Potential human health benefits of antibiotics used in food animals: a case study of virginiamycin

Risk management of food-animal antibiotics has reached a crucial juncture for public health officials worldwide. While withdrawals of animal antibiotics previously used to control animal bacterial illnesses are being encouraged in many countries, the human health impacts of such withdrawals are only starting to be understood. Increases in animal and human bacterial illness rates and antibiotic resistance levels in humans in Europe despite bans on animal antibiotics there have raised questions about how animal antibiotic use affects human health. This paper presents a quantitative human health risk and benefits assessment for virginiamycin (VM), a streptogramin antibiotic recommended for withdrawal from use in food animals in several countries. It applies a new quantitative Rapid Risk Rating Technique (RRRT) that estimates and multiplies data-driven exposure, dose-response, and consequence factors, as suggested by WHO (2003) to estimate human health impacts from withdrawing virginiamycin. Increased human health risks from more pathogens reaching consumers if VM use is terminated (6660 estimated excess campylobacteriosis cases per year in the base case) are predicted to far outweigh benefits from reduced streptogramin-resistant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) infections in human patients (0.27 estimated excess cases per year in the base case). While lack of information about impacts of VM withdrawal on average human illnesses-per-serving of food animal meat precludes a deterministic conclusion, it appears very probable that such a withdrawal would cause many times more human illnesses than it would prevent. This qualitative conclusion appears to be robust to several scientific and modeling uncertainties.     

Environmental and economic benefit of recycling model of packaging waste:a case study on aluminum

In order to achieve sustainable utilization of natural resources, save energy and protect environment and ecosystem, it is important for a region or a nation to develop and implement a viable waste recycling model from both theoretical and practical point of view. Some packaging recycling models operated in developed countries are introduced in this article. Aluminium can recovery and recycling is emphasized. Cost effective, economic and environmental benefit of different models are compared and analyzed. The result shows that all recycling models have their characteristics due to the initial purpose of recovery and the situation of the implementing country. However, all the models contribute to the reduction of municipal solid waste disposal and resources conservation.     

Vulnerability of Inuit food systems to food insecurity as a consequence of climate change: a case study from Igloolik, Nunavut

This paper develops a conceptual model to examine the vulnerability of Inuit food systems to food insecurity as a consequence of climate change. The model illustrates that food system vulnerability is determined by the exposure and sensitivity of the food system to climate-related risks and its adaptive capacity to deal with those risks. The model is empirically applied using a case study from Igloolik, Nunavut. Specifically, the paper focuses on how extreme climate-related conditions in 2006 interacted with the food system to affect food security, using 2006 as a lens to identify and characterize some of the processes and conditions shaping vulnerability, and establishing a baseline for identifying and characterizing processes that are likely to shape future vulnerability. There is a high level of adaptive capacity among Igloolik Inuit, with food sharing mechanisms, hunting flexibility, and store-food access moderating the impact of climatic-risks on food security. However, high fuel and commodity prices, the increasing economic burden of adapting to back-to-back years with unfavorable climatic conditions, underlying community vulnerabilities, and the nature to the climate extremes in 2006, overwhelmed the adaptive capacity of many community members. Those dependent on traditional foods and having limited access to financial resources were particularly vulnerable.     

Multi-criteria decision analysis in adaptation decision-making: a flood case study in Finland

Decision-making for the purpose of adaptation to climate change typically involves multiple stakeholders, regions and sectors as well as multiple objectives related to the use of resources and perceived benefits. Standard cost–benefit analysis can be argued to take into account easily monetised effects only. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) embedded in participatory processes can therefore play an important role in defining the decision context and exploring stakeholders’ preferences. In this paper, a case study on flood protection of the Kokemäki river running through the city of Pori in West Finland was conducted. The study was realised as a MCDA workshop involving the key stakeholders of the region. The analysis produced a robust ranking of the considered flood protection alternatives. According to the stakeholders, the approach was useful as an exploratory way of gaining a deeper and shared understanding of the flood protection. It was shown that MCDA is well suited for decision-making in adaptation to climate change–enhanced extreme events.     

