scholarly journals The Effects of an Industrial Wastewater Effluent on the Seasonal Variations of Ekerekana Creek, Rivers State Nigeria

Author(s):  
Bankole Abdulkarim Balogun ◽  
C. O. Owuama ◽  
Ogechi Amanda Onukogu

The effects of industrial wastewater from Port-Harcourt Refinery Company Limited on Ekerekana Creek, Rivers state were studied. This study was carried out in July and December 2015. Analyses focused on Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Chromium, pH, Phosphate, Nitrate, Temperature, Dissolve Oxygen, BOD5 and Total Hydrocarbon Content as some of the parameters of interest. Sterilized yellowish-brown bottles were used to collect samples from each location and fixed with concentrated HNO3 before transporting to the laboratory in iced coolers. Water samples from the different stations were analyzed using standard laboratory methods. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM- SPSS(C)) version 19.0, statistical package for windows and MS Excel was used in the analysis of data. The test of homogeneity of variance in Means of the variables was carried out using the one way ANOVA. Results obtained showed that for heavy metals concentrations, Cadmium varied between 0.03 mg/L and 0.70 mg/L (0.39 ±0.06), Lead varied between 0.09 mg/L and 0.65 mg/L (0.29 ±0.04), Chromium between 0.04 mg/L and 0.46 mg/L (0.23 ±0.03) and Copper 0.10 mg/L and 0.90 mg/L (0.45 ±0.06) respectively. Others include pH which varied between 5.7 and 6.8 (6.15 ±0.07), Dissolved Oxygen 3.40 mg/L and 6.40 mg/L (4.75 ±0.22). BOD and Turbidity varied between 6.20 mg/L and 9.90 mg/L (7.77 ±0.29) and 8.60NTU and 11.20NTU (9.80 ±0.20) respectively. General results show that station 2 (discharge point) had maximum concentrations of heavy metals and other contributory parameters, and their values were higher than World Health Organization (WHO) and National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) standards. The test of homogeneity of variance in means of the physical and chemical parameters revealed significant spatial inequality F(161.45)>Fcrit(4.49) at P = .05 across the sampling stations.

Author(s):  
N. Ugbebor, John ◽  
Ntesat, Brownson

The health and environmental risk associated with unlined open waste dumpsites are worrisome. This study, therefore, evaluated the leachate and its final fate on groundwater pollution at selected solid wastes dumpsites in Rivers State. Leachate samples collected near the dumpsites were analyzed to determine the physical and biochemical characteristics. The two studied dumpsites indicated that the computed TCB were 296.33±6.22 cfu/100 ml and 182.68±21.33 cfu/100 ml respectively which were within the permissible limits of 400cfu/100 ml specified by World Health Organization (WHO) and Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv); which suggest low quantities of disease-causing agents in the groundwater. The total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) were 21x104 cfu/ml and 17x104 cfu/ml. These high values of THB may not be an indication of contamination of groundwater but it indicates a gradual decline in raw water quality. The values of SO42-, PO43-, TDS, DO, BOD and COD at the dumpsites were 196.52±6.26 mg/l and 9.12±0.59 mg/l, 139.23±3.19 mg/l and 3.81±0.68 mg/l, 5952.23±72.52 mg/l and 12663.33±490.95 mg/l;1.51±0.42. mg/l and 2.02±0.16 mg/l; 31.22±4.12 mg/l and 21.33±3.51 mg/l, and313.30±6.57 mg/l and 270.33±26.16 mg/l respectively which exceeded the standards of the WHO and FMEnv. The high values of analyzed parameters were an indication of the groundwater contamination. Heavy metals in the Rumuosi dumpsite indicated 11.31±1.33 mg/l, 11.01±0.67 mg/l, 361.84±12.31 mg/l, 118.03±5.74 mg/l and 84.77±4.84 mg/l for Pb, As, Mn, Fe and Zn respectively. While Heavy metals thresholds at Igwuruta were 0.004±0.005 mg/l, 0.04±0.07 mg/l, 0.05±0.08 mg/l, 0.08±0.14 mg/l and 0.15±0.04 mg/l respectively. Rumuosi thresholds exceeded the standards, indicating that the exposed local people in the nearby communities may experience cases of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk by drinking the groundwater. The leachate pollution index (LPI) at the studied dumpsites indicated 13.58 and 12.9 which exceeded the internationally accepted benchmark of 7.38; indicating that the Rumuosi leachate was more polluted than Igwuruta leachate. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the pollutant characteristics indicated a significant difference at p=0.05 across the physicochemical and biological indicators at Rumuosi dumpsite over Igwuruta dumpsite. The researcher recommended the practice of sanitary landfill which may reduce the risk of leachate percolation, a primary source of groundwater contamination.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Robert J. Barth

Abstract “Posttraumatic” headaches claims are controversial because they are subjective reports often provided in the complex of litigation, and the underlying pathogenesis is not defined. This article reviews principles and scientific considerations in the AMAGuides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) that should be noted by evaluators who examine such cases. Some examples in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, may seem to imply that mild head trauma can cause permanent impairment due to headache. The author examines scientific findings that present obstacles to claiming that concussion or mild traumatic brain injury is a cause of permanent headache. The World Health Organization, for example, found a favorable prognosis for posttraumatic headache, and complete recovery over a short period of time was the norm. Other studies have highlighted the lack of a dose-response correlation between trauma and prolonged headache complaints, both in terms of the frequency and the severity of trauma. On the one hand, scientific studies have failed to support the hypothesis of a causative relationship between trauma and permanent or prolonged headaches; on the other hand, non–trauma-related factors are strongly associated with complaints of prolonged headache.


