Environmental Health Insights最新文献

Background: Wastewater treatment is crucial to protecting public health and the environment by removing Biohazards. In Ethiopia, however, significant research gaps limit progress, especially regarding the efficiency of Biohazard removal in existing treatment facilities. This review evaluates the effectiveness of current treatment methods for Biohazard removal, highlights key challenges, and offers recommendations.

Methods: This scoping review followed PRISMA guidelines, systematically searching databases like NLM. Science Direct, HINARI and Scopus for Biohazard removal studies in Ethiopia, with independent reviewers screening and analyzing relevant data to identify key challenges.

Results: Out of 1218 studies initially recorded by title and abstract, only 11 articles were selected for analysis. The Activated Sludge Process emerged as a highly effective system, achieving 85% to 95% removal of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and total coliforms. Other methods, such as the Conventional Activated Sludge, and Anaerobic-Aerobic Reactors, demonstrated promising results but were found only in select locations. However, the widely adopted Oxidation Ponds, Ethiopia's most common wastewater treatment system, showed the lowest AMR removal efficiency, at just 30% to 50%. Significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, high operational costs, and weak regulatory enforcement.

Conclusions and recommendations: The review underscores the need for affordable wastewater treatment in Ethiopia, highlighting challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and high costs. To enhance effectiveness and reduce public health risks from Biohazards like AMR, recommendations include adopting cost-effective treatment technologies, strengthening regulatory frameworks, increasing public awareness, promoting corporate responsibility, and investing in infrastructure for sustainable wastewater management.

Due to the remoteness of rural areas, the impact of environmental pollution on residents' health has not received adequate attention. This study examined the relationship between coal consumption and residents' health status in rural areas in China between 2005 and 2021. We explored the impact of air pollution caused by coal combustion on the health of rural residents in China and provided associated countermeasures. The annual number of medical visits of rural residents was evaluated via multiple regression, and the Pearson correlation and Granger causality tests were used to evaluate the relationships between coal consumption and the changes in mortality rates of various diseases in rural areas. The results revealed that coal consumption for domestic use had a significant (P < .001) positive effect on the frequency of medical treatment, whereas this effect was not significant at the production end. Significant positive correlations existed between coal consumption in rural areas and increased mortality rates for 7 out of the 10 main diseases. Causal relationships were identified between coal consumption and increased mortality rates due to urogenital system diseases and nervous system diseases. The empirical results of this study suggest that the gradual promotion of clean energy replacement of coal with electricity and natural gas in rural areas should reduce the probability of exposure to gas emitted from coal combustion for rural residents. Related diseases in coal-consuming areas should be screened regularly to effectively protect the health and safety of rural residents.

Background: The decline in wheat output in Ethiopia is widely attributed to pests, which has led to a rise in the usage of pesticides to boost productivity. The degree of pesticides sorption and degradation which influence the likelihood of environmental contamination from pesticides seeping into water bodies from soil has not yet been published for Ethiopian soils. The study aimed at to quantify the levels of pesticide residues, assess glyphosate's adsorption capabilities and degradation rate in the soils.

Materials and methods: QuEChERS method of extraction was employed to determine the concentration of the respective pesticides. The adsorption capacities of glyphosate in agricultural soils of Cheha and Dinsho districts were measured using batch adsorption techniques.

Results: Six pesticide residues were found in 12 soil samples at varied quantities. Glyphosate (24.00-219.31 µg kg^-1), s-metolachlor (23.67-220.67 µg kg^-1), chlorpyrifos (27.74 202.67 µg kg^-1), pyroxulam (14.67-50.65 µg kg^-1), florasulam (78.00-250.67 µg kg^-1), malathion (15.00-49.67 µg kg^-1). The experimental results showed that glyphosate was slightly sorbed at SD10 soil (18.91 μg^-1-n mLⁿ g^-1) in comparison to SC1 soil (114.66 μg^-1-n mLⁿ g^-1). Organic matter and clay content proving to be the principal factors influencing the process. According to adsorption experimental data, chemisorption is the major process in glyphosate adsorption, with the pseudo-second order kinetic model providing the best fit (R ² = .99). The soils in the study area exhibit notable variations in glyphosate rate of degradation (0.0076-0.0221 week^-1). The findings show that the main soil variables affecting the half-life (glyphosate degradation) were clay concentrations (R ² = .48; P = .013), pH (R ² = .55; P = .0055), Organic matter (R ² = .74; P = .00027), Fe_ox (R ² = .50; P = .0105), and Al_ox (R ² = .73; P = .00046).

