Health Risk Assessment Research Papers (original) (raw)

Heavy metals may cause acute and chronic toxic effects to humans and other organisms, hence the need to treat wastewater properly, as it contains these toxicants. This work aimed at assessing zinc, copper, cadmium, and chromium in water, soil, and plants that are irrigated with effluent from Manase and Soche Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Blantyre, Malawi. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) was used to assess the heavy metals. Heavy Metal Health Risk Assessment (HMHRA) on plants (vegetables) around both WWTPs was also conducted. Average daily dose (ADD) and target hazard quotients (THQ) were used to assess HMHRA. Physicochemical parameters were determined using standard methods from American Public Health Association (APHA). The heavy metal ranges were below detection limit (BDL) to 6.94 mg/L in water, 0.0003 to 4.48 mg/kg in soil, and 3 to 32 mg/L in plants. The results revealed that plants irrigated with effluent from WWTP had high values of aforementioned metals exceeding the Malawi Standards and WHO permissible limits. Furthermore, the health risk assessment values showed that vegetables consumed for a long period of time from Manase WWTP were likely to cause adverse health effects as compared to those from Soche WWTP.

- by and +3
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- Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Health Risk Assessment, Heavy metals
- by Rosario Iturbe
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- Earth Sciences, Health Risk Assessment, Environmental Sciences, Soil contamination
- by Janet Kester
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- Engineering, Risk Management, Public Health, Risk assessment
- by jean-luc Boudenne
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- Occupational Health, Water quality, Risk assessment, Multidisciplinary
- by Jeff Fowles
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- Algorithms, Toxicology, Risk assessment, Aerosols

Modern firms have become health-conscious, and the management has employed massive efforts to maintain healthy behaviors for all the employees. This approach is known as the organizational health assessment and seeks to explore the... more

- by Sune Eriksson
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- Animal Production, Health Risk Assessment, Environmental Sciences, Food Sciences

Public transport systems in Johannesburg, South Africa, rely on a large number of diesel-powered buses. These buses are fuel economical and durable. However, filling station attendants, bus drivers and the public are exposed to the diesel fuel and fumes associated with them. Fuel attendants are exposed to diesel exhaust fumes, as well as emissions from fuel pumps on a daily basis, and are at risk to adverse health effects associated with inhalation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released. The VOCs released include benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylenes (BTEX), which have a high level of toxicity. Studies relating to the concentrations of BTEX at diesel stations are limited, as most studies focus on petrol refuelling stations. Thus, analyses of these concentrations are significant within developing countries whose transport systems rely on diesel-powered buses, and where public health measures are often less rigorously enforced. As this research falls within a larger study relating to the health impact of BTEX on fuel attendants at a diesel-refuelling bay, an initial study was undertaken to analyse the two main external factors that are influential on fluctuations of ambient concentrations. Thus, an analysis of total volume dispensed, and ambient temperature at the station, both affecting the concentrations of BTEX released, was conducted. It was established that BTEXtotal concentrations were positively correlated to the volume of diesel dispensed daily and inversely correlated to temperature. Additionally, ethylbenzene and o-xylene indicated a positive correlation with volume of fuel dispensed, while toluene and p-xylene were negatively correlated to temperature.

- by Jasper Knight
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- Air Quality, Air pollution, Health Risk Assessment, Urban Climatology

This paper presents a “Needs Assessment / Health Risk Appraisal” (NA/HRA) questionnaire that can be administered to participants to help determine the necessity of implementing a wellness program in a workplace setting. This questionnaire is based upon a personal interest in obesity and its prevalence among healthcare workers and will be included in the Appendix following the reference section. Although all of the items have multiple parts, completion time for this assessment is less than fifteen minutes. It is important to understand that there are several types of data that need to be gathered if an organization’s wellness program is to survive and flourish: an employee needs assessment, health risk appraisal, and an individual interest survey; these are combined into a single, brief composite survey that will assess employees’ needs, health risks, and interests; and will be delivered both electronically and in a hard copy format. This paper concludes with a description of a process to be used in ensuring the validity of the assessment if it were to be used as part of an actual wellness program.

