Wastewater use in crop production in peri-urban areas of Addis Ababa: impacts on health in farm households

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEBEL B. WELDESILASSIE ◽  
ELINE BOELEE ◽  
PAY DRECHSEL ◽  
STEPHAN DABBERT
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Health Production ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Health Damage ◽  
Wastewater Use

ABSTRACTUsing stream water polluted with untreated wastewater in agriculture is controversial due to its combination of benefits and negative health impacts. Using data from a household survey, ‘wastewater’ and ‘freshwater’ farmers were analysed comparatively to examine the perceived impacts of irrigation water quality on farmers' health and to evaluate the extent of health damage. Probability of illness was estimated using the theory of utility-maximising behaviour of households subject to the conventional farm household production model, augmented by adding a health production function. Reduced model and instrumental variable probit specifications both show that perceived illness prevalence is significantly higher for household members working on wastewater irrigation farms than for those working with freshwater. Our data entails econometric complications (e.g., endogeneity of farmers' behaviour, unobserved location-specific characteristics). Ignoring these will result in underestimation of the value of policy interventions designed to reduce potential health damage of wastewater use in irrigation.

Visible-Light Activated [2+2] Photocycloaddition Reaction Enabled Identification of Carbon-Carbon Double Bonds Position Isomerism in Structural Lipidomics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guifang Feng ◽  
Yanhong Hao ◽  
Liang Wu ◽  
Suming Chen
Keyword(s):  
Visible Light ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Side Reactions ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Fundamental Interest ◽  
Unsaturated Lipids ◽  
Health Damage ◽  
Global Identification ◽  
Polyunsaturated Lipids

The photocycloaddition of olefins with carbonyls is of fundamental interest and practical importance in C=C bond location in unsaturated lipids. However, the traditional UV light activated [2+2] photocycloaddition reaction suffers side reactions and potential health damage. Here, we reported the first example of visible-light activated [2+2] photocycloaddition of anthraquinone with unsaturated lipids. This reaction showed great capability for locating the C=C bonds in various kinds of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated lipids by combining with tandem mass spectrometry (MS), such as fatty acids, phospholipids and glycerides. Based on this developed reaction, a workflow with liquid chromatography tandem MS method was developed for the global identification of unsaturated lipids in human serum, and 86 of monounsaturated and complicated polyunsaturated lipids were identified with definitive positions of C=C bonds. This approach provides new insights both on the photocycloaddition reactions and the structural lipidomics.

Effects of riffle–step restoration on hyporheic zone chemistry in N-rich lowland streams

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamao Kasahara ◽  
Alan R Hill
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hyporheic Zone ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
Hyporheic Exchange ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Exchange Flow ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Lowland Streams ◽  
Hyporheic Zones

Stream restoration projects that aim to rehabilitate ecosystem health have not considered surface–subsurface linkages, although stream water and groundwater interaction has an important role in sustaining stream ecosystem functions. The present study examined the effect of constructed riffles and a step on hyporheic exchange flow and chemistry in restored reaches of several N-rich agricultural and urban streams in southern Ontario. Hydrometric data collected from a network of piezometers and conservative tracer releases indicated that the constructed riffles and steps were effective in inducing hyporheic exchange. However, despite the use of cobbles and boulders in the riffle construction, high stream dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were depleted rapidly with depth into the hyporheic zones. Differences between observed and predicted nitrate concentrations based on conservative ion concentration patterns indicated that these hyporheic zones were also nitrate sinks. Zones of low hydraulic conductivity and the occurrence of interstitial fines in the restored cobble-boulder layers suggest that siltation and clogging of the streambed may reduce the downwelling of oxygen- and nitrate-rich stream water. Increases in streambed DO levels and enhancement of habitat for hyporheic fauna that result from riffle–step construction projects may only be temporary in streams that receive increased sediment and nutrient inputs from urban areas and croplands.

Identifying the public health benefits of livestock-dependent, agro-ecosystems under climate change

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shana Gillette
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Disease Avoidance ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Disease Risks ◽  
Livestock Systems

AbstractAs the demand for meat continues to grow in South Asia and Africa and access to communal sources of water and forage shrinks, intensification of small-scale livestock systems in peri-urban areas is expected to expand. In South East Asia, smallholder transition to livestock intensification has been transformative, increasing economic opportunities while also introducing new disease risks. While we have an understanding of the emerging disease burden from livestock intensification; we have just begun to understand the possible public health benefits of sustainable landscapes and the potential health savings accrued from disease avoidance. To date, few studies have attempted to quantify the health benefits attributable to sustainable agro-ecosystems, especially in regard to livestock systems. In this paper, I will examine what is needed to measure and communicate the public health benefits and cost-savings (from disease avoidance) of sustainable agro-ecosystems.

scholarly journals Monitoring of Air-Dispersed Formaldehyde and Carbonyl Compounds as Vapors and Adsorbed on Particulate Matter by Denuder-Filter Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1969
Author(s):  
Stefano Dugheri ◽  
Nicola Mucci ◽  
Giovanni Cappelli ◽  
Alessandro Bonari ◽  
Giacomo Garzaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbonyl Compounds ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Electron Capture Detection ◽  
Sampling Device ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Carbonaceous Particle ◽  
Particle Matter ◽  
Annular Denuder ◽  
Multiple Detection ◽  
Multiple Samples