Conclusion: The weak glyphosate adsorption capabilities of soils can be a good indicator that the pesticide residues in the soil are poised to endanger soil organisms and contaminate nearby water bodies through runoff and leaching.

Background: School-based interventions are crucial for promoting healthy behaviors in children and preventing the spread of diseases. This study aimed to enhance hygiene knowledge and practices (K&P) among school children through a school-based intervention.

Objective: To improve personal and environmental hygiene K&P amongst primary and middle-grade students in urban squatter settlement schools in Karachi, Pakistan using school-based intervention.

Design: Quasi-experimental study conducted in three schools over 2 years.

Setting: Urban squatter settlement schools in Karachi, Pakistan, serving primary, and middle-grade students.

Participants: A total of 156 students participated in the study, with a majority of 55.77% being girls (n = 87). Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention.

Intervention: Behavioral Change Communication (BCC) strategies aimed at improving school children's hygiene K&P.

Primary outcome measures: The primary outcome measures included changes in hygiene K&P pre- and post-intervention, specifically focusing on personal hygiene and environmental hygiene.

Results: Significant improvements observed post-intervention. Mean knowledge score differences were 20.33 (SD = 5.85) for personal hygiene and 10.08 (SD = 7.72) for environmental hygiene. Practice scores also increased, with mean differences of 2.52 (SD = 1.98) and 2.47 (SD = 2.08) for personal and environmental hygiene, respectively. Statistically significant improvements (P < .05) were noted across most of the hygiene domains.

Conclusions: The school-based intervention effectively improved personal and environmental hygiene K&P among primary and middle-grade children in urban squatter settlement schools. Key recommendations include integrating hygiene education into the curriculum, providing enabling environment to children and capacity building of school teachers to teach hygiene education.

This study evaluated the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the carcinogenic risks of cattle and goat meats singed with either firewood, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or tyres from five cities in Ghana. The meat samples, before and after singeing, as well as after scraping and washing, were collected from abattoirs and sent to Clinical Analysis Laboratory (Can-Lab) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for PAH analysis. Tyre-singed meats exhibit significantly higher PAHs concentrations (P = .01304) compared to those singed with firewood and LPG. Benzo[a]pyrene was the predominant PAH in tyre-singed cattle and goat meats, with concentrations of 23.1 mg/kg and 12.16 mg/kg, respectively. Washing singed meats reduced PAH levels, yet tyre-singed samples retained higher and dangerous concentrations than those singed with other fuels. Statistical analysis using ANOVA confirmed a significant effect of fuel type on PAH16 concentrations (P = .01304). The Tukey HSD test indicated a significant difference between LPG and tyre (P = .0105). Estimated daily intake (EDI) calculations highlighted potential health risks, particularly from tyre-singed meats, which exceeded regulatory limits set by health authorities. The findings emphasize the health hazards associated with consuming meats singed with tyres in Ghana and underscore the need for stringent regulatory measures and public awareness to mitigate PAH exposure.

Background: Vegetables play critical role in human nutrition and overall health. However, consumption of vegetables cultivated through wastewater-impacted river can be source of potentially toxic heavy metals, which can cause detrimental health effects when their concentration exceeds the recommended maximum levels. Despite growing body of evidence highlighting the dangers associated with heavy metal accumulation in vegetables, there remains critical gap in systematic assessments within Ethiopian context. Therefore, objective of this review is to reveal heavy metals concentrations in vegetables grown with wastewater-impacted river and assess associated public health risks.

Methodology: Research articles published in English were identified through systematic searching using electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, WHO/FAO library, and searching from Google manually. The outcomes of interest were mean concentration of heavy metals in vegetables and associated health risks. Cross-sectional studies that met inclusion criteria were considered. Data were extracted by independent reviewers. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using critical appraisal tools. Moreover, health risks of consumers were assessed through evaluating estimated daily intakes (EDI), Health Risk Index (HRI), and Hazard Index (HI).