- by Kyung-Duk Zoh
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- Risk assessment, Multidisciplinary, Health Risk Assessment, Humans
- by Mustafa Aral
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- Engineering, Fuzzy set theory, Monte Carlo, Health Risk Assessment

Contaminated water is increasingly linked to diseases worldwide, necessitating the safety evaluation of the sources of domestic and drinking water in every locality. The present study aimed to assess water safety in terms of lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), and microorganisms in the borehole and well water in Iwaya, Makoko, and Ilaje in Lagos, Nigeria. Water samples were subjected to atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and microbiological examinations using standard protocols and compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits. The average daily ingestion (ADI) and hazard quotient (HQ) of the selected heavy metals were also calculated using standard formulas. The AAS indicated that the borehole and well water of the three locations contained non-permissible levels of Pb, Ni, and Cd (only the well water in Ilaje), while Zn, Cu, and Cr were normal. In addition, the microbiological examinations showed that the borehole and well water of the three locations contained abnormal bacteria and coliform counts (well water only). The ADI and HQ of the selected heavy metals were less than one, which is the threshold at which a substance is considered safe for consumption. Water could pose some health risks, and the consumers in high-risk areas should consider water treatment before consumption.

- by Maureen MacGillivray
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- Marketing, Health Risk Assessment, Consumer Studies
- by Hannu Norppa and +4
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- Engineering, Exposure Assessment, Health Risk Assessment, Occupational health and safety
- by Julia Hoydis
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- Literature, Interdisciplinary Studies, Health Risk Assessment
- by Elisabeta Chirila
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- Sample Preparation, Health Risk Assessment, Heavy Metal, Metal speciation

PM 1 and metals concentration in ambient air were measured. Contamination level of metals assessed by Geo-accumulation Index. Health risk of metals assessed by Hazard Index for children and adults. Non-carcinogenic risk existed for children. Cancer risks found were above the safe limit. a b s t r a c t Risk analysis is highly important in toxicology and public health studies. Health risk related to exposure to toxic metals of PM 1 was assessed. Concentrations of 13 heavy metals, adsorbed to submicron particulate matter PM 1 were experimentally examined but only 12 metals were found at detectable levels inside IIT Kanpur campus in 2008e2009 for all months excluding June and October. A total of 90 samples collected for 8 h sampling time by a single stage round nozzle, grease impaction substrate based impactor type PM 1 sampler were analysed by ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry). Results showed daily average PM 1 concentration is 102.46 ± 35.9 mg/m 3 and metal concentration followed the trend: Ca > Fe > Mg > Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Ni > Se > Cd > V > As. Contamination level assessment using geo-accumulation index showed Ca, Fe and Mg exhibited non contamination whereas metals like Cr, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Se, Ni and Cu exhibited ranges from moderate to extreme contamination. Ingestion is found to be the major exposure pathway for heavy metals. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment for Pb, Cd and Cr (HI > 1) signified strong chances of adverse impact on children whereas adults are well under safe limit. Cancer Risk for adults and children followed the same decreasing order, Cr(VI)>Cd > Ni > As > Pb. It was found to be higher than permissible limits (10 À6) for adults and children both.

This study was carried out to determine the awareness of health risks associated with body piercing and tattooing amongst undergraduate students in University of Lagos (UNILAG). Five objectives were set (To ascertain the awareness of the health risks associated with body piercing and tattooing, to determine the student's major source of information on the health risks associated with body piercing and tattooing, to determine the students practice of body piercing and tattooing, to determine students reason for body piercing and tattooing, to determine students attitude towards body piercing and tattooing). 369 students were used, 380 questionnaires were developed and shared by the researcher according to the stated objectives. The study showed that 369 (100%) of students are aware that tattoo/body piercing can constitute a health risk. 85.4%(315) endorsed HIV/AIDs as the associated health risk, 49.9%(184) tetanus, 20.1%(74) hepatitis, 20.1%(74) pruritus (itching) , 60.2%(222) endorsed skin injury (wound), 24.9%(92) Abscess or boils, 60.2%(222) inflammation, 19.8%(73) endorsed damage to underlying blood vessels and nerves, 45.0%(166) skin allergies while 55.0%(203) endorsed chronic infection as the associated health risk that can result from body piercing/tattooing. 22.2 %(82) either pierced or tattooed while 77.8 %(287) did not. The major reason for students body piercing and tattooing were for self-identity (To feel belonged). 183 (49.6%) of the respondent consider tattoo/body piercing indecent. However, majority of the students' source of information were mass media, friends, parent and internet. On this note, health education, workshops seminar on health risk associated with body piercing and tattooing were the recommendations made by the researcher. 2

- by olateru olanrewaju
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- Body Image, Body Art, Health Risk Assessment, Self-awareness

Risk assessment, by itself, does nothing to reduce risk or improve safety. It can only change outcomes by informing the design and management of effective risk control interventions. But current practice in healthcare risk management suffers from an almost complete lack of support for risk control. This first installment of a 2-part series on rebalancing risk management describes a new framework to guide risk control practice: The Process for Active Risk Control.