An indicator-based sustainability assessment method for indigenous communities: a case study from Mexico

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Indigenous and Western communities are faced with increasing issues of sustainability compromising their natural resources and cultural heritage, for...     

Evaluation of solar powered water pumping system: the case study of three selected Abattoirs in Ibadan,Nigeria

In this paper, detailed and comprehensive analysis of the technical, environmental and economic benefits of providing adequate water supply using solar PV system for three selected abattoirs (Bodija, Akinyele and Iyana church abattoirs) in Ibadan are presented. First, an estimate of average daily water requirement for slaughtering and cleaning cattle is obtained for each of the abattoir. This was achieved through oral interviews conducted at the different abattoirs to arrive at a reliable estimate. Thereafter, the total water requirement, the water storage capacity and the electrical load requirement necessary for the sizing of solar PV system that will enhance the smooth operation of the abattoir are determined. Some of the key results revealed that the water requirements of the abattoirs are 208,780, 91,632 and 78,590 l/week, respectively. The most suitable submersible pump for the three abattoirs is 60GS50 (5hp, 60gallon/min Goulds series). The cost of pumping water and providing lighting for smooth operation of the abattoirs are $0.23, $0.21 and $0.19, respectively. The results also show that 16,300, 15,200 and 14,600 kg/yr of carbon dioxide as well as 46.37, 43.36 and 41.45 kg/yr of carbon monoxide could be avoided, respectively with the implementation of the project.     

An integrative negotiation model to deal with conflicts toward water resources management: a case study in Brazil

Environment, Development and Sustainability - An integrative negotiation model is proposed so that watershed committees (WSC) can deal better with conflicts over alternatives for protecting water...     

Flora biodiversity change detection: a case study

Changes in flora biodiversity are a dilemma facing managers in order to cope with challenges of extinction or endangering plant species as well as replacement by invasive species. Such problems can occur in the region as disruption of ecosystem balance. The first step of proper management of a watershed is obtaining accurate information about plant communities and their dominance and biodiversity status. Such information will help decision makers to adopt an appropriate management approach. Accordingly, the current study was conducted to detect various types of plant species in Zanjanrood Watershed. For this porous, quadrate and transect methods were applied to determine available plant species in the region. Afterwards, Shannon and Simpson’s Reciprocal indices were used to specify the biodiversity status of the identified communities. The calculation results revealed 3.19 and 5.98 for Shannon and Simpson’s Reciprocal indices, respectively. As the results suggested, there has been a downward trend in biodiversity status over the last 20 years. Such a deteriorating condition has been accelerated rise in recent years so that the non-palatable species are rapidly replaced by the palatable ones due to uncontrolled overgrazing of livestock. If management is not based on principles of sustainability in the region, the watershed will experience an extreme poverty of land cover. The findings would be so helpful to achieve an appropriate strategy in order to conserve the biodiversity in a sustainable manner.     

Sustainability assessment of EPS-geofoam in road construction: a case study

ABSTRACT

In the present study, construction procedure and performance assessment of expanded polystyrene EPS-geofoam layer, which is utilized in the repair and rehabilitation of road work, is demonstrated. EPS geo-foam application was suggested after observing excessive settlement and distress of approach roads near Cross drainage (C-D) works constructed on bypass road of an important National Highway Project in India. EPS-geofoam was used as an alternative to earth backfill in approaches of newly constructed culvert on the same bypass road on one side of the C-D work and, for comparison purpose; the other side of the C-D work was retained with existing earth backfill. EPS-Geofoam was convenient to handle, easy to place and executed effeciently in terms of machineries and man power. Also, after 6 months of observation, it was noted that Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) constructed over earthfill material have shown sign of distress and longitudinal cracks were observed due to excessive settlement; on the other hand PQC constructed over EPS-geofoam was intact with no sign of distress. Outcome of the study suggest the use of EPS-geofoam in similar situations as per the proposed guidelines for construction as well as cross-sectional details and design recommended.     

