Pub Date : 2020-01-08DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.84378
Calvin Atewamba, E. Rhodes
The chapter assesses key biophysical and economic factors of climate change impact chain in the agriculture sector of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), mainly within the decade following the launching of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and Maputo Accord. This is done through a review of literature and analysis of data mainly from international databases. We find that land resources for agricultural production are substantial, but land degradation and land productivity are serious problems, particularly in the context of climate change. Although the region has experienced unprecedented growth, financing agricultural development is still an issue. Developing quality infrastructure and stimulating agricultural trade may provide a win-win strategy to build resilience to climate change and strengthen economic development. The economics of adaptation to climate change in the agricultural sector of ECOWAS has mainly focused on the magnitude of costs and returns on country-wide and technology-specific measures. There is a need, however, to integrate biophysical and economic factors of climate change impact chain in sound analytical frameworks to provide “multi-metric” considerations of non-monetary and nonmarket measures, risks, inequities, and behavioral biases in addressing climate change.
{"title":"Biophysical and Economic Factors of Climate Change Impact Chain in the Agriculture Sector of ECOWAS","authors":"Calvin Atewamba, E. Rhodes","doi":"10.5772/intechopen.84378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84378","url":null,"abstract":"The chapter assesses key biophysical and economic factors of climate change impact chain in the agriculture sector of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), mainly within the decade following the launching of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and Maputo Accord. This is done through a review of literature and analysis of data mainly from international databases. We find that land resources for agricultural production are substantial, but land degradation and land productivity are serious problems, particularly in the context of climate change. Although the region has experienced unprecedented growth, financing agricultural development is still an issue. Developing quality infrastructure and stimulating agricultural trade may provide a win-win strategy to build resilience to climate change and strengthen economic development. The economics of adaptation to climate change in the agricultural sector of ECOWAS has mainly focused on the magnitude of costs and returns on country-wide and technology-specific measures. There is a need, however, to integrate biophysical and economic factors of climate change impact chain in sound analytical frameworks to provide “multi-metric” considerations of non-monetary and nonmarket measures, risks, inequities, and behavioral biases in addressing climate change.","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130704114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-01-08DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.90342
Mirzi L. Betasolo, C. Smith
As climate change impact is affecting all countries, water scarcity is continually a pressing issue to all countries in the world. The groundwater availability around the globe and locally such as in the ground of Papua New Guinea, Lae City, the garden city of the country, is also affected by the phenomenon. An alternative source such as the rainwater which across the globe is not equally shared thus harvesting it by creating an infrastructure for wider use needs management for sustainability. The study focuses on the management of a rainwater harvesting infrastructure (RHI) from its initial stage or conceptualization by designing using axiomatic design process and creating a model prototype to show the features of the infrastructure. The axiomatic design process in the design of the rainwater harvesting infrastructure shows the customer needs and functionality of the infrastructure for cost-wise management. The chapter provides information for a broader and more significant impact of providing and designing infrastructure for massive use.