- by Alan Card
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- Management, Risk Management and Insurance, Business Administration, Safety Engineering
- by Klára Kovács
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- Sport, Health Risk Assessment
- by Christophe Martinsons and +1
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- Occupational Health, Biomass, Semiconductors, Risk assessment

To determine the groundwater quality in the rapidly urbanizing region of Telangana State, South India, 194 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for evaluating the groundwater quality using a geographic information system (GIS) technique. Cations, viz., calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium; and anions such as bicarbonate, carbonate, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and fluoride were analyzed using standard procedures. The nitrate concentrations varied from 4 to 440 mg/L, with a mean of 73 mg/L. It is noticed that 48% of the groundwater samples showed nitrate concentrations higher than the maximum permissible limit recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) and Bureau of Indian Standards. The high fluoride concentrations in about 57% of the samples exceeded the maximum permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. High fluoride concentrations are attributed to geogenic source i.e., rock–water interactions with fluorine-bearing minerals present in the granites of the study region. Interpretation of chemistry using Piper diagram indicated that Ca 2+ –Mg 2+ –Cl − , Ca 2+ –Na + –HCO 3 − and Ca 2+ –HCO 3 − were the most predominant water types in the study region. The data plotted in the US Salinity Laboratory diagram which revealed that most of the samples fell in the category of C2S2 and C2S3, indicated that the groundwater suitable for irrigation purposes. In additional, health risk assessments were performed and evaluated using the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), to determine the risk of noncarcinogenic disease due to fluoride and nitrate in drinking water. Ingestion health risks were estimated for adults (females and males) and children. Results indicated that children were more exposed to health risk, due to intake of high contaminated drinking water with respective of nitrate and fluoride in the study area. Keywords Drinking and irrigation suitability · Groundwater quality · Health risk assessment · South India

- by thierry maffeis
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- Genetics, Biomaterials, Nanotechnology, DNA damage

This review aims to give an overview of current techniques available for pen and paper based observational methods in assessing work-related upper limb disorders. Searched from an electronic database for materials from 1993 until 2015, the methods discovered were based on upper limb disorders, observational method, risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders. The evaluation process for selected publication has been conducted by two researchers. Seven observational methods used to assess exposure to work-related Upper Limb Disorders (ULDs)were identified. The risk factors involved in current techniques of pen and paper based observational tools were postures, force, repetition, vibration, movement, frequency of action and duration. From the seven methods, only three methods were proven to be reliable and rated as moderate to good. For the three methods reviewed, the validity test showed moderate results. Many observational tools exist, but no single tool appears to cover all of the risk factors which is related to upper limb. Although the most important factor in developing tool is proper validation of exposure assessment techniques, the existing observational method did not test reliability and validity.

- by Mohd Nasrull Abdol Rahman
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- Ergonomics, Occupational Therapy, Occupational Health, Human Factors

Sachet water in Nigeria, popularly called pure water is the most ubiquitous commercially
packaged water in the country. As a result, they are cheaper and vended in several locations such as motor parks, markets, hospitals road sides, outskirt of schools and streets. Given the threat of potential health risk, there is therefore need to periodically ascertain its water safety qualities (physical, chemical and microbial) to protect public health. This study focuses on ascertaining the quality of selected Sachet water brands in 3 major areas of Ondo State namely Akure, Owo and Ondo metropolis. Sampling 100 retail outlets to inquire about the top 5 most consumed sachet water brands from each area which were subjected to analysis. The results showed that the sachet water samples had good aesthetic value as all the brands of sachet water evaluated met the recommended WHO standard for appearance, colour, odour and turbidity. Thirteen of the sachet water samples had pH values between 6.5 - 7.6 which met the limit described by WHO while the other three samples had pH value below 6.5 and did not fall within WHO drinking water standard. Other physico-chemical characteristics of all the brands of water evaluated such as electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, chloride, magnesium, calcium and Nitrate were within the acceptable limits recommended by WHO for quality drinking water except for their chemical oxygen demand properties which was >10mg/L described by WHO. Two samples had values higher than the recommended 100mg/L for total alkalinity. The concentration of metals; Pb, As, Cr and Mn was not detected in all the water samples, however, Zn, Fe, Cd and Cu were found in some samples in values slightly higher than the value described by WHO for quality water in all the 3 locations. Results of the microbiological analyses further shows that all the brands of water had zero MPN/100mL count for coliforms except for only three brands with values higher than the 0 MPN/100 mL maximum limits recommended by WHO. Only two brands of the sachet water samples had value (113CFU/mL) above the 102 CFU/mL described by WHO for aerobic mesophilic count. This study suggests that maximum and effective treatment technique/method should be adopted by the water manufacturing industries to reduce or totally eradicate water-borne diseases.

