Journal of Health and Pollution最新文献

Background: Inappropriate use and application of pesticides in Ethiopia pose a major threat to the health of farmers and the environment.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of small-scale vegetable farmers towards the use of pesticides in Ethiopia along the Lake Ziway watershed.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving a total of 210 farmers randomly selected during a period of pesticide application from a purposively selected village located in the immediate vicinity of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia. Data were generated through structured in-depth interviews and on-site observations on farms. A Chi-square test was applied to evaluate whether the collected data and their probable associations were significant.

Results: World Health Organization (WHO) class II pesticides (moderately toxic) were the most frequently used pesticides in the study area. There was no reported use of WHO classes 1a and 1b and banned or restricted pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and endosulfan. Most (92%) farmers reported indiscriminately disposing of empty containers in the field, while 86.7% applied the leftover pesticides to other crops. More than 90% of small-scale farmers did not use any personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling pesticides. About 95% of farmers had poor knowledge regarding pesticides. A significant association (p < 0.001) was observed between the knowledge of farmers and their practices related to pesticides.

Conclusions: Generally, the knowledge of small-scale farmers on pesticides was poor. Moreover, the inappropriate disposal of pesticides and pesticide containers poses a risk to the environment. The findings of the present study underline the need to train farmers concerning the safe and proper use of pesticides to mitigate hazards to human health and the environment.

Participant consent: Obtained.

Ethics approval: The study was granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval from the Hawassa University College of Natural and Computational Science, Research and Review Committee.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: Protecting the health of citizens is a central aim of sustainable development plans, due to the effect of health on social and economic development. However, studies show that environment-related diseases adversely affect the health status of a people, and this situation is worse for African countries. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets have included reducing environment-related deaths since 2015. However, there is a lack of empirical findings focused on the effects of environmental quality on life expectancy in Africa.

Objectives: The present study examined the impact of environmental quality on life expectancy in 24 African countries.

Methods: Time-series data ranging from 2000 to 2016 was used and the panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-dynamic fixed effect (DFE) model was employed to analyze the data.

Results: The results confirmed that, in the long run, improvements in environmental quality significantly increased life expectancy in the studied African countries during the study period. A unit increment in environmental performance index (EPI) and ecosystem vitality (EV) increased the life expectancy of Africans by 0.137 and 0.1417 years, respectively.

Conclusions: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical (econometric) study using a broad measurement (indicator) of environmental quality to investigate its impact on life expectancy in African countries. The study recommends that the introduction of environmentally friendly economies (like renewable energy, land, water, and waste management), legal, socio-economic, demographic, and technological measures are essential to reduce environmental pollution and improve life expectancy in Africa.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: The rise in particulate matter (PM) concentrations is a serious problem for the environment. Heavy metals associated with PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and road dust adversely affect human health. Different methods have been used to assess heavy metal contamination in PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and road dust and source apportionment of these heavy metals. These assessment tools utilize pollution indices and health risk assessment models.

Objectives: The present study evaluates the total mass and average concentrations of heavy metals in PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and road dust along selected road networks in Dhanbad, India, analyzes the source apportionment of heavy metals, and assesses associated human health risks.

Methods: A total of 112 PM samples and 21 road dust samples were collected from six stations and one background site in Dhanbad, India from December 2015 to February 2016, and were analyzed for heavy metals (iron (Fe), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), and zinc (Zn)) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Source apportionment was determined using principal component analysis. A health risk assessment of heavy metal concentrations in PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and road dust was also performed.

Results: The average mass concentration was found to be 229.54±118.40 μg m^-3 for PM₁₀ and 129.73 ±61.74 μg m^-3 for PM_2.5. The average concentration of heavy metals was found to be higher in PM_2.5 than PM₁₀. The pollution load index value of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 road dust was found to be in the deteriorating category. Vehicles were the major source of pollution. The non-carcinogenic effects on children and adults were found to be within acceptable limits. The heavy metals present in PM and road dust posed a health risk in the order of road dust> PM₁₀> and PM_2.5. Particulate matter posed higher health risks than road dust due to particle size.

