The interaction between physical and social-psychological factors in indoor environmental health

Indoor environmental health is now recognized as an important factor in preventing respiratory health problems in the United States. It is also a concern in Canada due to the amount of time that Canadians spend indoors because of cold weather and the potential for increased time indoors during the summer if theclimate warms. The negative health effects are often labeled assick building syndrome, but diagnosing a building or itsoccupants as sick is complicated by the variety of symptoms, thepresence of chronic versus acute symptoms and social andpsychological (socio-psychological) factors that may reduce theeffectiveness of an engineering solution. As a case study, thecontribution of various factors to indoor environmental health,in three buildings at the University of Toronto, was examinedusing five different methods. The results indicate that theinhabitants of the buildings consider features other than airquality in considering building health such as design,maintenance, funding cuts and socio-psychological factors.     

The Impact of Gold Smelter Emissions on Vegetation and Soils of a Sub-Arctic Forest-Tundra Transition Ecosystem

Gold smelters near Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories have emitted large quantities of sulfur dioxide and arsenic since inception of roasting in 1941. Although particulate wastes are well contained by baghouse fitters in the one remaining operating smelter, significant gaseous emissions continue. Soil and vegetation were sampled at 52 sites over an area of about 40 km radius from the source. Plant ecology was studied at 43 of those sites. After preliminary multi-element screening that indicated only arsenic was a serious persistent contaminant, x-ray fluorescence was used to measure arsenic content in sampled materials. The plant ecology data were synthesized into an Index of Vitality with numerical ratings of pertinent factors. In the marginal forests and rocky outcrops of the area, indicator species of vegetation permitted a division into zones of severe, moderate, mild, or no impact in order of increasing distance from the current center of emissions. Severe impact, including killing of trees, is local only. Analyses of foliage indicate little uptake of arsenic which, together with the presence of S0₂ symptoms, point to S0₂ as the main factor causing decline of vegetation. A separate study, abstracted here, supports this view by providing data that show a frequency of at least 2 significant fumigation episodes per growing season. Soil analyses indicate extremely high arsenic contamination near the stack. A monotonie pattern of dispersion yielded a function explainable in terms of rapid condensation of gaseous emissions. The relationship of arsenic in surface soil and vegetation to distance is approximately an inverse square.     

Guidance note: risk management of workers with medical electronic devices and metallic implants in electromagnetic fields.

Medical electronic devices and metallic implants are found in an increasing number of workers. Industrial applications requiring intense electromagnetic fields (EMF) are growing and the potential risk of injurious interactions arising from EMF affecting devices or implants needs to be managed. Potential interactions include electromagnetic interference, displacement, and electrostimulation or heating of adjacent tissue, depending on the device or implant and the frequency of the fields. A guidance note, which uses a risk management framework, has been developed to give generic advice in (a) risk identification--implementing procedures to identify workers with implants and to characterise EMF exposure within a workplace; (b) risk assessment--integrating the characteristics of devices, the anatomical localisation of implants, occupational hygiene data, and application of basic physics principles; and (c) risk control--advising the worker and employer regarding safety and any necessary changes to work practices, while observing privacy.     

Effects of timber harvesting on pond-breeding amphibian persistence: testing the evacuation hypothesis.

Numerous studies have documented the decline of amphibians following timber harvest. However, direct evidence concerning the mechanisms of population decline is lacking and hinders attempts to develop conservation or recovery plans and solutions for forest species. We summarized the mechanisms by which abundance of amphibians may initially decline following timber harvest into three testable hypotheses: (1) mortality, (2) retreat, and (3) evacuation. Here, we tested the evacuation hypothesis within a large-scale, replicated experiment. We used drift fences with pitfall traps to capture pond-breeding amphibians moving out of experimental clearcut quadrants and into control quadrants at four replicate arrays located within the Daniel Boone Conservation Area on the upper Ozark Plateau in Warren County, Missouri, USA. During the preharvest year of 2004, only 51.6% of the 312 individuals captured were moving out of pre-clearcut quadrants, and movement did not differ from random. In contrast, during both postharvest years of 2005 and 2006, the number of captures along the quadrant edge increased, and a higher proportion of individuals (59.9% and 56.6%, respectively, by year) were moving out of clearcut quadrants than entering. Salamanders moved out of clearcuts in large percentages (Ambystoma annulatum, 78.2% in 2005, 78.2% in 2006; A. maculatum, 64.0% in 2005, 57.1% in 2006). Frogs and toads also moved out of clearcut quadrants, but in lower percentages (Bufo americanus, 59.6% in 2005, 53.3% in 2006; Rana clamitans, 52.7% in 2006). Salamanders moved out of clearcuts with low-wood treatments more than out of clearcuts with high-wood treatments. Movement of salamanders out of clearcuts was independent of sex. Estimated movement out of clearcuts represented between 8.7% and 35.0% of the total breeding adults captured for two species of salamanders. Although we recognize that some portion of the amphibian population may retreat underground for short periods and others may not survive the effects of timber harvest, these data are the first direct evidence showing that individuals are capable of leaving clearcuts and shifting habitat use.     