Current practice in healthcare risk management is supported by many tools for risk assessment (understanding problems), but none for risk control (solving problems). The results: a failure to improve safety, and a waste of the investment made in risk assessment. The Active Risk Control (ARC) Toolkit, available for free, fills this void with a systematic, structured approach to risk control.

- by Xue Wang
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- Arsenic, Environmental Monitoring, China, Risk assessment

This paper describes the development of the Workplace Ergonomic Risk Assessment (WERA) for investigating the physical risk factor associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The initial development of WERA tool involved the following procedures: (1) first stage, development of WERA prototype from literature review, (2) second stage, evaluation of the psychometric properties including (a) validity trials and (b) reliability and usability trials. In the validity trials, the relationship of the individual WERA body part scores to the development of pain or discomfort is statistically significant for the wrist, shoulder and back regions. It shows that the WERA assessment provided a good indication of work-related musculoskeletal disorders which might be reported as pain, ache or discomfort in the relevant body regions. In the reliability trials, the results of inter-observer reliability shows that moderate agreement among the observers while from the feedback questionnaire survey about the usability of WERA tool, all participants including expert and management teams agreed that the prototype of WERA tool was easy and quick to use, applicable to workplace assessment for the wide range of job/task and valuable at work. It was confirmed that there was no need of training required to do WERA assessment. Therefore, the WERA assessment has been designed for easy and quick use, and for those who are trained to use it do not need previous skills in observation techniques although this would be an advantage. As WERA is a pen and paper technique that can be used without any special equipment, WERA assessment can be done in any space of workplaces without disruption to the task that have been observed.

- by Mohd Nasrull Abdol Rahman and +1
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- Ergonomics, Occupational Therapy, Occupational Health, Human Factors

An air pollution health risk assessment (AP-HRA) estimates the health impact to be expected from measures that affect air quality, in different socioeconomic, environmental, and policy circumstances. As such, it is an important tool for informing public policy decisions. This document introduces the concept of AP-HRA, describes in broad terms how the health risks of outdoor air pollution and its sources are estimated, and gives an overview of the general principles for the proper conduct of an AP-HRA for various scenarios and purposes. The information is aimed at a broad audience of readers who do not need to know how to apply the tools, but seek a general understanding of the concepts, scope and principles of AP-HRA.

Groundwater is the only water source in the Siddipeta-Vagu (SDV)
the region, India, and its quality are vital as it is the primary factor determining the groundwater suitability for drinking and irrigation uses. In this study, 51 groundwater samples were collected to assess the suitability of groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes and to estimate the potential impacts of groundwater contaminants on human health. Discussions on sustainable groundwater management in this study area were also reported. The groundwater quality of the SDV region is severely affected by geogenic sources and urbanization as specified by the distribution of fluoride and nitrate. The results reveal that the highest concentration of nitrate is 348 mg/L and fluoride is 3.7 mg/L in the study region. The nitrate and fluoride appear as the principal problem affecting safe drinking water in the SDV region. The foremost
hydrochemical facies indicate that alkalis exceed alkaline earth and
strong acids exceed weak acids in groundwater. The results of sodium
adsorption ratio (SAR), percentage sodium (%Na), magnesium hazard
ratio (MHR), Kelly’s ratio (KR), and residual sodium carbonate (RSC)
show that most of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation
purposes. Non-carcinogenic health risks due to nitrate and fluoride
exposure through consumption of drinking water were also evaluated
using the USEPA method. Results indicate that the infants are the
most susceptible groups to nitrate and fluoride through drinking water
in the study area. Therefore, necessary groundwater management
strategies should be implemented to control the groundwater pollution and also to protect the populace health in the study region.

- by Narsimha Adimalla
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- Health Risk Assessment, Groundwater Quality
- by soledad rubio
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- Engineering, Technology, Electrochemistry, Mass Spectrometry

