMs with new ones, optimizing operation, using diesel of satisfactory quality, etc.

The municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill is recognized as an anthropogenic source of air pollutants that can have a negative impact on human health and the environment. Workers who work at the MSW landfill may be exposed to risk due to the inhalation of substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although VOCs account for 1% in landfill gas, they are important because of the high level of toxicity associated with them. Regular monitoring of air quality and risk assessment provides important information in protecting the health of workers at the landfill. This study focuses on a health risk assessment related to VOCs (benzene, toluene and xylene) exposure via inhalation for workers at a landfill Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, cancer risk and non-cancer risk of benzene, toluene and xylene of workers indicated that occupational exposures were above recommended standard. This implies that landfill workers are exposed to a significant health risk associated with inhalation exposure to VOCs

. Water samples were collected near the thermal power plant and coal mine (Gacko, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina) and analyzed to measure the concentration of 33 parameters (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, alkalinity as CaCO 3 , total hardness as CaCO 3 , total solids, total suspended matter, dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand with permanganate, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, P, PAH, PCBs, phenolic index, mineral oils, detergents, content of As, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Pb, sulfates, chlorides, fluorides, aerobic organotrophs, total coliforms, fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci). Determined average mean pH values and EC are within the reference values for class I surface water quality. The surface water in the study area is alkaline, with a mean pH value of 8.01. Depending on the location, other analyzed parameters correspond from I to V water quality classes. The ERI for As, Cd, Cr and Pb is low and for Mn is appreciable. The RI of the surface water in location 1 and 2 were moderate. In other locations, risk coefficients are low.

Abstract Waste transport is just one of the segments in the solid municipal waste management. Throughout the entire waste life cycle, starting by generation of waste, via storing, collecting, transporting, recycling, treating and depositing, several different polluting substances are emitted. The solid waste transport, apropos, transporting vehicles emit into the air different pollution substances such as CO2, CO, NOx, NMVOC, PM, PAHs etc. These substances can present certain problems for human health and environment. The research subject of this study is the analysis of solid waste transportation within the Banja Luka region (B&H), from towns and municipalities belonging to the region and transporting their mixed municipal waste to the Banja Luka landfill. In the analysis, following parameters are included: distance to the landfill, type of vehicle used for the waste transportation, type of the engine, vehicle capacity and the number of tours during a year. The study estimates the emission of CO, NOx, NMVOC, and PM2.5 during one year using the listed parameters and by applying EMEP/EEA guidelines for estimating the emission of polluting substances into the air. The largest emission of polluting substances (CO, NOx, NMVOC and PM2.5) is from the oldest vehicles. The newest vehicles had a significantly lesser emission of these polluting substances into the air. The recommendation for decreasing the emission from the transportation vehicles is to organise the transfer-stations, procure new vehicles, optimise the collection routes and decrease the number of tours, as well as to better the usage of the vehicle capacity level.

Soil samples were collected in an industrial area (Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina) and analyzed the concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total concentration of 16 PAHs in surface soil varied within the range of 0.599-2.848 mg/kg and in deeper layer soil samples 0.041-0.320 mg/kg. Two basic sources of PAHs at this location are: pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. Benzo(a)pyrene toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) were used to calculate BaPeq in order to evaluate carcinogenic risk of soil contamination with PAHs. The total BaPeq of seven carcinogenic PAHs in surface soil and deeper soil layer were in the range 23.270-368.63 µg/kg (mean of 151.223 µg/kg), and 15.71-80.24 µg/kg, (mean of 48.08 µg/kg), respectively. These indicated that PAHs in this industrial soil presented relatively high toxicity potential. This study identifies the concentration and estimation of the potential cancer risk caused by contact with soils for adults, adolescents and children. In accordance with the estimated values of incremental life cancer risks (ILCRs), the cancer risk resulting from contact with the contaminated surface soil should be considered high (total ILCR>10 -3 ). The results suggest that current PAHs concentration highly carcinogenic and may hold a serious health risk for local residents and employees.

This study examined the concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and groundwater at a former cellulose factory in the city of Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The objective of the study was to determine the concentrations of 16 PAHs in soil and groundwater at the site. The research area consisted of four representative locations in the industrial complex where the soil was sampled at depths of 0.3, 1, 2, 3, and 4 m and groundwater was sampled at 3.10, 2.50 and 3 m for two samples. In addition to the 16 PAHs, soil organic matter content and pH were also measured. The sum of the 16 PAHs (Σ16PAHs) in soil ranged from 0.99 to 2.24, 0.34 to 0.46, 0.24 to 0.32, 0.13 to 0.27 and 0.13 to 0.47 mg/kg for the 0.3, 1, 2, 3, and 4 m depths, respectively. Mean values were 1.70, 0.40, 0.28, 0.20 and 0.26 mg/kg, respectively. The Σ16PAHs in groundwater ranged from 0.23 to 4.50 mg/m3, with a mean value of 1.42 mg/m3. The concentrations of all 16 PAHs in the soil decreased with depth and there was no significant correlation between the concentrations of PAHs in the soil and groundwater. The concentrations of PAHs in the soil surface (0.3 m) and groundwater indicate that this industrial site is heavily contaminated and might need remedial action. Factor analysis indicates three sources of contamination, i.e. principal component (PC) PC1 (pyrogenic), PC2 (petrogenic) and PC3 (biomass), with 52.39%, 26.14% and 8.46% of the total variance, respectively. The results of this study reflect the effects of coal combustion (pyrogenic origin), petrogenic and biomass origin and may provide basic data for the remediation of PAHs in the location.