Results: Nineteen articles were included in this systematic review. The findings revealed that the mean concentration of Pb, Cr, Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn, and Fe in tested vegetables ranged from: 0.28-7.68, 0.75-33.01, 0.14-3.93, 0.05-3.13, ND-4.25, 0.92-15.33, 2.13-13.1, 18.27-62.83, 8.83-331.8, and 177.8-1034.3 mg/kg (dry weight), respectively. The EDI of Pb, Cr, Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn, and Fe in vegetables was range from: 0.00104-0.0286, 0.00279-0.123, 0.00052-0.0146, 0.0000372-0.0116, 0.0124-0.0158, 0.00342-0.0439, 0.0079-0.0487, 0.068-0.23, 0.03-1.23, and 0.53-3.84 mg/kg/day, respectively. The HRI of toxic heavy metals for all vegetable types ranged as; Pb (0.26-7.15), Cr (0.00186-0.0820), Cd (0.52-14.6), As (0.12-38.7), and Hg (1.24-1.58). The HRI due to consumption of all vegetables was 35, 0.168, 46.6, 70, and 2.82 for Pb, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg, respectively indicating severe health impact except for Cr.

Conclusion: This review underscores health implications linked to consumption of vegetables cultivated using wastewater in Ethiopia. It revealed that the concentration of toxic heavy metals in vegetables grown with wastewater-affected water was higher than the maximum allowable safe limit set for edible vegetables by WHO that would be a public health risk.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that are widely present in many industries. Monitoring and analyzing PFAS in Africa is challenging due to the limited availability of mass spectrometry (MS), which is an essential technique for detecting PFAS. This review assesses the scope and impact of the shortage of mass spectrometry instruments in Africa, emphasizing the resulting limitations in monitoring environmental and public health threats. The review analyzes the existing PFAS monitoring, the accessibility of MS instruments, and the technical capabilities within the continent. This study suggests that fewer African countries have sufficient MS instruments, resulting in significant underreport of environmental data and related public health issues. The review proposes financial support and programs to address these difficulties to provide necessary MS instruments. The review suggests that it is highly important to develop regional centers of excellence for PFAS monitoring using MS instruments and investing in training programs to address the gap in monitoring efforts. So, enhancing these are crucial for the successful management of the environment and safeguarding public health from the effects of PFAS contamination.

I read with great interest the recent study by Omohwovo on wastewater management challenges in Africa, which has strong parallels with the Philippines' own struggles in this area. Like Africa, our country is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanization without the necessary infrastructure to support effective wastewater treatment. The Philippines is also facing poor wastewater management that has led to severe heath concerns for humans, animals, and ecosystem. Since wastewater treatment and disposal facilities are rare, domestic wastewater is discharged without treatment. This has resulted in serious public health risks and environmental damage-problems that mirror those highlighted in Africa and emphasize the urgency of meeting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) for clean water and sanitation. This paper aims to provide guidelines for the Philippine government to consider localized solutions and policy integration to solve the issue of wastewater management in the Philippines.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1177/11786302241276667.].

Climate change represents an unprecedented global public health crisis with extensive and profound implications. The Lancet Commission identified it as the foremost health challenge of the 21st century. In 2015, air pollution alone caused approximately 9 million premature deaths worldwide. Climate change also exacerbates extreme weather events, displacement, mental health disorders, disease vectors, food insecurity, and malnutrition, particularly impacting vulnerable developing countries like Pakistan due to its agricultural reliance, diverse topography, and limited resources. This study assesses Pakistani medical students' perceptions of climate change's health impacts. Conducted in February 2024, a cross-sectional survey of 632 students using a standardized questionnaire was employed via online Google Forms. The questionnaire was validated and an Exploratory Factor Analysis identified seven subscales of environmental health consciousness. The mean participant age was 21.17 years, with a balanced gender distribution. Students showed high environmental health consciousness (Mean = 35.6, SD = 5.2), with 88% attributing climate change to human activities and 89.1% anticipating serious future health impacts. Significant concerns included air quality-related illness (91%), water-availability illness (86%), healthcare disruption (85%), cold-related illness (83%), and flooding-related displacement (87%). Psychological impacts were acknowledged by 68%. Household income, age, and gender were significant predictors. These results highlight the need for integrating climate change and health education into medical curricula to prepare future healthcare providers.