The contamination of groundwater by heavy metal, originating either from natural soil sources or from anthropogenic sources is a matter of utmost concern to the public health. Remediation of contaminated groundwater is of highest priority since billions of people all over the world use it for drinking purpose. In this paper, thirty five approaches for groundwater treatment have been reviewed and classified under three large categories viz chemical, biochemical/biological/biosorption and physico-chemical treatment processes. Comparison tables have been provided at the end of each process for a better understanding of each category. Selection of a suitable technology for contamination remediation at a particular site is one of the most challenging job due to extremely complex soil chemistry and aquifer characteristics and no thumb-rule can be suggested regarding this issue. In the past decade, iron based technologies, microbial remediation, biological sulphate reduction and various adsorbents played versatile and efficient remediation roles. Keeping the sustainability issues and environmental ethics in mind, the technologies encompassing natural chemistry, bioremediation and biosorption are recommended to be adopted in appropriate cases. In many places, two or more techniques can work synergistically for better results. Processes such as chelate extraction and chemical soil washings are advisable only for recovery of valuable metals in highly contaminated industrial sites depending on economical feasibility.► A number of groundwater treatment technologies for heavy metal remediation have been reviewed. ► Iron based techniques, Biological Sulphate Reduction and Permeable Reactive Barriers were most successful in the past decade. ► Biosorption is the emerging field mostly experimented in laboratories. ► More than one techniques can be coupled for site specific problems for better performance.

In this review, we address the identification of residual chemical hazards in shellfish collected from the marine environment or in marketed shellfish. Data, assembled on the concentration of contaminants detected, were compared with the appropriate regulatory and food safety standards. Moreover, data on human exposure and body burden levels were evaluated in the context of potential health risks.Shellfish farming is a common industry along European coasts. The primary types of shellfish consumed in France are oysters, mussels, king scallops, winkles,whelks, cockles, clams, and other scallops. Shellfish filter large volumes of water to extract their food and are excellent bioaccumulators. Metals and other pollutants that exist in the marine environment partition into particular organs, according to their individual chemical characteristics. In shellfish, accumulation often occurs in the digestive gland, which plays a role in assimilation, excretion, and detoxification of contaminant...

- by Thierry Guérin
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- Food Safety, Fisheries, Environmental Monitoring, Risk assessment

ABSTRACT
Patients’ rights have been formulated in a number of documents and guidelines from various international bodies. Laws and declarations on patients’ rights do not automatically make health care safer, but can help to empower patients. Empowered patients are in a better position to manage their own health and health care and to participate in efforts to improve safety. "e report presents an overview of legal aspects influencing
patient safety and describes examples of patient involvement. It highlights the need to strengthen a continuum of information between various levels of care, including patient experiences, health literacy and engagement. "e work is expected to contribute to the wider process of evidence collation aimed at finding
effeceint ways to build realistic and informed expectations of health care, while encouraging patients to be vigilant and knowledgeable to ensure maximum safety standards. Recommendations are formulated with respect to the macro, meso and micro levels of health service delivery.

Variation in levels of toxic heavy metals in river system during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown might potentially assist in development of a public health risk mitigation system associated with the water consump-tion. The water quality of Punnakayal estuary in the Thamirabarani River system from the south India, a vital source of water for drinking and domestic purposes, industrial usage, and irrigation was assessed here. A
comparitive assessment of physico-chemical variables (pH, EC, TDS, DO, BOD, turbidity and NO3), microbio-logical parameters (total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, fecal streptococci and escherichia coli) and toxic metals (As, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) suggested a decrease of 20% in the contaminant ratio during the lockdown period in comparison to the pre-lockdown period. The Health risk assessment models (HQ, HI, and
TCR) highlighted carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic hazards for both children and adults through the ingestion and dermal adsorption exposures. The HI values for both As and Cr exceeded the acceptable limit (>1) during the lockdown period, but the potential risk for children and adults remained low in compaisio with the pre-lockdown
period. Our results suggested that the Thamirabarani River system remained hostile to human health even during the lockdown period, and it requires regular monitoring through a volunteer water quality committee with private and government participations.

Imidacloprid residue analysis in paddy samples was conducted using the simplified and validated QuEChERS preparation method. Samples were extracted with acetonitrile (ACN) and salts anhydrous magnesium sulphate (MgSO 4) and sodium chloride (NaCI) while cleaning was by treating with primary secondary amine (PSA). Imidacloprid residue was quantified with Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) using short and narrow C18 column to reduce analysis duration and solvent consumption. The pumps were programmed to mix acetonitrile and water at a ratio of 2:8 to form the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 0.1 mL/ min and10 µl injection volumes. Imidacloprid was detected at 270 nm using UV detector. The method was validated in term of linearity, range, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), precision (repeatability and intermediate precision), and accuracy (recovery). The LOD was 0.001 mg/L whereas LOQ was 0.003 mg/L. The validated method provides good analytical results wherein the linearity r2 was 0.9996, recoveries 80−120% and RSDs <20%. This method can be implemented in routine laboratories as it yields a higher sample throughput and reduced solvent consumption compared to the traditional Luke method approach.