Review of PAH contamination in food products and their health hazards

Public concern over the deleterious effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has grown rapidly due to recognition of their toxicity, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity. The aim of this review is to describe the status of PAH pollution among different food types, the route of dietary intake, measures for its reduction, and legislative approaches to control PAH. To this end, a comprehensive review is outlined to evaluate the status of PAH contamination in many important food categories along with dietary recommendations. Our discussion is also extended to describe preventive measures to reduce PAH in food products to help reduce the risks associated with human intake.     

The use of green criteria in the public procurement of food products and catering services: a review of EU schemes

Green Public Procurement (GPP) is currently being used to influence the market to shift to a supply of goods and services to the public sector that have a reduced environmental impact. The food service sector plays a major role in the purchases made by the public sector and due to that relevance deserves attention. The GPP schemes reviewed were those that provide details of the specific environmental criteria used (or recommended) for public tendering of food products and catering services provision. The set of GPP schemes apply to distinct geographical zones within the EU, including national level (e.g. Italy), regional level (e.g. Barcelona) and also local level, as in the case of cities (e.g. Copenhagen) or schools (e.g. a school in Pisa, Italy). The criteria set covers services provision to schools, health and social care, higher education, government office canteens, sports and leisure arenas, prisons and defence services (e.g. army). European and worldwide GPP criteria were not covered by the review made. This exploratory study comprehends a total of 23 GPP schemes. This sample includes eight national schemes, three regional schemes and ten local schemes. The review focused on the scope, for the sector of applicability (e.g. education, healthcare) of the GPP set of criteria and for the type of food products covered. Moreover, this paper analyses the type of GPP criteria in use and how the environmental criteria cover the distinct life cycle stages of the whole food supply chain. Findings from the analysis show that for the majority of schemes the scope of criteria is simultaneously the provision of food products and catering services. Moreover, cities, municipalities and counties are the main public authorities reporting procurement activities for the education sector while national GPP activities are applicable for multiple sectors of activity. The main food products covered by the criteria are fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and seafood and meat. Finally, the findings show that the set of criteria from the schemes cover widely the life cycle stages of the food supply chain. The results allowed for a first identification of current practices in the use of GPP criteria within public purchasing of food products and catering services in Europe by national, regional or local governments.     

Eco-efficiency in logistics: a case study on distribution network design

Sustainability demands that managers deliberate effects on stakeholders and the environment alongside traditional profitability measures. This paper presents a case study suggested by the managers of a distribution firm that seeks to balance environmental impact with cost in an industrial distribution network configuration decision incorporating product returns, which is currently taking place. While this can be modelled using mathematical programming, nonlinear terms in the objective functions as well as the likeliness that a large number of combinations of binary decision variables result suggest that this will not be able to be relied upon for a solution. For this reason, we propose a heuristic that aims at finding the Pareto-efficient frontier, which managers can use to deliberate the best solution balancing cost and environmental impact, according to the relative trade-offs of various possible configurations. We illustrate this heuristic on the Italian region of Liguria, and further explore trade-offs juxtaposing the regions of Lombardi and Sicily. Lastly, various extensions for enhanced product recovery opportunities for returns are suggested.     

Drought-induced resettlement: a case study from Burkina Faso

As a result of the '16-year drought' that Burkina Faso experienced from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, there has been significant movement of people from the north of the country to the south. The large numbers of people that were displaced as a result of this natural disaster put pressure on the production systems of the south and caused concern amongst development organisations that environmental degradation would follow. Through a 2-year research period, using participatory approaches, it was found that despite a doubling of the population and the introduction of foreign production systems, the process of communal land control has significantly limited environmental degradation. This paper explains how customary law has controlled the settlement of immigrants (the Mossi and Fulani) and how it has overseen land allocation in three villages. The conclusions of the study indicate that, firstly, the customary law mechanisms in the three villages are effective in addressing communal resource use and, secondly, there is an evolution in customary law systems as they respond to local change. Received: 24 February 1999 · Accepted: 15 May 1999     