1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (03) ◽  
pp. 697-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
T W Barrowcliffe ◽  
A D Curtis ◽  
D P Thomas

SummaryAn international collaborative study was carried out to establish a replacement for the current (2nd) international standard for Factor VIII: C, concentrate. Twenty-six laboratories took part, of which 17 performed one-stage assays, three performed two-stage assays and six used both methods. The proposed new standard, an intermediate purity concentrate, was assayed against the current standard, against a high-purity concentrate and against an International Reference Plasma, coded 80/511, previously calibrated against fresh normal plasma.Assays of the proposed new standard against the current standard gave a mean potency of 3.89 iu/ampoule, with good agreement between laboratories and between one-stage and two- stage assays. There was also no difference between assay methods in the comparison of high-purity and intermediate purity concentrates. In the comparison of the proposed standard with the plasma reference preparation, the overall mean potency was 4.03 iu/ampoule, but there were substantial differences between laboratories, and the two-stage method gave significantly higher results than the one stage method. Of the technical variables in the one-stage method, only the activation time with one reagent appeared to have any influence on the results of this comparison of concentrate against plasma.Accelerated degradation studies showed that the proposed standard is very stable. With the agreement of the participants, the material, in ampoules coded 80/556, has been established by the World Health Organization as the 3rd International Standard for Factor VIII :C, Concentrate, with an assigned potency of 3.9 iu/ampoule.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
O. A. F Wokoma ◽  
◽  
O. S Edori ◽  

Wastewater samples were collected from an oil industry at the point of discharge for a period of two years, from January 2018 – December 2019. The wastewater samples were analyzed for different physicochemical parameters such as temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), conductivity, pH, alkalinity, salinity, total hydrocarbon content (THC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) to examine their conformity to fulfill requirements as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) and Drinking Water Association (DWA). The results indicated that all the parameters in the discharged wastewater were within acceptable limits of the regulatory bodies. The field data showed that the investigated firm conformed to the law by carrying out proper procedures before discharging the effluents into the public drain and river. Therefore, the release of wastewater from the industry doesn't constitute a danger to the environment as well as aquatic organisms. Keywords: Physicochemical parameter, wastewater discharge, oil industry, environment, contaminants


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239784732098525
Author(s):  
Keneth Iceland Kasozi ◽  
Eric Oloya Otim ◽  
Herbert Izo Ninsiima ◽  
Gerald Zirintunda ◽  
Andrew Tamale ◽  
...  

Background: Environmental contamination with elevated levels of copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr6+), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni)—all states of which are found in Uganda—raises health risk to the public. Pb, Cr6+, Cd, and Ni for instance are generally considered nonessential to cellular functions, notwithstanding the importance of the oxidative state of the metals in bioavailability. As such, we aimed in this study (i) to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in four vegetables from a typical open-air market in Uganda, (ii) to assess the safety of consuming these vegetables against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits of heavy metals consumption, and (iii) to formulate a model of estimated daily intake (EDI) among consumers in the country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five georeferenced markets of Bushenyi district in January 2020. Amaranthus, cabbages, scarlet eggplants, and tomatoes were collected from open markets, processed, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Modeled EDI, principal component (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were conducted to identify relationships in the samples. Results: The levels of essential elements in the four vegetables were found to fall from Co > Cu > Fe > Zn. Those of non-essential metals were significantly higher and followed the pattern Cd > Cr > Pb > Ni. The highest EDI values were those of Cu in scarlet eggplants, Zn in amaranthus, Fe in amaranthus, Co in amaranthus, Pb in cabbages, total Cr in scarlet eggplant, Cd in cabbages and tomatoes, and Ni in cabbages. In comparison to international limits, EDIs for Zn, Cu, Co and Fe were low while Ni in cabbages were high. PCA showed high variations in scarlet eggplant and amaranthus. The study vegetables were found to be related with each other, not according to the location of the markets from where they were obtained, but according to their species by CA. Conclusion: The presence of non-essential elements above WHO limits raises policy challenges for the consumption and marketing of vegetables in the study area. Furthermore, low EDIs of essential elements in the vegetables create demand for nutritious foods to promote healthy communities.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-F. Dreyfus ◽  
D. Cremniter ◽  
J.D. Guelfi

