Environmental Health Insights最新文献

Introduction: Household water treatment practices, also known as point-of-use water management, offer means to enhance the overall drinking water quality and reduce the prevalence of diarrheal diseases. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of information on household water treatment practices and related factors in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of water treatment practices and associated factors in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We conducted a search of eligible primary studies in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Hinari, as well as gray literature available in online repositories. The Stata v.17 software was utilized to extract and analyze the data obtained from these studies. To determine the overall pooled prevalence of water treatment practices and their predictors, a weighted inverse-variance random-effects model was employed. We assessed variations across the included studies using forest plots, funnel plots, I ² statistics, and Egger's tests.

Results: In this study, we reviewed a total of 927 articles, 28 of which were eligible for inclusion. The overall pooled prevalence of water treatment practices in sub-Saharan Africa was 36.31(95% CI: 27.64, 44.98). The factors associated with water treatment practices included having formal education (AOR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.70, 3.34), being male (AOR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.39, 2.29), having a higher income (AOR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.39, 3.25), and having received training in water treatment (AOR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.59, 3.18).

Conclusions: In this review, the pooled prevalence of water treatment practices in sub-Saharan Africa was found to be considerably low. Therefore, we recommend that household heads receive enhanced information on water treatment practices through strengthened health education and intensive training in small-scale water treatment practices.

Background: Candida is one of the common pathogens in nosocomial infections. Culture is the gold standard for diagnosing candidemia. Candida albicans is identified via the germ tube test, which uses serum as the culture medium, which is costly and time-consuming. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare a relatively simple, fast, and reliable method for the detection of Candida albicans.

Methods: We conducted this randomized case study at Taipei City Hospital (TCH) from January 2023 to August 2023, with a total of 30 specimen culture reports collected and confirmed to be cases of Candida albicans infection. A germ tube test was performed in a 37°C water bath using serum, plasma, and safe plasma products (Fresh Frozen Plasma, FFP). Further, the same procedures were repeated with the addition of 22% bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the identification/culture.

Results: By adding BSA, more than 50% of the budding phenomenon was observed in 40 minutes, which shortened the diagnosis time compared with the traditional method (2-3 hours). Using BSA can shorten the identification time for early clinical medication and improve the quality of medical care.

Conclusion: Using safer plasma products for germ tube test of candidiasis not only reduced the risk of infection for medical technicians but could also replace the serum used in traditional methods to increase convenience and save time. This study proposed BSA as a germ tube induction medium enhancer, which reduced the culture time, thereby enabling quicker diagnosis of C. albicans infections.

Despite steady progress in the development and promotion of the circular economy as a model, an overwhelming proportion of technological devices discarded by the Global North still finds its way to the Global South, where technology-related environmental health problems start from the predation of resources and continue all the way to recycling and disposal. We reviewed literature on TCEs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), focussing on: the sources and levels of environmental pollution; the extent of human exposure to these substances; their role in the aetiology of human diseases; their effects on the environment. Our review shows that even minor and often neglected technology-critical elements (TCEs), like rare earth elements (REEs) and platinum group elements (PGEs), reveal the environmental damage and detrimental health effects caused by the massive mining of raw materials, exacerbated by improper disposal of e-waste (from dumping to improper recycling and open burning). We draw attention of local research on knowledge gaps such as workable safer methods for TCE recovery from end-of-life products, secondary materials and e-waste, environmental bioremediation and human detoxification. The technical and political shortcomings in the management of TCEs in SSA is all the more alarming against the background of unfavourable determinants of health and a resulting higher susceptibility to diseases, especially among children who work in mines and e-waste recycling sites or who reside in dumping sites.This paper demonstrates, for the first time, that the role of unjust North-South dynamics is evident even in the environmental levels of minor trace elements and that the premise underlying attempts to solve the problem of e-waste dumped in Africa through recycling and disposal technology is in fact misleading. The influx of foreign electrical and electronic equipments should be controlled and limited by clearly defining what is a 'useful' second-hand device and what is e-waste; risks arising from device components or processing by-products should be managed differently, and scientific uncertainty and One Health thinking should be incorporated in risk assessment.