Cleaner production: a case study of Kaveh paper mill

The pulp and paper industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its energy consumption and impact on the environment. The ‘Cleaner Production’ (CP) approach has been widely utilised as a tool to meet environmental concerns by industry. However, because of the high initial capital cost of CP implementation, it is important to develop a model for prioritisation. In this paper, using analytic hierarchy process methodology, a tree-level hierarchy model was structured to facilitate the prioritisation process in the Kaveh Papermaking Company located in Iran. Using a literature review and field study, the proposed model can provide a framework for CP implementation in a paper factory. The results show that process change gives higher priority between 5 criteria and that repair of all leaks in the paper-making process gives higher priority between 35 sub-criteria. Process change was further evaluated and discussed in which input material changes gained higher priority. The results of this research can be used to accelerate the implementation of CP in Iran's pulp and paper industry.     

Regional carbon footprints of households: a German case study

Households are either directly or indirectly responsible for the highest share of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, programs helping to improve human consumption habits have been identified as a comparatively cost-effective way to reduce household emissions significantly. Recently, various studies have determined strong regional differences in household carbon footprints, yet a case study for Germany has not been conducted. Local information and policies directed at household consumption in Germany thus devoid of any foundation. In this paper, we analyze the impact of different criteria such as location, income and size on household carbon footprints in Germany and demonstrate how the impact of GHG mitigation opportunities varies for different population segments. We use a multi-region input output hybrid LCA approach to developing a regionalized household carbon footprint calculator for Germany that considers 16 sub-national regions, 15 different household sizes, and eight different income and age categories. The model reveals substantial regional differences in magnitude and composition of household carbon footprints, essentially influenced by two criteria: income and size. The highest income household is found to emit 4.25 times as much CO₂e than the lowest. We identify indirect emissions from consumption as the largest share of household carbon footprints, although this is subject to fluctuation based on household type. Due primarily to local differences in vehicle availability, income and nutrition, an average household in Baden-Wuerttemberg is found to have 25 % higher carbon footprint than its Mecklenburg-West Pomeranian counterpart. Based on the results of this study, we discuss policy options for household carbon mitigation in Germany.     

A cost-effectiveness analysis of radon protection methods in domestic properties: a comparative case study in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, UK

Building regulations in the UK have since 1992 required that radon-proof membranes be installed in new domestic properties to protect residents against the adverse effects of radon. This study compares the cost-effectiveness of the current regulatory regime with an alternative that would entail new properties being tested for radon after construction, and being remediated if necessary. The alternative regime is found to be more cost-effective for a sample of properties in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, UK. For this regime, the central estimate of cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained, the measure of cost-effectiveness used, is 2869 pounds compared to 6182 pounds for installing membranes, results suggesting a case for re-examining the current regulations on radon protection in new properties. Pilot studies will, however, be needed to consider how different means of protecting residents of new properties against radon might operate in practice and to provide improved evidence on their relative cost-effectiveness.     

Biodiversity, food consumption and ecological niche dimension: a study case of the riverine populations from the Rio Negro, Amazonia, Brazil

In this study we perform an ecological analysis of the resources use in the diet of the ribeirinho populations of the Barcelos municipality, Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil. Data on food composition, seasonality, and origin took place during three field trips between 1999 and 2000. Data were gathered based on structured interviews and observations from a total of 320 meals of 114 randomly selected families and 164 fishing trips. The staple food of the studied populations is based on fish and manioc, although the food niche amplitude can vary according to the factors such as the access to imported food items, resources seasonality, and socio-economic conditions. The migration to urban centers along with the changes in subsistence activities (reduction of small-scale agriculture and specialization in commercial fishing) may result in changes in the food habits of ribeirinho populations from Rio Negro.