Possible Biomarkers for Assessing Health Risks in Susceptible Individuals Exposed to Agrochemicals with Emphasis on Developing Countries

1996 ◽  
pp. 49-67
Author(s):  
Abdel Khalek H. El-Sebae ◽  
Zaher A. Mohamed ◽  
Fawzia Abdel Rahman ◽  
Alaa Kamel
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Risks

Women's perceptions of the safety of the pill: a survey in eight developing countries

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary S. Grubb
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Gallup Poll ◽  
The Us ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

SummaryIn January 1985, a Gallup poll sponsored by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists reported that 76% of the US women sampled thought that there were substantial risks with using the pill, 31% thought the pill caused cancer and 64% thought the risk of childbearing was equal to or less than that in taking the pill. To assess the perceptions of the pill's safety internationally, a survey of 100–150 urban, middle-class women aged 18–45 years was conducted in each of eight countries in the developing world. There were striking similarities in perceptions of the pill's health effects between countries: (1) taking the pill is considered to have substantial health risks by 50–75% and is thought to be more hazardous than childbearing by over 40% of respondents except those in the African samples; (2) women who had used the pill are as unaware as those who had not of possible serious cardiovascular adverse effects; (3) the protective effects of the pill are virtually unknown; (4) the greatest inconsistency with scientific evidence concerns the risks of sterility and birth defects attributed to pill use. With information from this survey, family planning programmes can rectify almost universal misperceptions of the pill's safety when counselling new and continuing pill users.

scholarly journals Consumption of Raw Herbal Medicines Is Associated with Major Public Health Risks amongst Ugandans

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Fred Ssempijja ◽  
Keneth Iceland Kasozi ◽  
Ejike Daniel Eze ◽  
Andrew Tamale ◽  
Sylvia Anurika Ewuzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Vernonia Amygdalina ◽  
Increased Risk

Background. Community consumption of herbal plants in developing countries is a common practice, however, scarcity of information on their physiochemical composition is a major public health concern. In Uganda, Vernonia amygdalina is of interest in rural communities due to its therapeutical action on both bacterial and protozoal parasites, however no studies have been conducted to assess the heavy metal concentrations in traditional plants used in alternative medicine. The aim of the study was to establish concentrations of heavy metals in Vernonia amygdalina, model the estimated daily intake (EDI), and assess both the non-cancer-related health risk using the target hazard quotient (THQ), and the risk related to cancer through the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for the Ugandan population. Methods. Leaves of Vernonia amygdalina were collected from 20 georeferenced villages and processed into powder in the laboratory using standard methods. These were then analyzed in the laboratory using an atomic absorption spectrometer for lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni). Concentrations were compared against the World Health Organization (WHO) limits. The EDI, THQ, and ILCR were modelled and significance was measured at 95% confidence. Results. The study showed that mean ± SEM concentrations of heavy metals were highest in the order of Cr, 121.8 ± 4.291 ppm > Ni, 84.09 ± 2.725 ppm > Zn, 53.87 ± 2.277 ppm > Pb, 40.61 ± 3.891 ppm > Cu, 28.75 ± 2.202 ppm > Fe, 14.15 ± 0.7271 ppm > Co, 7.923 ± 0.7674 ppm > Cd, 0.1163 ± 0.005714 ppm. Concentrations of Pb, Cr, Zn, Co, and Ni were significantly higher than the WHO limits. The EDI was significantly higher in children than in adults, demonstrating an increased risk of toxicity in children. The THQ and ILCR were over 1000 times higher in all Ugandans, demonstrating the undesirable health risks following oral consumption of Vernonia amygdalina due to very high Cr and Ni toxicities, respectively. Conclusion. Consumption of raw Vernonia amygdalina was associated with a high carcinogenic risk, demonstrating a need to enact policies to promote physiochemical screening of herbal medicines used in developing countries against toxic compounds.

scholarly journals Health risks associated with visiting friends and relatives in developing countries

2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Fulford ◽  
Jay S. Keystone
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Visiting Friends And Relatives

A Review on Acrylamide in Food: Occurrence, Toxicity, and Mitigation Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lubna Rifai ◽  
Fatima A. Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Maillard Reaction ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Reproductive Toxicity ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Processing Conditions ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Wide Range

Acrylamide (AA) is a food contaminant present in a wide range of frequently consumed foods, which makes human exposure to this toxicant unfortunately unavoidable. However, efforts to reduce the formation of AA in food have resulted in some success. This review aims to summarize the occurrence of AA and the potential mitigation strategies of its formation in foods. Formation of AA in foods is mainly linked to Maillard reaction, which is the first feasible route that can be manipulated to reduce AA formation. Furthermore, manipulating processing conditions such as time and temperature of the heating process, and including certain preheating treatments such as soaking and blanching, can further reduce AA formation. Due to the high exposure to AA, recognition of its toxic effect is necessary, especially in developing countries where awareness about AA health risks is still very low. Therefore, this review also focuses on the different toxic effects of AA exposure, including neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, hepatotoxicity, and immunotoxicity.