This study evaluated the health implications and oncological impact of consuming glycidyl esters (GE) and 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol esters (3-MCPDE) in selected Asian and European populations. Data on dietary GE and 3-MCPDE were compiled from 10 studies conducted in China, Taiwan, Poland, and Spain, identified through a systematic search in PubMed and ScienceDirect databases from 2012 to 2022. Studies on food supplements and analytical methods were excluded from the analysis. Health metrics for these nations, spanning 2015 to 2019, were sourced from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, among others. A Monte Carlo Simulation was employed for data analysis. The results showed that "grains and grain products" was the most consumed food category (260.45-395.35 g/day), whereas "food for infants and children" was the least consumed (0.01-0.09 g/day). Additionally, "fats from animal or plant origin" had the highest contamination levels. While 3-MCPDE exposures remained within safe limits, median GE exposure correlated with an incidence of colon cancer ranging from 3.66 × 10^-8 to 0.744%, lung cancer from 0.00256 to 0.287%, and breast cancer from 0.0262 to 2.42% within the study areas. This translated to a total cancer burden of 6.69 to 1020 Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per 100 000 individuals. The population in China recorded the highest DALY rate (1,020), followed by Spain (30.2), Poland (19.7), and Taiwan (6.69). Projections suggest an uptick in GE-related cancer cases and associated burdens in the coming decades attributed to demographic shifts, ageing populations, and dietary changes. The study underscores the urgency of mitigating GE and 3-MCPDE food contamination, bolstering public health awareness, and establishing safety guidelines.

The unprecedented 2021 Heat Dome caused wide-ranging and long-lasting impacts in western Canada, including 619 confirmed heat-related deaths in British Columbia, a doubling of emergency medical calls, increased hospitalisations, infrastructure failures and stress on plants and animals. However, such varied socio-economic consequences of extreme heat can be challenging to capture using a single post-event analysis method. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative approaches and data sources. Using the 2021 Heat Dome as a case study, a post-event analysis using online news media articles (n = 2909) from 5 subscription news databases and a grey literature search was conducted to identify the socio-economic impacts of the extreme heat event in Canada. The articles reported a wide range of effects to the natural environment (n = 1366), social infrastructure and services (n = 1121), human health (n = 1074), critical infrastructure (n = 988) and the private sector (n = 165). The media-based post-event analysis captured various impacts, some of which have not been identified through other data sources and approaches. Overall, we show that media analysis can complement traditional post-event analysis methods and provide additional perspectives to governments and public health and safety officials.

Heat poses a major environmental risk to occupational safety, necessitating timely insights into associated risks to safeguard workers. In June 2022, the National Weather Service (NWS) initiated operational wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) forecasts, offering valuable information for heat risk management. This study evaluates the effectiveness of NWS WBGT forecasts, aiming to identify potential areas of caution and improvements for their application for occupational safety management. To this end, the study examines 1.3 million hourly historical NWS WBGT forecast data, comparing it with observed data from 252 weather stations across the US during the summer of 2023. The results offer key insights, revealing that: (1) the accuracy of NWS WBGT forecasts is influenced more by the times of interest than by the forecast horizons; (2) NWS WBGT forecast accuracy varies across different climates in the US, with air temperature bias being the most influential factor in this inaccuracy; and (3) while NWS WBGT forecasts accurately identify the lowest heat risks (i.e. no heat risk), their performance decreases at higher risk levels, emphasizing the importance of careful interpretation in safety management. These insights offer guidance for more cautious interpretations of NWS WBGT forecasts and lay the foundation for future studies on leveraging operational weather forecasting services in effective heat mitigation strategies.

Anthropogenic climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme heat events, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Many of the populations at greatest risk from the health threats of extreme heat are also more likely to receive health insurance coverage from the Medicaid program. While Medicaid has not historically covered air conditioners, an increasing number of states are offering coverage. Of the Medicaid programs administered by the 50 states and Washington DC, 13 currently offer an air conditioner coverage benefit and 2 have applied to offer coverage to the federal government. Most of these states have obtained various types of waivers under the Social Security Act to cover air conditioners. Section 1115 waivers tend to offer more flexible and holistic coverage. The states offering coverage vary in the types of air conditioners covered, the approximate frequency with which air conditioners have been furnished, and the billing codes utilized. The lack of a specific billing code or procedure modifier code for air conditioners is a barrier to tracking the effectiveness, reach, and implementation of air conditioner coverage policies within and across states.