Male residence and the patterning of serum testosterone in vervet monkeys (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cercopithecus aethiops</Emphasis>)

This study investigated hormonal and demographic processes underlying unimale and multimale mating systems in primates. Reproductive skew and challenge models of male competition provide conflicting predictions of the relationship of male residence to group composition and androgen regulation. These predictions were tested using endocrine and socioecological data from Kenyan vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). Serum samples from 57 adult male monkeys, drawn from 19 separate groups and 4 populations, were assayed for testosterone by radioimmunoassay. Male ability to respond to conspecific challenge was assessed by their testosterone response to the capture protocol.Analyses showed that reproductive skew models were useful predictors of intergroup and interpopulation variation in male residence and T profiles. The Limited Control model of male residence was supported by positive correlations of the number of males per group with the number of females without dependent offspring, demonstrating that monopolization potential was a key determinant of male residence. Testosterone concentrations under conditions that elevated serum levels were positively correlated with infanticide risk, supporting the Concession model. Population comparisons provided evidence for increased T responsiveness where groups were predominantly unimale. Unimale populations were from sites with higher rainfall, suggesting that ecological factors contributed to population differences in male residence and T regulation.For species name, we follow the 2000 taxonomy of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Groups workshop (Grubb et al. 2003)     

Environmental legislation and contamination: The gap between theory and reality in South Africa

Like many areas of its constitution, South Africa has progressive legislation to both prevent and clean up environmental contamination. However, recent research has highlighted a large gap between legislation and practice. This paper presents the context of the intent of environmental waste legislation in South Africa and highlights a case of mercury contamination in a rural area which illustrates the gap between the theory of legislation and the reality on the ground. Mercury contamination in humans poses well known health threats, yet despite attention from the media, non-governmental organisations and academic researchers, a major pollutant remains and contamination levels remain high, two decades after the original polluting incident took place.     

Welcome

The Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE)is pleased to launch the Review of Environmental Economics andPolicy with this inaugural issue. The need for a new journal aimed toward a broad audience haslong been recognized by AERE members and has been actively discussedfor several years by the AERE Board. The time was finally judgedright to initiate a careful review of the need and prospectsfor such a journal,     

Karyotypes found in the population declared at increased risk of Down syndrome following maternal serum screening

Of the 65 328 pregnancies of South Australian mothers screened by the South Australian Maternal Serum Antenatal Screening (SAMSAS) Programme between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 1997, 3431 (5.25%) were declared at increased risk of fetal Down syndrome. Fetal or neonatal karyotype was determined in 2737/3431 (79.8%) of these pregnancies, including 16 with early fetal loss. Interrogation of the database of the South Australian Neonatal Screening Service showed 643 live-born infants whose phenotype was not subsequently questioned among the 694 pregnancies whose karyotype was not determined. Of the remaining 51/3431 pregnancies, 19 ended in early fetal loss without karyotyping and no newborn screening or other records could be found for 32 cases. The 129 instances of abnormal karyotype found were Down syndrome (84), trisomy 18 (four), trisomy 13 (three), triploidy (two), female sex chromosome aneuploidy (six) and male sex chromosome aneuploidy (five), inherited balanced rearrangements (19), mosaic or de novo balanced abnormalities (four) and unbalanced karyotypes (two). In the pregnancies declared at increased risk of fetal Down syndrome, only the karyotype for Down syndrome occurred with a frequency greater than that expected for the general, pregnant population. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relative merits of polystyrene foam and paper in hot drink cups: Implications for packaging

An analysis of the overall relative merits of the use of uncoated paper vs molded polystyrene bead foam in single-use 8-oz cups is described here as a manageable example of the use of paper vs plastics in packaging. In raw material requirements the paper cup required about 2.5 times its finished weight of raw wood and about the same hydrocarbon fueling requirement as is needed for the polystyrene foam cup. To process the raw materials about six times as much steam, 13 times as much electric power, and twice as much cooling water are consumed to produce the paper cup as compared to the polystyrene foam cup. Emission rates to air are similar and to water are generally higher for the paper cup. Virtually all primary use factors favor polystyrene foam over paper. Once used both cup types may be recycled. Landfill disposal of the two items under dry conditions will occupy similar landfill volumes after compaction and will confer similarly slow to nonexistent decomposition to either option. Under wet conditions polystyrene foam will not readily degrade, but may help other materials to do so. Paper under wet conditions will biodegrade to produce methane, a significant greenhouse gas, biochemical oxygen demand to any leachate, and instability to the land surface during the process. Both materials can be incinerated cleanly in a municipal waste stream with the option of energy recovery, to yield an ash volume of 2%–5% of the incoming waste volume. Overall this analysis would suggest that polystyrene foam, with an extension to plastics in general, should be given more evenhanded consideration relative to paper in packaging applications than is currently the case.