Assessing health impacts in complex eco-epidemiological settings in the humid tropics: Modular baseline health surveys

The quantitative assessment of health impacts has been identified as a crucial feature for realising the full potential of health impact assessment (HIA). In settings where demographic and health data are notoriously scarce, but there is a broad range of ascertainable ecological, environmental, epidemiological and socioeconomic information, a diverse toolkit of data collection strategies becomes relevant for the mainly small-area impacts of interest. We present a modular, cross-sectional baseline health survey study design, which has been developed for HIA of industrial development projects in the humid tropics. The modular nature of our toolkit allows our methodology to be readily adapted to the prevailing eco-epidemiological characteristics of a given project setting. Central to our design is a broad set of key performance indicators, covering a multiplicity of health outcomes and determinants at different levels and scales. We present experience and key findings from our modular baseline health survey methodology employed in 14 selected sentinel sites within an iron ore mining project in the Republic of Guinea. We argue that our methodology is a generic example of rapid evidence assembly in difficult-to-reach localities, where improvement of the predictive validity of the assessment and establishment of a benchmark for longitudinal monitoring of project impacts and mitigation efforts is needed.     

中国土壤环境调查、评价与监测

介绍了近半个多世纪以来中国土壤环境调查情况,对20世纪50年代、80年代全国土壤调查情况进行了描述,阐述了2006年以来全国土壤污染状况调查情况。结合土壤环境现状、土壤监测与评价存在的问题,对未来中国土壤监测规划进行了展望。提出了确定土壤环境监测国控点,构建国家土壤环境监测网,落实土壤环境例行监测的监测思路,以进一步推进土壤环境监测和保护。     

纸片法快速测定水质总大肠菌群

简要介绍了纸片法测定水质总大肠菌群的操作方法,并通过６个实验室的验证试验,研究了纸片法与现行标准方法（多管法）的一致性。结果表明,２种方法的测定结果基本一致,无显著性差异,但纸片法测定周期比多管法缩短了２ｄ,仅需１ｄ即可。     

基于MapX的污染源普查GIS软件开发实例

污染源普查数据面广量大,且含有准确的地理信息,但国家统一开发的普查数据应用软件中没有集成GIS分析功能。东台市环保局在对污染源普查数据的应用中,以Delphi为编程工具,调用污染源普查数据库,基于MapX实现了一款简易的污染源普查GIS应用软件,介绍了MapX特点及其应用、数据接口方法及系统的实现等。     

污染源普查成果在环境管理中的应用

历经3年的第一次全国污染源普查现已基本结束。此次污染源普查中获得了大量珍贵的污染源基础性数据,合理开发这些数据,对提高环境监察、项目审批、污染源治理及减排等工作,对加强环境管理有着不可估量的作用。结合唐山市的环境管理工作,阐述了利用普查成果,可对唐山市环境保护工作的开展起到积极的促进作用。     

新形势下对环境统计工作的思考

分析了环境统计工作的定位和内容,以及第二次全国污染源普查、排污许可证与排污税制度、环境质量考核制度给环境统计工作带来的改革契机。针对固定源、城镇生活源与农业面源、移动源,提出了统计调查工作的设想。建议改变环境统计调查焦点,实现污染源统计空间格局"一张图";开拓环境统计分析品牌,推动环境统计方法研究;以政策管理需求为导向,完成环境统计工作体系的重构。     