scholarly journals Evidence of uptake of different pollutants in plants harvested from soil treated and fertilized with organic materials as source of soil nutrients from developing countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O. Olowoyo ◽  
L. L. Mugivhisa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Soil Nutrients ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Organic Materials ◽  
Waste Materials ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
Human Waste ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
Peasant Farmers

AbstractThe use of organic materials as soil nutrients to improve agricultural production is well documented. However, these organic materials may contain toxic pollutants that may bio-accumulate in plant tissues and eventually be consumed by humans. There is a misconception about the use of organic materials (sludge, urine, human waste and urban waste) in agriculture and organic farming. The review work examined the sources and uses of organic material in agriculture from developing countries and the dangers posed by the use of polluted organic materials in agriculture. The review examined through literature the availability and uptake of pollutants in crops that are cultivated from farming activities using organic materials. The review established the possibility of uptake of pollutants from treated waste materials that are used for farming. Some of the pollutants that can be bio-accumulated by plants when cultivated on soil containing these pollutants were documented. The review concluded by establishing the need to create awareness on the possible health risks associated with the use of organic materials if the materials used were polluted. The review also highlighted the importance of educating peasant farmers on the dangers associated with collecting waste materials from untreated sources.

scholarly journals Healthcare waste management in Asian developing countries: A mini review

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 863-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Ahmed Khan ◽  
Longsheng Cheng ◽  
Aves A Khan ◽  
Haris Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Healthcare Waste ◽  
Healthcare Waste Management ◽  
Asian Developing Countries

Healthcare waste encompasses a significant quantity of hazardous substances. Poor healthcare waste management can result in serious environmental and human health risks. Asian developing countries are densely populated, and some are highly resource constrained. These countries commonly fail to practice appropriate healthcare waste management. Moreover, facilities in these countries extensively lack proper waste segregation, collection, safe storage, transportation, and disposal. This mini-review recapitulates key issues of healthcare waste management confronting Asian developing countries. Regulations, legislation, and policies are found to be recent, and their implementation varies from one another. Variation in waste generation rate is common. Contradictory methods of waste measurement used by researchers leave these variations questionable. The absence of waste management training programmes roots ignorance among staff and handlers, which leads to unsafe waste handling and causes different health risks. Unsafe and illegal recycling of hazardous waste is a threat to human health, also landfilling is often confused with open dumping, causing environmental damage. Outdated incineration plants need to be replaced with autoclaving, steam sterilisation, and comparatively reasonable new practice of pyrolysis to avoid the emission of toxic gases. The significance of proper healthcare waste management cannot be ignored, especially in Asian developing countries; substantial improvements are required in order to protect the environment and human health from serious risks.

scholarly journals Using Omics Approaches in the Discovery of Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Johne’s Disease in Sheep and Goats

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1912
Author(s):  
Palazzo Fiorentina ◽  
Camillo Martino ◽  
Ylenia Mancini ◽  
Maria Grazia De Iorio ◽  
John L. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Johne's Disease ◽  
Johne’S Disease ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Sheep And Goats ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Mycobacterium Avium Subsp Paratuberculosis ◽  
Excellent Resource

Johne’s disease (JD) is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and is an important and emerging problem in livestock; therefore, its control and prevention is a priority to reduce economic losses and health risks. Most JD research has been carried out on cattle, but interest in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of this disease in sheep and goats is greatest in developing countries. Sheep and goats are also a relevant part of livestock production in Europe and Australia, and these species provide an excellent resource to study and better understand the mechanism of survival of MAP and gain insights into possible approaches to control this disease. This review gives an overview of the literature on paratuberculosis in sheep and goats, highlighting the immunological aspects and the potential for “omics” approaches to identify effective biomarkers for the early detection of infection. As JD has a long incubation period before the disease becomes evident, early diagnosis is important to control the spread of the disease.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Risk Posed by Leachate from Dumpsites in Developing Countries

Environments ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mentore Vaccari ◽  
Giovanni Vinti ◽  
Terry Tudor
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Municipal Solid Waste ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Environmental Health Risks

The disposal of municipal solid waste into primarily dumpsites in developing countries causes a number of potential public and environmental health risks. While there have been various studies that have evaluated the contaminants that cause the risks, these studies have generally not examined in a holistic way the manner in which these contaminants move. This study therefore sought to model the flow of a range of contaminants in dumpsites (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn), and potential health risks as a means of enabling the more effective siting of facilities to reduce the risks posed. The study proposes a conservative model, using well consolidated equations and assumption, taking into account the path the pollutant makes to reach the water table and the point of exposure. The modelling may be useful to easily identify the boundaries of the area of risk related to the presence of a dumpsite in a Developing Country, beyond which a local community may use or build a safe well for drinking water. The results show as the area of risk is large and varies significantly with changes in input parameters, suggesting that without site-specific information it is better to follow conservative assumptions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document