Environmental Health Insights最新文献

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.

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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.

In Bangladesh, ensuring food safety from various hazardous contaminants, including heavy metals in different food items, has become a significant policy concern. This systematic review aimed to summarize the heavy metal contamination of locally produced fruits in Bangladesh and estimate the subsequent health risks of heavy metals upon consumption of reported fruits. A total of 1458 articles were retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar, and manual Google searching, of which 10 were included in the current review. Health risks associated with the intake of these metals were evaluated in terms of estimated daily intake and carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks by target cancer risk, target hazard quotient, and hazard index. The heavy metal concentrations (mg/kg of fresh edible weight) in the fruits were As (ND-1.3), Cd (ND-0.64), Pb (ND-2.4), Cr (ND-2.5), Mn (ND-570), Ni (ND-9.0), Cu (0.5-32), Zn (0.24-134), and Hg (ND-0.006). The concentration of different heavy metals in various fruits particularly in the banana, mango, jackfruit, guava, litchi, blackberry, lemon, and tamarind fruit, were higher than the maximum acceptable concentration. All of the metals were consumed daily in amounts below the maximum tolerated daily intake for all fruits. The results showed that, except for As, all metals' target hazard quotients were below the safety level. The target hazard quotient for strawberry, guava, mango, pineapple, banana, and papaya surpassed the safety level. On the other hand, the target cancer risk levels of As, Cd, Cr, and Ni were higher than the acceptable levels for most fruit items, suggesting that long-term exposure to these toxic metals may raise the risk of developing various malignancies, including stomach and lung cancer. A more integrated strategy to reduce the contamination burden of heavy metals in fruits is important to conserve the health of the population.

Background: Vegetables and fruits are vital components of a healthy diet; however, consuming unclean, uncooked, or improperly prepared products can lead to parasitic infections. Contamination often occurs during both the pre-harvest and post-harvest phases. Thus, the aim of this study is to provide evidence-based scientific information about the level of parasitic contamination and risk factors in Ethiopian fruits and vegetables sold in local markets.

Methods: A random effects model was selected for analysis. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity using the I ² test. Publication bias was evaluated using the funnel plot, Begg's, and Egger's tests.

Results: A total of 3697 samples from 11 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of parasitic contamination was 43.99% (1642/3697) with (95% CI: 38.04-49.95). The highest prevalence was recorded from helminths (26.42%), followed by protozoan infections (17.57%). The most predominant parasites were Entamoeba spp. (6.40%), Ascaris spp. (6.28%), Giardia spp. (5.98%), and Strongylida (4.59%). Contamination rate of fruits alone was 7.02%, while that of vegetables was 36.97%. Additionally, cabbage (8.14%), lettuce (6.46%), tomato (6.12%), carrot (5.71%), and green pepper (5.12%) were the most contaminated vegetables. Factors such as the vegetable produce (aOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 0.86-3.65) and not washed prior to display (aOR = 3.36; 95% CI: 2.00-4.73) were factors associated significantly with parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables.

Conclusion: The current finding revealed a significant level of parasitic contamination in fruits and vegetables. As a result, food and drug regulatory bodies, the agricultural sector, and public health organizations need to educate vendors, farmers, and consumers about safe methods for growing, transporting, handling, and eating these products, while also ensuring the establishment of safe market environments.

Registration: The review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration number "CRD42024585961."

Occupational exposure to smoke and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) poses significant health risks, especially for commercial fish smokers who are regularly exposed to high levels of smoke and particulate matter. This study aimed to evaluate the exposure levels and assess the health risks associated with PAHs, phenols, phthalates, and substituted benzenes among 155 fish smokers in Ghana. A total of 155 urine samples from fish smokers across selected coastal regions in Ghana were collected and analyzed. The sample preparation was conducted using the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERs) method, as standardized by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (A.O.A.C.). Analysis was performed utilizing the Shimadzu GC-MS QP 2020. The type of firewood used by fish smokers significantly influenced the levels of PAHs detected in the urine samples. Hardwoods such as odum, acacia, and cocoa, with their dense structures and combustion characteristics, were found to produce higher levels of PAHs. In contrast, softer woods like sugar cane and palm kernel released lower PAH levels during combustion. The findings indicate that fish smokers utilizing various wood types and unfiltered ovens, specifically the "Chorkor Oven," are exposed to elevated levels of PAHs, phenols, phthalates, and substituted benzenes through inhalation during work hours. Cancer risk assessments revealed risk levels for PAHs ranging from 6.00E-04 to 4.14E-01, phenols from 0.00E+00 to 3.70E-01, substituted benzenes from 9.04E-08 to 1.99E-01, and phthalates from 3E-04 to 2.09E+04. These values exceed the limits by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.E.P.A.) of 10E-06. Furthermore, the estimated non-cancer hazard quotient values for hydrocarbons ranged from 8.42E+00 to 1.99E+01, all exceeding the threshold of 1, as outlined by both the U.S.E.P.A. and the World Health Organization (WHO), indicating substantial potential health risks for commercial fish smokers.