{"title":"Rainwater Harvesting Infrastructure Management","authors":"Mirzi L. Betasolo, C. Smith","doi":"10.5772/intechopen.90342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90342","url":null,"abstract":"As climate change impact is affecting all countries, water scarcity is continually a pressing issue to all countries in the world. The groundwater availability around the globe and locally such as in the ground of Papua New Guinea, Lae City, the garden city of the country, is also affected by the phenomenon. An alternative source such as the rainwater which across the globe is not equally shared thus harvesting it by creating an infrastructure for wider use needs management for sustainability. The study focuses on the management of a rainwater harvesting infrastructure (RHI) from its initial stage or conceptualization by designing using axiomatic design process and creating a model prototype to show the features of the infrastructure. The axiomatic design process in the design of the rainwater harvesting infrastructure shows the customer needs and functionality of the infrastructure for cost-wise management. The chapter provides information for a broader and more significant impact of providing and designing infrastructure for massive use.","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124808796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-08-08DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86951
Ketty Balthazard-Accou, E. Emmanuel, P. Agnamey, C. Raccurt
Many cities in developing countries are facing serious problems of microbiological quality of their water resources. In this context, chlorination is used as common method of treating water intended for human consumption. However, it has been shown that disinfection by chlorination is ineffective in inactivating Cryptosporidium oocysts. Therefore, the physicochemical behavior of Cryptosporidium oocysts and geological formation of those areas become an important environmental issue of research. In Haiti, Cryptosporidium oocysts have been identified in the groundwater being used for human consumption in Les Cayes. Moreover, cryptosporidiosis is one of the most frequent causes of diarrhea in Haiti. The transfer of Cryptosporidium oocysts, through an alluvial formation from Les Cayes (Haiti), was investigated. The aim of this chapter was (i) to review the biological cycle of Cryptosporidium and the physicochemical behavior of Cryptosporidium oocysts in order (ii) to understand their movement through soils and (iii) to evaluate the chemical conditions and soil characteristics which can constitute factors influencing the retention of oocysts or facilitate their transfer into groundwater.
{"title":"Pollution of Water Resources and Environmental Impacts in Urban Areas of Developing Countries: Case of the City of Les Cayes (Haiti)","authors":"Ketty Balthazard-Accou, E. Emmanuel, P. Agnamey, C. Raccurt","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86951","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86951","url":null,"abstract":"Many cities in developing countries are facing serious problems of microbiological quality of their water resources. In this context, chlorination is used as common method of treating water intended for human consumption. However, it has been shown that disinfection by chlorination is ineffective in inactivating Cryptosporidium oocysts. Therefore, the physicochemical behavior of Cryptosporidium oocysts and geological formation of those areas become an important environmental issue of research. In Haiti, Cryptosporidium oocysts have been identified in the groundwater being used for human consumption in Les Cayes. Moreover, cryptosporidiosis is one of the most frequent causes of diarrhea in Haiti. The transfer of Cryptosporidium oocysts, through an alluvial formation from Les Cayes (Haiti), was investigated. The aim of this chapter was (i) to review the biological cycle of Cryptosporidium and the physicochemical behavior of Cryptosporidium oocysts in order (ii) to understand their movement through soils and (iii) to evaluate the chemical conditions and soil characteristics which can constitute factors influencing the retention of oocysts or facilitate their transfer into groundwater.","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114647548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-07-13DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.86536
Lyda Espitia-Pérez, Luisa Jimenez-Vidal, Pedro Espitia-Pérez
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/WHO) defines particulate matter (PM) as a mixture of solid or liquid particles suspended and dispersed in the air. Constituted by a complex mixture of organic and inorganic components like metals, acids, soil, and dust is considered a major human carcinogen present in air pollution. When inhaled, PM particles penetrate the respiratory tract, where they affect different organs and systems depending on their aerodynamic size and chemical properties. In the organism, this cocktail-like mixture can interact with cellular mechanisms related to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and can cause damage to important macromolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. Additionally, PM induces a variety of effects at a cellular level, such as inflammation, DNA damage, and genomic instability, acting as a driving force of carcinogenic processes and increasing the incidence of respiratory, cardiopulmonary, neurogenerative, and neurodevelopment disorders. This book chapter reviews the main characteristics of PM, its effects on health, and its role in genomic instability and associated molecular mechanisms. Additionally, we explore different biomarkers associated with PM exposure, DNA damage, and the influence of PM-related oxidative stress in disease development.