Carbonyl compounds (CCs) are products present both as vapors and as condensed species adsorbed on the carbonaceous particle matter dispersed in the air of urban areas, due to vehicular traffic and human activities. Chronic exposure to CCs is a potential health risk given the toxicity of these chemicals. The present study reports on the measurement of the concentrations of 14 CCs in air as vapors and 2.5 µm fraction PM by the ENVINT GAS08/16 gas/aerosol sampler, a serial sampler that uses annular denuder, as sampling device. The 14 CCs were derivatized during sampling prior to gas-chromatographic separation and multiple detection by mass spectrometry, nitrogen-phosphorus thermionic, electron capture detection. Outdoor air multiple samples were collected in four locations in the urban area of Florence. The results evidenced that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone were the more abundant CCs in the studied areas. The data collected was discussed considering the particle to vapor ratio of each CC found. The CCs pollution picture obtained was tentatively related to the nature and intensity of the traffic transiting by the sampling sites. This approach allowed to determine 14 CCs in both concentrated and diluted samples and is proposed as a tool for investigating outdoor and indoor pollution.

scholarly journals Improving the demand for birth registration: a discrete choice experiment in Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. e002209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahari Yihdego ◽  
Ayanaw Amogne ◽  
Selamawit Desta ◽  
Yoonjoung Choi ◽  
Solomon Shiferaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Discrete Choice Experiment ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Discrete Choice Experiments ◽  
Birth Certificates ◽  
Significant Heterogeneity ◽  
Birth Registration

IntroductionBirth registration remains limited in most low and middle-income countries. We investigated which characteristics of birth registration facilities might determine caregivers’ decisions to register children in Ethiopia.MethodsWe conducted a discrete choice experiment in randomly selected households in Addis Ababa and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region. We interviewed caregivers of children 0–5 years old. We asked participants to make eight choices between pairs of hypothetical registration facilities. These facilities were characterised by six attributes selected through a literature review and consultations with local stakeholders. Levels of these attributes were assigned at random using a fractional design. We analysed the choice data using mixed logit models that account for heterogeneity in preferences across respondents. We calculated respondents’ willingness to pay to access registration facilities with specific attributes. We analysed all data separately by place of residence (urban vs rural).ResultsSeven hundred and five respondents made 5614 choices. They exhibited preferences for registration facilities that charged lower fees for birth certificates, that required shorter waiting time to complete procedures and that were located closer to their residence. Respondents preferred registration facilities that were open on weekends, and where they could complete procedures in a single visit. In urban areas, respondents also favoured registration facilities that remained open for extended hours on weekdays, and where the presence of only one of the parents was required for registration. There was significant heterogeneity between respondents in the utility derived from several attributes of registration facilities. Willingness to pay for access to registration facilities with particular attributes was larger in urban than rural areas.ConclusionIn these regions of Ethiopia, changes to the operating schedule of registration facilities and to application procedures might help improve registration rates. Discrete choice experiments can help orient initiatives aimed at improving birth registration.

scholarly journals Persistent and aggressive interactions with the police: potential mental health implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Hirschtick ◽  
S.M. Homan ◽  
G. Rauscher ◽  
L.H. Rubin ◽  
T.P. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Health Implications ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Current Ptsd

Abstract Aims Little is known about the potential health impact of police encounters despite a ubiquitous police presence in many disadvantaged urban environments. In this paper, we assess whether persistent or aggressive interactions with the police are associated with poor mental health outcomes in a sample of primarily low-income communities of colour in Chicago. Methods Between March 2015 and September 2016, we surveyed 1543 adults in ten diverse Chicago communities using a multistage probability design. The survey had over 350 questions on health and social factors, including police exposure and mental health status. We use sex-stratified logistic regression to examine associations between persistent police exposure (defined as a high number of lifetime police stops) or aggressive police exposure (defined as threat or use of police force during the respondent's most recent police stop) and the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depressive symptoms. Results Men reporting a high number of lifetime police stops have three times greater odds of current PTSD symptoms compared with men who did not report high lifetime police stops (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3–7.6), after adjusting for respondent age, race/ethnicity, education, history of homelessness, prior diagnosis of PTSD and neighbourhood violent crime rate. Women reporting a high number of lifetime police stops have two times greater odds of current PTSD symptoms, although the results are not statistically significant after adjustment (OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.9–4.2). Neither persistent nor aggressive police exposure is significantly associated with current depressive symptoms in our sample. Conclusions Our findings support existing preliminary evidence of an association between high lifetime police stops and PTSD symptoms. If future research can confirm as causal, these results have considerable public health implications given the frequent interaction between police and residents in disadvantaged communities in large urban areas.

PRACTICE OF CONSANGUINITY AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS RISK IN THE PASHTUN POPULATION OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruqiya Pervaiz ◽  
Faisal Faisal ◽  
Nedime Serakinci
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Inbreeding Coefficient ◽  
Response Scale ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Consanguineous Marriages ◽  
Genetic Risks ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Level Of Understanding

SummaryThis study aimed to investigate the frequency of consanguineous marriages and level of understanding of consanguinity-associated genetic risks in the Pashtun population, Pakistan. Information was gathered using a detailed questionnaire completed by 1500 individuals of both sexes over the 11-month period between April 2015 and February 2016. The mean inbreeding coefficient of the respondents was calculated and a five-point response scale was used to assess their understanding of consanguinity risks. The frequency of consanguineous marriages in the Pashtun population was found to be 58.3%, with a mean inbreeding coefficient of 0.0259. Marriage between second cousins was found to be the dominant marriage type. Level of education was found to be negatively related to the incidence of consanguineous marriage (p<0.001), and higher consanguinity was reported among the rural than the urban population (p<0.001). Participants in the ≥25-year age group, those with a higher level of education and those residing in urban areas exhibited a significantly higher understanding of consanguinity risks. The overall prevalence of consanguinity in the Pashtun population is high, demonstrating the need for awareness of its risks in the target population. The timely dissemination of information on potential health-related risks and the introduction of genetic counselling in the region would benefit both the individuals concerned and the community in general.

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