A significant limitation to cattle production is animal trypanosomosis, which threatens household food security and livelihoods. In addition to stalling livestock productivity, the disease has a devastating impact on animal health. Besides, halting livestock productivity, the disease has a devastating effect on health. Thus, the objectives this study was to assess the epidemiology, and financial impacts of bovine trypanosomosis on livestock producers' in Arba Minch and Zuria districts of Gamo zone, Ethiopia, from December 2021 to January 2023. Both repeated survey and cross-sectional study were carried out to assess the economic losses, estimate the prevalence and assess the determinants of bovine trypanosomosis. Direct microscopy was applied using buffy coat method to detect trypanosome parasite. The study included 182 households and 384 bovine species. Bovine trypanosomosis caused substantial economic losses through cattle mortality, drug purchases, and the oxen's loss of draft power. Also, farmers spent a significantly (P < .05) higher amount of money treating trypanosomosis than all other diseases combined. The annual losses per household were estimated to be 9528 ± 1754 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) (95% CI: 6065-12 992) (US$ 176.4) which were spent on purchasing trypanocidal drugs per year per household. The overall mortality from bovine trypanosomiasis was 8.8%. Many farmers prioritized draft power losses as the most significant impact of the disease. Analysis of blood samples also showed a 7.8% overall prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis. The disease burden was significantly (P < .05) higher in the black body coat animals compared to white ones. This study showed that trypanosomosis is an important animal health problem and a potential threat to health and productivity of cattle in Arba Minch and zuria districts of Gamo, Southern Ethiopia. The common trypanocidal drugs were administered by the farmers themselves. Hence, policymakers and professionals should prevent irrational drug use and regularly monitor local trypanocide usage.

Purpose: The construction industry is a diverse sector with exposure to multiple psychosocial and environmental workplace hazards that increase the risk of injury. This scoping review aims to consolidate the existing literature on the physical and psychosocial determinants influencing the risk of occupational physical injuries among construction workers globally.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA extension checklist guided. Literature searches were performed between June and October 2023 in electronic academic databases.

Results: A total of 77 studies were identified, encompassing various geographical regions, including North America (n = 29), Africa (n = 18), Europe (n = 12), Asia (n = 9), the Middle East (n = 5), and Oceania (n = 4). The review identified physical and psychosocial factors in 3 domains influencing occupational physical injuries: workplace physical environment (eg, exposure to physical hazards, availability and utilization of personal protective equipment, company size, and job type), workplace culture (eg, psychosocial stressors, gender-related barriers, migrant and ethnic disparities, educational background), and physical wellbeing, health and aging (eg, age, obesity, sleep quality, marital stats, and physical health status). Notably, workers from social minority groups (eg, women, ethnic and migrant workers) of young (<25 years old) or older ages (45-55 years old) employed in smaller construction companies are vulnerable to increased injury risk and exposure to physical and psychosocial hazards in the workplace.

Conclusion: The review emphasizes a global paucity of research examining the implications of physical and psychosocial factors on injury risk within the construction industry. Future research should prioritize investigating the impact of psychosocial hazards on younger and older workers to detect age-related differences in injury rate, treatment access, and work-related health outcomes.

Background: Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) has significant public health implications and a wide range of adverse health effects, including cardiovascular, respiratory, pulmonary, and other health problems. This study aimed to determine the public health impacts of traffic-related air pollution across the world that can be used as an input for protecting human health.

Methods: This study considered studies conducted across the world and full-text articles written in English. The articles were searched using a combination of Boolean logic operators (AND, OR, and NOT), MeSH, and keywords from the included electronic databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholars). The quality assessment of the articles was done using JBI tools to determine the relevance of each included article to the study.

Results: In this study, 1 282 032 participants ranging from 19 to 452 735 were included in 30 articles published from 2010 to 2022. About 4 (13.3%), 9 (30.0%), 12 (40.0%), 8 (26.7%), 2 (6.7%), 15 (50.0%), 3 (10.0%), 3 (10.0%) 1 (3.3%), and 3 (10.0%) of articles reported the association between human health and exposure to CO, PM10, PM2.5, NO_x, NO, NO₂, black carbon, O₃, PAH, and SO₂, respectively. Respiratory diseases, cancer, cognitive function problems, preterm birth, blood pressure and hypertension, diabetes, allergies and sensitization, coronary heart disease, dementia incidence, and hemorrhagic stroke were associated with exposure to TRAP.

Conclusions: Exposure to nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and fine particulate matter was associated with various health effects. This revealed that there is a need for the concerned organizations to respond appropriately.