{"title":"Particulate Matter Exposure: Genomic Instability, Disease, and Cancer Risk","authors":"Lyda Espitia-Pérez, Luisa Jimenez-Vidal, Pedro Espitia-Pérez","doi":"10.5772/intechopen.86536","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86536","url":null,"abstract":"The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/WHO) defines particulate matter (PM) as a mixture of solid or liquid particles suspended and dispersed in the air. Constituted by a complex mixture of organic and inorganic components like metals, acids, soil, and dust is considered a major human carcinogen present in air pollution. When inhaled, PM particles penetrate the respiratory tract, where they affect different organs and systems depending on their aerodynamic size and chemical properties. In the organism, this cocktail-like mixture can interact with cellular mechanisms related to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and can cause damage to important macromolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. Additionally, PM induces a variety of effects at a cellular level, such as inflammation, DNA damage, and genomic instability, acting as a driving force of carcinogenic processes and increasing the incidence of respiratory, cardiopulmonary, neurogenerative, and neurodevelopment disorders. This book chapter reviews the main characteristics of PM, its effects on health, and its role in genomic instability and associated molecular mechanisms. Additionally, we explore different biomarkers associated with PM exposure, DNA damage, and the influence of PM-related oxidative stress in disease development.","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115942121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-23DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86058
D. Linhares, P. Garcia, A. Rodrigues
Volcanic regions have always attracted many people worldwide because of the high fertility of their soils. However, human proximity to volcanoes can lead to several health problems as consequence of the chronic exposure to the materials released from the volcanic activity. An element often found in elevated concentrations in volcanic regions is fluorine. Although fluoride is recognized to have a beneficial effect on the rate of occurrence of dental caries when ingested in small amounts, its excessive intake results in a widespread but preventable pathological disease called fluorosis. While skeletal fluorosis, the most severe form of fluorosis, requires a chronic exposure to high concentrations of fluoride in water (4–8 mg/L), dental fluorosis occurs after shorter periods of exposure to fluoride in lower concentrations (1.5–2.0 mg/L). In some volcanic regions, where exposure to elevated amounts of fluoride is persistent, biomonitoring programs are fundamental to assess the main sources of exposure and to evaluate the effects of the exposure in resident populations. This chapter aims to cover the main effects of fluoride exposure in humans and discuss the use of a multidisciplinary approach that brings together the geoscience, biomedical, and public health communities to address environmental health problems.
{"title":"Fluoride in Volcanic Areas: A Case Study in Medical Geology","authors":"D. Linhares, P. Garcia, A. Rodrigues","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86058","url":null,"abstract":"Volcanic regions have always attracted many people worldwide because of the high fertility of their soils. However, human proximity to volcanoes can lead to several health problems as consequence of the chronic exposure to the materials released from the volcanic activity. An element often found in elevated concentrations in volcanic regions is fluorine. Although fluoride is recognized to have a beneficial effect on the rate of occurrence of dental caries when ingested in small amounts, its excessive intake results in a widespread but preventable pathological disease called fluorosis. While skeletal fluorosis, the most severe form of fluorosis, requires a chronic exposure to high concentrations of fluoride in water (4–8 mg/L), dental fluorosis occurs after shorter periods of exposure to fluoride in lower concentrations (1.5–2.0 mg/L). In some volcanic regions, where exposure to elevated amounts of fluoride is persistent, biomonitoring programs are fundamental to assess the main sources of exposure and to evaluate the effects of the exposure in resident populations. This chapter aims to cover the main effects of fluoride exposure in humans and discuss the use of a multidisciplinary approach that brings together the geoscience, biomedical, and public health communities to address environmental health problems.","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131728133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-22DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86159
D. Saniewska
The most efficient way of mercury (Hg) transport to the Gulf of Gdańsk was river runoff. Therefore, hydrological conditions were the most important factors controlling the inflow of Hg to the sea. The second most important Hg source in the Gulf was atmospheric deposition, which transported seven times smaller load than rivers. The Hg wet deposition dominated in the warm season, while during the heating season the predominant was dry deposition of mercury. The Hg source, which should not be neglected during the creation of the mass balance of Hg in aquatic ecosystems, was the coastal erosion. In the Gulf of Gdańsk, it accounts for 6% of the Hg load reaching the sea. The main sink of Hg was bottom sediments. Other important processes that reduced the Hg load in the Gulf water were reemission of Hg to the atmosphere and export of this metal to the Baltic Proper. The mass balance of mercury in the Gulf of Gdańsk indicated that a larger load of this metal flowed into the Gulf than left it. Consequently, the Gulf of Gdańsk should be treated as a cleansing zone for the Baltic Proper.
