Rethinking the contribution of indigenous management in small-scale water provision among selected rural communities in Cameroon

This paper describes the pro-active role of rural communities in negotiating livelihood and sustenance through the improvement of some of their local water sources. It discusses the strategies put in place to ensure the availability of water, one of the worlds scarcest natural resources. Despite some external assistance, local communities are increasingly shouldering the responsibility of ensuring the availability of water through self-reliant efforts. These attempts are being undermined by a high incidence of waterborne and water-related diseases, which are impacting on health, and hygiene and other health care delivery systems. The management of potable water is proving to be a herculean task for most communities after the departure of funding partners. To guarantee the proper maintenance of pipe borne water schemes, communities are rethinking their strategies as they grapple with difficulties to put in place viable techniques for sustainability of water supply schemes.Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Effect on fatality risk of changing from secondary to primary seat belt enforcement

BACKGROUND: Most seat belt use laws originally passed in the United States contained language restricting enforcement to drivers already stopped for some other reason. States that have since removed this secondary enforcement restriction have reported increased seat belt use. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the effect of these law changes on driver fatality rates. METHOD: Trends in passenger vehicle driver death rates per billion miles traveled were compared for 10 states that changed from secondary to primary seat belt enforcement and 14 states that remained with secondary enforcement. RESULTS: After accounting for possible economic effects and other general time trends, the change from secondary to primary enforcement was found to reduce annual passenger vehicle driver death rates by an estimated 7% (95% confidence limits 3.0-10.9). CONCLUSION: The majority of U.S. states still have secondary enforcement laws. If these remaining secondary laws were amended, an estimated 696 deaths per year could be prevented.     

Associations between grab sample and integrated radon measurements in dwellings in Maine and Texas

Radon concentrations were measured in several locations in each of approximately 100 dwellings in central Maine and in Houston, TX. Integrated samples were taken during the heating (or cooling) seasons with commercially available passive alpha track devices, while grab samples were taken at the time of integrated sampler deployment. It was found that both indoor and outdoor measurements in both areas were distributed log normally, and that the geometric mean of indoor measurements in Maine was three times higher than that of corresponding measurements in the Houston area. It was also noted that the mean of the indoor grab sample measurements was not significantly different from the mean of the indoor integrated measurements, and that the degree of correlation between the grab samples and a given indoor integrated sample was nearly as good as between integrated samples taken at different living area locations.     

Toxicity of uranium and copper individually, and in combination, to a tropical freshwater macrophyte (Lemna aequinoctialis)

Copper (Cu) and uranium (U) are of potential ecotoxicological concern to tropical freshwater biota in northern Australia, as a result of mining activities. Few data are available on the toxicity of U, and no data are available on the toxic interaction of Cu and U, to freshwater biota. This study determined the toxicity of Cu and U individually, and in combination, to a tropical freshwater macrophyte, Lemna aequinoctialis (duckweed), in a synthetic soft water (27 degrees C; pH, 6.5; hardness, 40 mg CaCO3 l-1, alkalinity, 16 mg CaCO3 l-1), typical of many fresh surface waters in coastal northern Australia. The growth rate of L. aequinoctialis decreased with increasing Cu or U concentrations, with the concentration of Cu inhibiting growth by 50% (EC50) being 16+/-1.0 microg l-1, with a minimum detectable effect concentration (MDEC) of 3.2 microg l-1. The concentration of U inhibiting growth by 50% (EC50) was 758+/-35 microg l-1 with a MDEC of 112 microg l-1. The EC50 value for the exposure of L. aequinoctialis to equitoxic mixtures of Cu and U was significantly (P0.05) higher than one toxic unit (1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.52), indicating that the combined effects of Cu and U are less than additive (antagonistic). Therefore, inhibition of the growth rate of L. aequinoctialis was reduced when Cu and U were present in equitoxic mixtures, relative to individual metal exposures. Since non-additive (e.g. antagonistic) interactions of metal mixtures cannot be predicted using current mixture models, these results have important potential implications for the protection of freshwater ecosystems through the derivation of national water quality guidelines.     

