Sustainable development is an approach that pursues development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. It covers three dimensions: economic, social and environmental, aiming to achieve equitable, inclusive and environmentally friendly progress. By balancing resource use, social justice and ecological protection, sustainable development aims to create a more prosperous, healthy and hopeful future that provides equal opportunities for people everywhere and protects the integrity of the Earth's ecosystems for long-term Prosperity and well-being. With the development of global industrialization, more and more chemical factories have been built, but few people pay attention to the physical condition of workers in chemical factories. Most employees in chemical factories in my country have become ill due to long-term exposure to chemical substances, especially p-cresol among phenolic substances. p-Cresol is an organic compound that is widely used in industry. During the industrial production process, long-term exposure to and inhalation of p-cresol can cause harm to workers' skin, eyes, kidneys, respiratory system, and nervous system, and may even pose a potential cancer risk.

Since our goal is to monitor the factory environment and help protect workers against illnesses caused by p-cresol contamination, our project certainly touches the realm of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Sustainable Development Goals are a series of international development goals proposed by the United Nations in 2017. In our projects we call for action to address global environmental and social challenges, among others. This year we will be working with: 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, 14: Life Under Water, 15: Life on Land

As of September 2021, United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims to ensure health and promote well-being, focusing on improving the health of the global population, reducing premature death and birth, and achieving universal health coverage. For Goal 3, the current status of non-communicable diseases is: the incidence of various non-communicable diseases is increasing globally, which requires more health education and intervention measures.

After we saw on the news that factory employees frequently suffer from various diseases, we also visited local hospitals and learned that hospitals near chemical factories receive many workers who fall ill due to chemical raw materials every year. Subsequently, we conducted a survey at a local p-cresol factory and asked the factory employees about their joining time and related symptoms. We surveyed a total of 60 employees in the factory, with working experience of less than or equal to one year, less than or equal to five years, and greater than Twenty in each of the five years, and the results were graphically analyzed. As shown in the figure, the employees who had just joined the company (≤1 year) had almost no obvious discomfort. Only one new employee who did not wear goggles as required reported a burning sensation in his eyes, accompanied by tears. However, almost all old employees who have been employed for more than one year have experienced symptoms of physical discomfort. 20% of employees said they had minor lung damage, 40% said they had insomnia and memory loss, and 30% suffered from kidney-related diseases. diseases, and the above three symptoms all show an increase in the number of employees as they work longer. For example, among the lung injuries, two employees had less than or equal to five years of service, and six employees had more than five years of service. The impact on the kidneys is even more disparate, with two employees having less than or equal to five years of service, and as many as ten employees having more than five years of service. Among old employees who have been employed for more than one year, only 10% have no relevant symptoms or no symptoms. It can be seen that even if protective measures are taken, if workers are exposed to p-cresol for a long time, different organs of the body will be affected to varying degrees.

Therefore, our project designed a p-cresol biosensor that can monitor the cresol concentration in the factory environment to ensure the health and safety of workers. This is linked to sub-goal 3 of Sustainable Development Goal 3, which specifically focuses on the health and safety of workers in hazardous environments and improving hygiene in the workplace through innovative technological means.

As of September 2021, United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 aims to protect and sustainably use oceans, marine resources and marine ecosystems. For Goal 14, the current status of marine pollution is: Pollutants in the ocean, especially plastic waste, harmful chemicals and oil pollution, pose a serious threat to the marine ecosystem.

After the production process of the third version of the p-cresol biosensor hardware matured, we went to the water source of the p-cresol factory to monitor p-cresol. After monitoring, we found that the downstream water source had serious p-cresol contamination. We went to inquire about it. The relevant person in charge of the factory said that the traditional monitoring instruments used before were not sensitive enough, resulting in the factory being unable to accurately monitor whether the treated sewage met the standards even if the factory carried out sewage treatment. The discharge of substandard sewage resulted in different downstream water sources. degree of pollution.

Our project has designed a p-cresol biosensor that can monitor the concentration of cresol in the factory environment. Through sensor technology, the release of harmful substances in the factory environment can be reduced, thereby reducing environmental pollution and providing support for the development of marine ecosystems. Make a certain contribution to protection. At the same time, this also reflects the concept of protecting marine ecosystems in Sustainable Development Goal 14, which is to maintain the sustainability of natural resources through technological innovation and environmental management.

As of September 2021, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15 aims to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, especially forests, grasslands, wetlands and mountains. For Goal 15, the current status of land degradation is: land over-exploitation, grassland degradation and soil erosion have affected the productivity and ecological functions of the land.

After the production technology of the third version of the p-cresol biosensor hardware matured, we also went to the land downstream of the p-cresol factory to monitor p-cresol. The pollution on our land was lower than that of water bodies, but compared with normal land. The pollution is still serious.

Our project has designed a p-cresol biosensor. By monitoring the concentration of harmful substances such as p-cresol, our sensor can reduce the release of pollutants in the factory environment, helping to protect the environment and reduce the pressure on the ecosystem. Our topic embodies the concept of Sustainable Development Goal 15, which is to maintain the health of terrestrial ecosystems through technology and innovation and provide certain support for the sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources.

Our project hopes to protect worker health and environmental safety through the development of p-cresol biosensors. We will continue to optimize sensor technology to monitor p-cresol concentration in real time and reduce health risks for chemical workers. In the future, we will work with governments and environmental organizations to promote this technology to reduce factory pollution to water bodies and terrestrial ecology. You will continue to carry out public education and publicity activities to raise society’s awareness of sustainable development and environmental protection. Through technological innovation and extensive cooperation, we hope to achieve more obvious results in protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development, and contribute to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.