{"title":"Mercury Cycling in the Gulf of Gdańsk (Southern Baltic Sea)","authors":"D. Saniewska","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.86159","url":null,"abstract":"The most efficient way of mercury (Hg) transport to the Gulf of Gdańsk was river runoff. Therefore, hydrological conditions were the most important factors controlling the inflow of Hg to the sea. The second most important Hg source in the Gulf was atmospheric deposition, which transported seven times smaller load than rivers. The Hg wet deposition dominated in the warm season, while during the heating season the predominant was dry deposition of mercury. The Hg source, which should not be neglected during the creation of the mass balance of Hg in aquatic ecosystems, was the coastal erosion. In the Gulf of Gdańsk, it accounts for 6% of the Hg load reaching the sea. The main sink of Hg was bottom sediments. Other important processes that reduced the Hg load in the Gulf water were reemission of Hg to the atmosphere and export of this metal to the Baltic Proper. The mass balance of mercury in the Gulf of Gdańsk indicated that a larger load of this metal flowed into the Gulf than left it. Consequently, the Gulf of Gdańsk should be treated as a cleansing zone for the Baltic Proper.","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128692254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-04-10DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.85793
K. Buchmann
The Baltic cod is a substock of the Atlantic cod Gadus morhua , and it is divided into two subpopulations (the western and the eastern stock) living in the semi-enclosed Baltic Sea. This brackish water area is receiving high salinity water from the North Sea through the Danish straits (the Great Belt, Øresund, and Little Belt) and freshwater from precipitation and the drainage areas in surrounding countries whereby marked differences with regard to salinity conditions occur in various parts of the area. The biological and hydrographical conditions determine the parasite fauna found in the Baltic cod, and therefore several of the Baltic parasites are biological indicators. Recommended indicator parasites comprise trematodes ( Cryptocotyle lingua , Diplostomum spathaceum , Lepidapedon elongatum , Hemiurus lühei, Brachyphallus crenatus), nematodes (Hysterothylacium aduncum, Contracaecum osculatum, Anisakis simplex, Pseudoterranova decipiens, Capillaria gracilis ), and acanthocephalans ( Echinorhynchus gadi , Corynosoma spp., Pomphorhynchus laevis).
{"title":"Metazoan Endoparasites as Biological Indicators of Baltic Cod Biology","authors":"K. Buchmann","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.85793","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.85793","url":null,"abstract":"The Baltic cod is a substock of the Atlantic cod Gadus morhua , and it is divided into two subpopulations (the western and the eastern stock) living in the semi-enclosed Baltic Sea. This brackish water area is receiving high salinity water from the North Sea through the Danish straits (the Great Belt, Øresund, and Little Belt) and freshwater from precipitation and the drainage areas in surrounding countries whereby marked differences with regard to salinity conditions occur in various parts of the area. The biological and hydrographical conditions determine the parasite fauna found in the Baltic cod, and therefore several of the Baltic parasites are biological indicators. Recommended indicator parasites comprise trematodes ( Cryptocotyle lingua , Diplostomum spathaceum , Lepidapedon elongatum , Hemiurus lühei, Brachyphallus crenatus), nematodes (Hysterothylacium aduncum, Contracaecum osculatum, Anisakis simplex, Pseudoterranova decipiens, Capillaria gracilis ), and acanthocephalans ( Echinorhynchus gadi , Corynosoma spp., Pomphorhynchus laevis).","PeriodicalId":252145,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health - Management and Prevention Practices","volume":"82 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123339105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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