- by Raihanah Chokeli and +1
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- Pesticide Residues, Quantitative analysis, Health Risk Assessment

The purpose of this study was to investigate and quantify trace metal concentrations in Commelina africana L. and psammitic sandflats from an intertidal coastal ecosystem in Niger Delta, Nigeria, and to evaluate their spatial distribution, degree of contamination, and source apportionment. The environmental risks associated with soil contamination were elaborately assessed using potential ecological risk index, sediment quality guidelines, and enrichment relative to background levels. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in sandflat soil samples are 0.76 ± 9.0 × 10 −2 , 7.39 ± 8.7 × 10 −1 , 2.28 ± 0.35, 0.024 ± 4.0 × 10 −3 , and 74.51 ± 2.55 mg/kg, respectively. Metal levels indicate strong variability with sampling sites. The order of trace metal concentrations in the Commelina africana L. samples is Zn > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cd. The concentrations varied with the sample locations; and the levels of Pb (0.05 to 0.08 mg/kg) at all locations are found to be significantly below permissible level of 0.3 mg/kg. Potential sources of metal loadings may be associated with localised or diffused anthropogenic activities. The average carcinogenic risks are below 1.0 × 10 −6 threshold values, and the sandflat soils are not considered to pose significant health effects to children and adult males and females. However, the carcinogenicity and noncarcinogenicity risks ranking decrease following the order children > adult males > adult females. Comparatively, the hazard quotient and hazard index indicate that the psammitic sandflats might pose a health risk to children in future.

Highly contaminated groundwater can affect the human health and constrain the economic development of a country. For this study 105 groundwater samples were collected in rock-dominant semi-arid (RDSA) region, India and analyzed for hydrochemical parameters including major ions, fluoride, and nitrate. The human health risks due to groundwater fluoride and nitrate contamination were also assessed. The analysis reveals
that most of the groundwater samples are alkaline in nature. Hydrochemical types of groundwater in the study area are mainly Ca∙Mg–HCO3 and Na–HCO3 types and a fewsamples belong to Ca∙Mg–Cl and Na–Cl types in the RDSA region. Fluoride concentration ranges from 0.5 to 3.5 mg/L, and predominantly eastern part of the study region has higher concentrations of fluoride with comparison to the western part. About 49% of the groundwater samples have fluoride concentration above
1.5 mg/L in groundwater, indicating a high health risk to residents. Eventually, water-rock interactions are the main processes to elevate the fluoride concentration in eastern part of the study area. Nitrate concentration ranges from 12 to 212 mg/L, and northern and southern
parts of the study region have much higher nitrate concentrations than the central region of the study area, where nitrate concentration is below 45 mg/L. In terms of nitrate, 55% and 17% of the groundwater samples are
under high risk and very high risk categories, respectively, which are not suitable for drinking purposes in the study region. Fertilizer application for
crop yields could be one of the reasons for elevated nitrate concentration. The total hazard index for adults ranges from 0.87 to 7.08, and for children 1.17 to 9.57, which suggests that children are at higher health risk than adults in the study region. Therefore, contaminants filters and rainwater harvesting are suggested as measures to reduce the health risk in the area.

There is growing acknowledgement that the material dimensions of water security alone are inadequate; we also need to engage with a broader set of hydrosocial relationships. Indeed, more holistic approaches are needed to explain Indigenous peoples' relationships to water including the use of traditional water sources such as mountain creeks and springs. In this paper, we seek to reimagine water security through a case study of Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in's relationships to both treated and traditional water sources throughout the First Nation's traditional territory in Yukon, Canada. Through community-based research including interviews with Elders and other community members, we examine the importance of traditional water sources for meeting important health requirements including physical, spiritual and cultural wellbeing. This intervention contributes to ongoing debates about what it means to secure safe and affordable water in three key ways: First, we argue that Indigenous water relations invite a shift towards more a holistic understanding of water security; second, we contend that settler colonial politics should be understood as a root cause of water insecurity; finally, we explore how Two-Eyed Seeing can be applied as an alternative to the 'integration' of Western scientific and Indigenous approaches to drinking water.