Conclusions: The mass concentration analysis indicates serious PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 contamination in the study area. Vehicle traffic was the major source of heavy metals in PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and road dust. In terms of non-carcinogenic risks posed by heavy metals in the present study, children were more affected than adults. The carcinogenic risk posed by the heavy metals was negligible.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tons in 2014. E-waste gets recycled mainly in the informal sector which means activities are largely unaccounted for. Hazardous chemicals and metals are released during recycling processes (lead (Pb) being the most common). Compared to other developing countries, there are few studies from India on the awareness of recyclers of health risks related to e-waste recycling.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health-related risks and behaviors among e-waste workers/recyclers belonging to the informal sector in Delhi and to determine the concentration of Pb levels in hair samples from a subset of workers from selected recycling sites.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three e-waste informal recycling sites of Delhi: Seelampur, Mustafabad and Mandoli using an interviewer administered questionnaire among 220 e-waste workers. Percentages were presented for each KAP indicator. Analyses were computed using the statistical software STATA 14.2.

Results: It was observed that 24% of participants had knowledge of the meaning of e-waste and 36% knew the chemicals that could be released from e-waste handling. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was used by only 12% of the workers. Twenty-six percent (26%) perceived occupational injuries (cuts or burns) as mild and 20% perceived coughing immediately after work as mild. Explorative analysis showed a link between worker education level and the type of work practices employed. The median level of Pb concentration among hair samples was 8 mg/kg with inter-quartile range between 5.8 to 12.4 mg/kg.

Conclusions: Knowledge and practices among e-waste workers regarding the health hazards associated with e-waste recycling were poor with little knowledge of or attention to health risks. A comprehensive remediation package covering sensitization and awareness-building strategies of the health risks associated with informal e-waste recycling should be an urgent priority.

Participant consent: Obtained.

Ethics approval: Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC), Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25, 2017, producing unprecedented precipitation that devastated coastal areas. Catastrophic flooding in the City of Houston inundated industrial and residential properties resulting in the displacement and transfer of soil, sediment, and debris and heightening existing environmental justice (EJ) concerns.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the presence, distribution, and potential human health implications of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a residential neighborhood of Houston, Texas following a major hurricane.

Methods: Concentrations of PAHs in 40 soil samples collected from a residential neighborhood in Houston, Texas were measured. Spatial interpolation was applied to determine the distribution of PAHs. Potential human health risks were evaluated by calculating toxicity equivalency quotients (TEQs) and incremental excess lifetime cancer risk (IELCR).

Results: Total priority PAH concentrations varied across samples (range: 9.7 × 10¹ ng/g-1.6 × 10⁴ ng/g; mean: 3.0 × 10³ ng/g ± 3.6 × 10³ standard deviation). Spatial analysis indicated a variable distribution of PAH constituents and concentrations. The IELCR analysis indicated that nine of the 40 samples were above minimum standards.

Conclusions: Findings from this study highlight the need for fine scale soil testing in residential areas as well as the importance of site-specific risk assessment.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: The Nepalese government announced a nationwide lockdown beginning on March 24, 2020 as an attempt to restrain the spread of COVID-19. The prohibition in flight operations and movement of vehicles, factory shutdowns and restriction in people's movement due to the lockdown led to a significant reduction in the amounts of pollutants degrading air quality in many countries.

Objectives: The present study aimed to analyze changes in particulate matter (PM) emissions and the air quality index (AQI) of six cities in Nepal i.e., Damak, Simara, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Nepalgunj and Surkhet due to the nationwide lockdown in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods: Daily PM concentrations of each of the six study cities from January 24 to September 21, 2020 were obtained from the World Air Quality Index project (https://aqicn.org) and analyzed using R Studio software. The drop percentage was calculated to determine the change in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentration during different time periods. Independent sample Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to test the significance of differences in mean concentration for each site during the lockdown period (24 March-24 July 2020) and its corresponding period in 2019. Similarly, the significance of differences in mean concentrations between the lockdown period and the period immediately before lockdown (23 January-23 March) was also examined using the same test.

Results: During the lockdown period, in overall Nepal, AQI_PM2.5 and AQI_PM10 were within the moderate zone for the maximum number of days. As a result of the lockdown, the highest immediate and final drop of PM_2.5 was observed in Damak (26.37%) and Nepalgunj (80.86%), respectively. Similarly, the highest immediate drop of PM₁₀ was observed in Surkhet (37.22%) and finally in Nepalgunj (81.14%). Analysis with the Mann-Whitney U test indicated that for both PM types, all sites showed a statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference in mean concentrations during lockdown and the corresponding period in 2019.

Conclusions: The present study explored the positive association between vehicular movement and PM emissions, highlighting the need for alternative fuel sources to improve air quality and human health.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Context: Arsenicosis is caused by long term (6 months plus) ingestion of arsenic above a safe dose, characterized by skin lesions and possible involvement of internal organs. Arsenicosis is common in India and Bangladesh where naturally occurring high concentrations of arsenic in the earth's crust contaminate ground water, causing adverse health effects.