The growing use of artificial turf in place of natural turf in residential, recreational and commercial settings has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on human health. A systematic review of databases revealed 5673 articles of which, 30 were deemed eligible. Those performing total concentration analyses, bioaccessibility analyses or human health risk assessments (HHRAs) of artificial turf fibres or crumb rubber infill were of interest. Health hazards and risks were explored in relation to three groups of chemicals of concern: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), heavy metals and other rubber additives. Twenty-five studies performed total concentration analyses on samples of artificial turf infill and/or turf fibres. Of these studies, median reported concentrations of eight PAHs, cadmium, mercury and zinc exceeded the European limits used. Eight studies performed bioaccessibility assays using synthetic biofluids and simulated organ systems. PAHs were not found to be bioaccessible except for benzo[a]pyrene in gastric fluid; heavy metals were bioaccessible except arsenic, and rubber additives were mostly bioaccessible except for three plasticisers: diisobutyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate. Fourteen studies performed HHRAs to determine non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk. Cancer risks were identified for ingestion exposure to PAH in children with pica and heavy metal exposure via dermal, inhalation and ingestion pathways. Non-carcinogenic risks were identified for the ingestion of cobalt in a child spectator and the ingestion of arsenic, cobalt, thallium and zinc. Potentially hazardous concentrations of chemicals were found across both artificial turf infill and artificial turf fibre samples; bioaccessibility of these chemicals varied. Definitive conclusions were unable to be derived on the human health risks posed to users of artificial turf under real-world exposure scenarios. Future studies are recommended to explore the risks associated with the potential synergistic toxicities of chemical mixtures found in artificial turf.

This study examines how EC, FF use, RC, POP growth, trade, GDP, and CO₂ emissions are interrelated in China. It aims to clarify how these factors together impact environmental pollution and economic sustainability. The motivation stems from China's dual challenge of sustaining economic growth while mitigating environmental degradation, particularly CO₂ emissions. Understanding the intricate relationships among these variables is critical for shaping adequate energy and environmental policies in the context of China's growing role as a global economic power. The empirical methodology utilizes time-series data from 2000 to 2023 and applies econometric techniques, including Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). These methods allow for exploring both long-term and short-term dynamics among the variables and identifying causal relationships. The key findings reveal a significant long-term relationship between EC, FF use, GDP, and CO₂ emissions, with RC increasingly crucial in mitigating carbon emissions. In the short term, there is bidirectional causality between energy utilization and economic growth, indicating mutual feedback between energy demand and economic development. POP growth and trade activities also significantly influence energy utilization patterns and emissions. The policy implications are profound: China must prioritize promoting RC, enhancing energy efficiency, and strengthening environmental regulations to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation. Policies should also integrate sustainable urban planning and international cooperation to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. These strategies ensure China can meet its economic goals without compromising environmental sustainability.

Background: Despite its significant application, DDT and its metabolites pose a potential threat to the environment. Therefore, data on environmental and health concerns must thus be investigated.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the environmental and human health risks posed by DDT and its metabolites in Ethiopian surface waters.

Methods: The total amount of DDT and its metabolites consumed as a sum (∑DDT) is calculated by considering their equivalent toxicity. To calculate the human risk from drinking contaminated water, the maximum concentrations in all of Ethiopia's surface waterways were pooled. The average concentration values were added to calculate the human risk from consuming fish contaminated with ∑DDT. Similarly, ∑DDT residues in water can be used to predict the potential environmental risk.

Results: A higher level of ∑DDT in surface water was detected in Gilgel Gibe I hydroelectric dam reservoir and its tributaries with an average concentration of 640 ng/l. There is no health risk associated with drinking these surface waters because the concentrations of ∑DDT were below the WHO's recommended level. In fish samples, B. intermedius accumulated a higher level of ∑DDT (21.47 ng/g ww). With the exception of local infants, ∑DDT does not pose a non-carcinogenic risk to any age group. However, consuming fish contaminated with ∑DDT poses an unacceptable risk of cancer to all age categories. The risk posed by ∑DDT on aquatic species is highly likely. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) value indicates that fish tissue does not absorb ∑DDT directly from the water.

Conclusion: The prevalence of ∑DDT would link to both historical pollution and their current application in vector control. Ecosystems are frequently exposed to chemical mixes later in life; thus, rather than focusing on the ideal case of exposure to a single toxin, future studies can examine the mixture toxicity of numerous organic contaminants.