- by Nicole J Wilson and +1
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- Indigenous Health, Indigenous Knowledge, Political Ontology, Settler Colonial Studies

Background: Healthcare profession is known to be at high risk for work related
musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). It is estimated that almost one-third of all cases
of sick leave among healthcare workers are related to WMSDs. Many studies are
conducted, which measured the variety of factors across a range of occupations at
different levels of risk. However, relation of current exposure to the risk of developing
WMSDs is indeed an area to be looked into. Hence, the current study evaluated
current exposure and risk of developing WMSDs among different groups of healthcare
professionals. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional exposure-risk
assessment study, conducted on 140 healthcare professionals, including dentists,
laboratory technicians, nurses, physicians and physiotherapists of various clinical
departments in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, India from January to June
2013. Face-to-face interviews and observational analysis of various job tasks were
employed. Different combinations of validated and standardized questionnaires
were used for collecting different types of data. Results: The exposure and risk
assessment on occurrence of WMSDs indicates that nurses are at the highest risk for
developing WMSDs, followed by dentists and physiotherapists whereas laboratory
technicians and physicians have the least. Among the participants who reported
MSDs pain, more than half of the cases were related to work. Conclusion: Among
all the healthcare professions, nurses were found to be the high risk group, whereas
physicians were found to be the low risk group. We recommend that education,
awareness, and training programs on prevention and coping strategies for MSDs be
made mandatory for healthcare professionals.

- by Dr. Sandul Yasobant and +1
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- Risk Assessment & Risk Management, Healthcare, Exposure Assessment, Health Risk Assessment

Groundwater is the primary source for drinking uses in the hard rock terrain of central Telangana, India, where most of the people rely on it for daily uses. Therefore, this study was carried out to comprehend the fluoride contamination and its associated health risk assessment to local dwellers. For this study, 54 groundwater samples were collected from bore wells and hand pumps in the study region and were analysed for fluoride and other physicochemical parameters. The results indicated by statistical mean values of Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ are 182.14, 59.79, 23.90 and 3.74 mg/L, respectively, while HCO32−, Cl−, SO42− and NO3− are 236.1, 230.8, 167.7 and 81.9 mg/L, respectively. The fluoride concentration ranged from 0.8 to 4.2 mg/L, with a mean of 2.21 mg/L. Eighty-one percent of the groundwater samples exceeded the World Health Organization’s water quality limit of 1.5 mg/L for fluoride. Piper trilinear diagram (PTD) signifies that groundwater quality in the study region is characterized by Na+–Cl−, Ca2+–Mg2+–Cl− and Na+–HCO3−–Cl− hydrochemical water types. Gibbs diagrams indicate that all the major ion chemistry of the groundwater in the study region is controlled by rock–water interactions, while evaporation plays a minor role. The health risk assessment results revealed that the associated hazard quotient (HQ) for the age range of 6 to 12 months within about 100% of the study area exceeded the acceptable HQ limits of 1. Furthermore, the HQ for age categories 6–11 years, 11–16 years and 16–18 years within 96.2, 68.5 and 50%, respectively, of the study locations were larger than 1. Results also indicate that age group 6 to 12 months was most prone to health risks in the study region. Therefore, in the study region, people should be taken necessary actions to abolish the groundwater contamination to protect the local dweller’s health.

- by Narsimha Adimalla
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- Health Risk Assessment, Groundwater Quality

An effort has been made to understand the groundwater quality of Nanganur region for drinking purpose utilizing water quality index (WQI). Nitrate contamination in groundwater was assessed and the associated health risks to rural populations were estimated for different age groups, infants, children and adults in the agricultural region of Nanganur, South India, where residents rely on only groundwater for drinking use. Groundwater was slightly alkaline and moderately hard. The concentration of nitrate in the groundwater ranged from 25 to 198 mg/L, with a mean of 66.14 mg/L, and 61% of groundwater samples exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) safe limit of 50 mg/L. The WQI values ranged from 92 to 295, with an average of 153, and about 86% of groundwater samples were poor quality for drinking uses. Results showed that the non-carcinogenic health risk for adults ranged from 6.0E-01 to 4.8E+00, for children 8.1E-01 to 6.4E+00, and for infants 9.4E-01 to 7.4E+00, respectively. Health risk caused by excessive intake of nitrate contaminated groundwater for children and infants were 1.15 and 1.75 times larger than that for adults, which suggested that health risk degree of infants have greater health risk than children and adults in the study region. The order of nitrate contribution to non-carcinogenic health risk among the studied age groups was infants > children > adults. Therefore, health risk reduction measures should be implemented to reduce exposure to nitrate contaminated drinking water in the study region.