A Note on the Use of Conservation Practices in U.S. Agriculture

This article measures the effect of an increase in productivityattributable to an increase in soil organic carbon associated with theincrease in the use of conservation practices in agriculture in theUnited States. Both the direct and indirect effects are calibrated. Theanalytical approach used consists of a dynamic computable generalequilibrium model composed of 14 producing sectors, 10 consumingsectors, seven household categories classified by income, and agovernment. The results suggest that the impact of a change inproductivity is an increase in output over a six year period starting in1998 in field crops. The most significant impact is felt in thelivestock sector. This is because field crops are a major input in theproduction of livestock. The food processing sector also exhibits arelatively large increase because of the increase in inputs of both fieldcrops and livestock. Manufacturing output increases primarily becauseoverall investment rises and most investment utilizes manufacturinggoods. The other producing sectors are generally unaffected by theincrease in agricultural production due to an increase in soil organiccarbon. Coincident with the increase in the production of field cropsis a relatively large decrease in the price of field crops. Othernoticeable price reductions occur in the livestock sector and the foodprocessing sector. For the consuming sectors, the consumption offood and alcohol and tobacco increase but consumption in all of theother sectors remains basically unchanged. Prices in the food andalcohol and tobacco sectors decline by about 1% while theprices in the other sectors remain static. Household welfare increasesin the aggregate by only 0.1% with this increase occurringuniformly across all household categories. Revenue received by thegovernment increases a modest 2% in response to an increase inoutput and, hence, an increase in taxes paid. The results indicate thatthere are significant production benefits for several sectors that can berealized by an increase in the use of conservation practices inagricultural production which, in turn, enhances soil organic carbon.There are a number of policy options available to promote the use ofconservation practices. These include education and technicalassistance, financial assistance, research and development, landretirement, and regulation and taxes.     

Defining Historical Baselines for Conservation: Ecological Changes Since European Settlement on Vancouver Island,Canada

Abstract: Conservation and restoration goals are often defined by historical baseline conditions that occurred prior to a particular period of human disturbance, such as European settlement in North America. Nevertheless, if ecosystems were heavily influenced by native peoples prior to European settlement, conservation efforts may require active management rather than simple removal of or reductions in recent forms of disturbance. We used pre‐European settlement land survey records (1859–1874) and contemporary vegetation surveys to assess changes over the past 150 years in tree species and habitat composition, forest density, and tree size structure on southern Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that frequent historical burning by native peoples, and subsequent fire suppression, have played dominant roles in shaping this landscape. First, the relative frequency of fire‐sensitive species (e.g., cedar [Thuja plicata]) has increased, whereas fire‐tolerant species (e.g., Douglas‐fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii]) have decreased. Tree density has increased 2‐fold, and the proportion of the landscape in forest has greatly increased at the expense of open habitats (plains, savannas), which today contain most of the region's threatened species. Finally, the frequency distribution of tree size has shifted from unimodal to monotonically decreasing, which suggests removal of an important barrier to tree recruitment. In addition, although most of the open habitats are associated with Garry oak (Quercus garryana) at present, most of the open habitats prior to European settlement were associated with Douglas‐fir, which suggests that the current focus on Garry oak as a flagship for the many rare species in savannas may be misguided. Overall, our results indicate that the maintenance and restoration of open habitats will require active management and that historical records can provide critical guidance to such efforts.     

α1-Microglobulin levels and correlation with cadmium and other metals in urine of non-smoking women among general populations in Japan

The present study was initiated to examine urinary α₁-microglobulin (α₁-MG-U) levels among non-smoking women in the general population in Japan. A previously established database on spot urine samples from adult woman volunteers in 10 non-polluted areas all over Japan was re-examined. The data examined were on α₁-MG-U, cadmium, calcium, magnesium and zinc levels in urine (Cd-U, Ca-U, Mg-U and Zn-U, respectively), urinary creatinine (CR or cr), urine specific gravity (SG or sg), smoking habits and age. Thus, 8975 never-smoking women were selected for statistical analyses. The grand geometric mean (GM) for α₁-MG-U among the population was 2.1?mg/L or 2.5?mg/g?cr, depending on the correction for urine density. It was 1.1?µg/L or 1.3?µg/g?cr for GM Cd-U. The inter-area difference in α₁-MG-U was <1.5?mg/g?cr or <0.7?mg/L; the area with the highest or lowest GM Cd-U was not always highest or lowest in GM α₁-MG-U. The correlation coefficient (0.53) between log?Cd-U and log?α₁-MG-U (both without urine density correction) became substantially smaller when the analyte levels were corrected for CR (0.25) or SG (0.26). In multiple regression analysis, the power of influence of the five independent variables (log?Cd-U, Ca-U, Mg-U, Zn-U and age) in combination was small (R ²?≦?0.13). In contrast, logistic regression analysis suggested that α₁-MG-U might be elevated as a function of an increase in Cd-U, depending on the cut-off values. Discussion was made on dose (Cd-U_cr) and response (α₁-MG-U_cr) relationship based on information available in literatures to show that the increment in α₁-MG-U_cr per Cd-U_cr was much greater when Cd-U_cr was large, e.g., in excess of 10?µg/g?cr.