Case presentation: We report a case of a 55-year-old Indian male, resident of a known arsenic endemic region of Uttar Pradesh who suffered from characteristic pulmonary and cutaneous features of chronic arsenic toxicity which included radiological findings of interstitial lung disease, hyperkeratotic lesions over the palms and soles, rain drop like pigmentation over the trunk, and carcinomatous changes at the wrist joint. The patient was started on chelating agents (d-penicillamine) and oral retinoids (isotretinoin) followed by the surgical excision of the carcinoma.

Discussion: Environmental contamination with arsenic is a well-known health hazard in South Asian countries. The main source is consumption of contaminated ground water for domestic purposes. Cutaneous lesions, internal organ involvement including interstitial lung disease and carcinomas as observed in our patient have been reported in the literature. Various mechanisms like epigenetic changes and arsenic-induced immune suppression have been proposed for the development of cutaneous carcinomas with prolonged exposure to arsenic.

Relevance to clinical practice: Among the various causes of palmo-plantar hyperkeratosis, arsenicosis should be kept in mind when presenting in combination with pigmentary changes and carcinomatous growth from an arsenic-endemic region.

Conclusions: People residing in arsenic-endemic regions should be made aware of arsenic-related health hazards. Rainwater harvesting and good nutrition are the simplest measures which could be adopted by the exposed population in affected areas. Several methods have also been employed by governmental and non-government organizations to separate arsenic from contaminated water to combat arsenic-related diseases and carcinomas.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: Heavy metals are usually present in trace amounts in various environmental media such as water, soil, and air, and many are poisonous to human health even at very low concentrations.

Objectives: To assess the risk of heavy metal contamination of water, soil, and plants around a used lead acid battery (ULAB) recycling center in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods: Environmental samples (water, soil, and plants) were collected using standard methods and concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), antimony (Sb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Results: The concentration of metals detected in water samples were higher than permissible limits at more than 50% of the sampling locations. In contrast, heavy metals in soil were within permissible limits. Most of the heavy metals except Pb were found to be present in the plant within permissible limits. Lead levels in water and plants from all locations exceeded the permissible limits. The contamination degree and pollution load index of water sources around the ULAB recycling center indicate a high degree of pollution of water sources with heavy metals, while soil samples were within the normal baseline levels. The transfer factor of Pb from soil to Amaranthus viridis was 1.92. This has implications for human health as the plant is often harvested and for sale in local markets as a source of food and medicine.

Conclusions: The present study recommends improved technology for ULAB recycling and adequate treatment of effluent/runoff from recycling centers before discharge.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Background: In addition to improving soil fertility and crop production, earthworms have been found to be useful in the removal of contaminants from soil, known as vermiremediation. Previous studies on vermiremediation have focused primarily on organic wastes, with relatively less attention paid to inorganic contaminants. In addition, some basic terms used in environmental health studies have often not been properly clarified.

Objectives: The present study is a review of the state of the literature on the effectiveness of using earthworms to remediate organic and inorganic (metal) soil contaminants. Earthworms' actions in remediation of organic and inorganic contaminants are described. Some terms that are used interchangeably in environmental health are clarified. The challenges and limitations of vermiremediation are highlighted.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to access online academic publications indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science), ScienceDirect, ResearchGate and Springer Link. A total of 165 publications on the subject matter were accessed, out of which 47 were used for the review.

Discussion: Empirical and theoretical information from the literature showed evidence of the significant contributions of earthworms to the removal of soil organic contaminants and metals. Earthworms indirectly facilitate the conversion of organic contaminants by promoting microbial and enzyme activities. Some organic contaminants are directly taken up through dermal and intestinal absorption and accumulated by preferential sequestration in sub-organismic and tissue fractions of earthworms. Metals are directly removed and accumulated by the mechanism of detoxification and sequestration, via metallothioneins induction. The terms 'contaminants' and 'pollutants' have different meanings and should not be used interchangeably. Although vermiremediation presents an ideal clean-up technique, it is limited in application to only mildly contaminated soil environments. Ethical concerns should not pose a serious issue because vermiremediation simply takes advantage of earthworms' natural soil-conditioning abilities. Many vermiremediation processes, especially of organic wastes, are harmless to earthworms, improving the soil for their growth and survival.

Conclusions: Vermiremediation presents a good long-term biological option to clean up mildly contaminated soil. It may be deployed as a secondary measure to rid the soil of residual contaminants after applying physicochemical remediation techniques to an overtly polluted soil environment.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.