- by Narsimha Adimalla
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- Water Pollution, Health Risk Assessment, Groundwater Quality

Summary…
The aim of the present study is to know the effect of raw sewage from the Al-Haay city on some of the chemical, physical and bacteriological properties of Al-Gharraf River. The Al-Gharraf River located in the south-eastern sector of Iraq and surrounded by vast and agricultural lands. The river receives most of the wastewater coming from many activities including industrial, agricultural, and domestic wastewater. Associated with the development of the area, the increase of pollutants into the river has been a recent cause for alarm.
Five sampling stations were selected along the Al-Gharraf River .The first is located at 2 km of AL-Haay City as a control. The second is situated at a distance of 2 km away from the first and represented sewage discharge station.The Station 3 was about 2 km from station 2 represented the raw water uptake of AL-Bashaer station for drinking water.The station 4 was about 4 km from station 2 and the last station is located at 8 km apart from the second station.
Monthly sampling was carried out from October 2012 till July 2013,two samples were taken each month .
The results obtained showed that the values of turbidity , Electrical conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solid, total suspended solid, dissolved oxygen , biological oxygen demand , total Hardness , chlorides, sulphate , nitrate, phosphate , total bacterial count, total coliform bacteria, Faecal coliform, total Streptococcus and faecal Streptococcus in the river were found to be higher at autumn and winter and lower at spring and summer.
This study has found that: Air and water temperature values varied from 16-42 and 11-31 0C respectively. Also,water current values were varied from 0.37-0.81 m/sec, electrical conductivity values varied from 825-1450 µs/cm with Salinity 0.52-0.93 ppt, The total dissolved solid 545.3 – 957 mg / L, Total suspended solid values ranging from 38-278 mg / L with turbidity 30-177 NTU. It was found that the waters of Al-Gharraf River is alkalinity with pH ranged between 7.03 - 8.3 with a reasonable ventilation as the oxygen values recorded varied monthly at winter months 6.3-10.38 mg / L . The biological oxygen demand values were found to be higher at some stations 1 -7.01 mg / L . The total hardness ranged between 306- 496 mg/L, The chlorides values varied from 89-184.6 mg / L, the sulphate values ranged between 172.42 - 360 mg/L. Nitrate values varied from 5.7 -15. 76 mg/L, and the phosphate values ranged between 0.50 -0.13 mg/L.
The study results also showed that the heavy metals concentrations (cadmium, lead and zinc) were 0.001-0.099 ppm, 0.004- 0.32 ppm and 0.025- 1.1 ppm, respectively. Concentrations of these metals of Al-Gharraf River showed seasonal variations during the study period and they are exceeding permissible limits for Iraqi standard specifications and WHO standard for drinking water except Zn .
This study has shown that the highest total bacterial count was recorded at the second station during winter 2013 was 75000 cell/1ml , whereas the lowest value was found during summer 2013 was 100 cfu/1ml. Total Coliform and Fecal Coliform bacterial counts were ranged between 290-34000 cfu /100 ml and 220-33000 cfu/100 ml , respectively. However, total streptococcus and faecal streptococcus counts were 230 -32600 cfu/100 ml and 200-21000 cfu/100 ml , respectively.

Geophagy is a common practice among
certain cultural groups especially women in some rural
communities in Nigeria. The safety of eating such
clays in terms of their heavy metal composition has not
been ascertained, neither is the link between them and
disease conditions established in geophagists. The
analysis of field survey data reveals that the majority
(about 90 %) of the women did not go beyond
secondary school education. The geology of an area
has a direct influence on the chemical composition of
the soils. Therefore, this research was carried out to
determine the mineralogical and the heavy metal
content of some geophagic clay materials from
Nigeria. All the geophagic clay materials are hydrated
silicates of either Al, (Na and Ca), (Al and Mg), or/and
(Mg and Fe). The concentration levels of Na, Al, Ca,
Fe, Mg, Cu, and Zn are tolerable and apparently could
serve as a veritable source of mineral nutrients
deficient in the human body. An assessment of the
level of contamination of heavy metals on the basis of
the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) shows that Cr,
Cu, Zn, Co, and Ni (all with Igeo\1) did not
contaminate the clay materials. On the contrary, they
are extremely contaminated by As, Cd and Se
(Igeo =[5), and are moderately to strongly contaminated
by Pb and Sb (Igeo = 2–3). In terms of health
risk assessment, the presence of heavy metals such as
As, Cd, Pb, Se, and Sb with a health risk index (HRI)
[1, renders the geophagic clays unsafe for human
consumption. Similarly, Al, Fe, and Na are in excess in
the clay (HRI [[[ 1) posing serious human health
risks. Thus, the ingestion of geophagic clay materials
by pregnant women and children when it contains
heavy metals like Pb, As, Cd, Se, and Sb poses the risk
of some medical disorders and should therefore be
considered a public health problem. Since geophagic
practice will persist despite civilization, we advocate
finding ways of reducing heavy metal pollutants in
geophagic clays through suitable remediation
technology.