Characterizing perfluorooctanoate in ambient air near the fence line of a manufacturing facility: comparing modeled and monitored values

In order to improve our understanding of the nature, measurement and prediction of salts of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in air, two studies were performed along the fence line of a fluoropolymer manufacturing facility. First, a six-event, 24-hr monitoring series was performed around the fence line using the OSHA versatile sampler (OVS) system. Perfluorooctanoate concentrations were determined as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) via liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Those data indicated that the majority of the PFOA was present as a particulate. No vapor-phase PFOA was detected above a detection limit of approximately 0.07 microg/m3. A follow-up study using a high-volume cascade impactor verified the range of concentrations observed in the OVS data. Both studies aligned with the major transport direction and range of concentrations predicted by an air dispersion model, demonstrating that model predictions agreed with monitoring results. Results from both monitoring methods and predictions from air dispersion modeling showed the primary direction of transport for PFOA was in the prevailing wind direction. The PFOA concentration measured at the site fence over the 10-week sampling period ranged from 0.12 to 0.9 microg/m3. Modeled predictions for the same time period ranged from 0.12 to 3.84 microg/m3. Less than 6% of the particles were larger than 4 microm in size, while almost 60% of the particles were below 0.3 microm. These studies are believed to be the first published ambient air data for PFOA in the environment surrounding a manufacturing facility.     

EFFECTS OF ADVANCED WASTEWATER TREATMENT ON THE QUALITY OF WHITE RIVER,INDIANA1

ABSTRACT: In 1983, the City of Indianapolis, Indiana, completed construction of advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) systems to enlarge and upgrade its existing Belmont Road and South port Road secondary treatment plants. A nonparametric statistical procedure, a modified form of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test, was used to test for trends in water quality at two upstream and two downstream sites on White River and at the two treatment plants. Results comparing the pre- (1978–1980) and post- (1983–1986) AWT periods show statistically significant improvements in the quality of the treated effluent and of the White River downstream from the plants. Water quality at sites upstream from the city was relatively constant during the period of study. Total ammonia (as N) decreased 14.6 mg/L and BOD₅ (five-day biochemical oxygen demand) decreased 10 to 19 mg/L in the two effluents. Total ammonia in the river downstream from the plants decreased 0.8 to 1.9 mg/L and BOD₅ decreased 2.3 to 2.5 mg/L. Nitrate (as N) increased 14.5 mg/L in the plant effluents and 2.0 to 2.4 mg/L in the river because of in-plant nitrification. Dissolved oxygen concentration in the river increased about 3 mg/L because of reduced oxygen demand for nitrification and biochemical oxidation processes.     

解构:建筑环境可持续材料战略的起点

在大多数工业国家和新兴工业国家里,对建筑物的外理都是破坏性的、成问题的,在大多数这类国家里,建筑物拆毁(为翻新的部分拆毁,或为建筑物清除的全部拆毁)产生的垃圾占到垃圾总量的30-50%,解构是拆毁的一种替代选择,它提倡,对于建筑物要进行拆毁分解,对于构件要使其两使用或再生,通过建筑部门向着更好的材料回收实践转变,就可以实现大量的经济和社会效益,解构能保存材料投入的内含能量,这样就能减少材料再加工或再造期间新的能量的投入,建筑物的为折解而设计(HfD)的理念出现在1990年代早期,闭合建筑材料环路将要求不仅包含产品设计,还要包含可能被称之为"为解构与拆解而设计(DfDD)过程里的解构.     

Estimating resource utilization demands in implementing statewide screening,brief intervention,and referral to treatment for alcohol-impaired drivers

Objectives: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is used to assess the level of alcohol use/misuse and to inform the intensity of intervention delivered within screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) programs. Policy initiatives are recommending delivery of SBIRT within health care settings to reduce alcohol misuse and prevent alcohol-impaired driving. Recent reports are considering extending delivery of SBIRT to criminal justice settings. One consideration in implementing SBIRT delivery is the question of resource utilization; the amount of effort required in delivering the 4 different intensities of intervention in SBIRT: Alcohol education, simple advice, brief counseling and continued monitoring, and brief counseling and referral to specialist (from least to most intense in terms of delivery time, the skill level of the provider, and personnel resources).

Methods: In order to inform expectations about intervention intensity, this article describes the AUDIT scores from 982 adults recently arrested for alcohol-impaired driving. The distribution of scores is extrapolated to state rates for individuals arrested for alcohol-impaired driving by intervention level.

Results: Though alcohol education was the most common intervention category, about one quarter of the sample scored in a range corresponding with the more intensive interventions using the brief counseling, continued monitoring for ongoing alcohol use, and/or referral to specialist for diagnostic evaluation and treatment.

Conclusions: This article provides local distribution of AUDIT scores and state estimates for the number of individuals scoring in each level of risk (AUDIT risk zone) and corresponding intervention type. Routine criminal justice practice is well positioned to deliver alcohol screening, education, simple advice, and continued alcohol monitoring, making delivery of SBIRT feasible for the majority of alcohol-impaired drivers. Challenges to implementing the full range of SBIRT services include resource demands of brief counseling, identifying the appropriate providers within a criminal justice context, and availability of community providers for referral to diagnostic and specialty care. Solutions may vary by state due to differences in population density and incidence rates of alcohol-impaired driving.