SummaryWe are still confronted by numerous different nosographic models and problems concerning the objective evaluation of patients progress during treatment. It is interesting to consider the consequences of this situation in psychiatry which still involves a relative diversity of practical methods used in clinical trials. The recommendations of the USA Food and Drug Administration, on the one hand, constitute a highly structured and precise reference. The World Health Organization, on the other hand, promulgates general recommendations resulting from a compromise designed to satisfy the greatest number of clinicians.Despite the apparently diverse principles and the different practical methods they propose, both those sets of recommendations have been useful in inspiring clinicians to reflect upon these different methodological approaches. The qualities of the inclusion criteria used in the study of patients and the sensitivity of the different measuring instruments have allowed psychotropic drug users as well as producers to recognize the need for a certain rigour in clinical trials.The FDA and WHO guidelines have certainly improved the quality of clinical trials in psychopharmacology. However, they also represent a source of resistance to innovation.A series of consensus meetings to first reconcile US and European points of view and later to include new techniques in the recognized sets of methods would therefore be helpful.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayleigh Beaveridge

Introduction: The anti-vaccination movement has led to decreased vaccination rates and increased vulnerability to vaccine-preventable diseases in the general population. In order to better understand the anti-vaccination movement of today, the anti-vaccination movement that emerged in the 19th century is examined and measured against the one observed in the 20th century. Discussion: Though the population of the 19th and 20th centuries differ in many regards and our knowledge of vaccine and immune mechanisms are far greater; the anti-vaccination movement seen today stands on the same pillars as that of the 1800s with the sentiment of fear at its core. Though the façade of these pillars has been altered to suit the world today, both movements exploited the influence of prominent public figures, maintained false associations with dire vaccine consequences and emphasized these through the use of visual media, repetition and personal narratives. The persistence of the anti-vaccination movement lies largely in the use of personal stories which are more impactful and memorable then the statistical characteristics of scientific study. Conclusion: The pro-vaccination movement must respond to the tactics used by the anti-vaccination movement and create accessible, understandable and equally impactful communication strategies in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and counter the efforts of the current anti-vaccination movement. Relevance: Vaccine hesitancy was listed amongst the top 10 global health threats in 2019 by the World Health Organization. In order to shift the negative rhetoric surrounding vaccines, the anti-vaccination movement of today and its historic roots need to be understood.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-95
Author(s):  
David Okechukwu Okeke ◽  
◽  
Jonathan Chinenye Ifemeje ◽  

The level of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, As, Pb, Cd, Mg, Ca, Hg, Ni, Cr, Zn, Ag, Co, Mo, Se and Al) in soils and food crops (okra, cassava and rice) cultivated within selected mining sites in Ebonyi State, Nigeria were determined using FS240AA Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) according to the method of American Public Health Association (APHA). Soil samples were collected from Enyigba mining site, Ikwo mining site, AmeriAmekamining site, Izza mining site, MkpumeAkwatakwa mining site and MpumeAkwaokuku mining site while the food crop samples (okra, cassava and rice) were collected from the farmlands within the mining sites. Control samples were collected 500m away from the mining destinations were there was no evidence of mining activities on the soils. A total of sixty sub-samples and six control soil samples were collected for this study. Generally, the values of all the heavy metals analyzed for soil and food crop samples were higher than the values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and those from the control site suggesting possible mobility of the metals from mining sites to farmlands through leaching and runoffs. The findings in this study also revealed that the food crops contain heavy metals exceeding the maximum permissible concentration, and could be detrimental to human health when they are consumed.


1987 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 51-58
Author(s):  
Horas Hutagalung ◽  
Suwirma Syamsu

Determination of  heavy  metal  content  (Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn) in some seafoods collected from  Muara  Angke  Fish  Auction  Place  were carried out during February to July 1979. The results showed  that Zn  content  in seafoods a nalyzed  was always much higher than the other heavy metals. The concentration levels of  the  six  heavy  metals observed were low. It is almost of the same level as the metal concentration of  other  seafoods  observed  in various parts of the world oceans, but still lower  than the maximum standard set  for human  consumption  as  established  by   Tasmania, Australia and  World Health Organization. The  mean  per capita  consumption of  fish  in Jakarta is only  about 165 g  per week, while  the  Provisional Tolerated Weekly Intake for Hg, set by WHO/FAO at 300 ug level, would be attained by consuming 1500 g Rastrelliger sp., or 698 gPenaeus setiferus, or 545 g Sepia sp., and or 1250 g Pecten sp.  Therefore,  at   present the  level of metal content in fishes sold at TPI  Muara  Angke  can be  considered  as  not  dangerous  to human health as long as these quantities are not surpassed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olcay Kaplan ◽  
Nuran Cikcikoglu Yildirim ◽  
Numan Yildirim ◽  
Nilgun Tayhan

The drinking water quality is associated with the conditions of the water supply networks, the pollution and the contamination of groundwater with pollutants of both anthropogenic and natural origin. In this study, water samples were taken from four different waterworks in Tunceli, Turkey and heavy metals concentrations (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni and Hg) were measured. Four sampling sites were pre-defined in different locations of the city. The obtained results showed that, the heavy metals concentrations in water samples did not exceed the values of WHO (World Health Organization), EC (Europe Community), EPA (Environment Protection Agency) and TSE-266 (Turkish Standard) guidelines.


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