Cancer and Non-Cancer Health Risk from Eating Cassava Grown in Some Mining Communities in Ghana

Food crops such as cassava, cocoyam and other tuber crops grown in mining communities uptake toxic or hazardous chemicals such as arsenic, and cadmium, from the soil. Cassava is a stable food for Ghanaians. This study evaluated human health risk from eating cassava grown in some mining communities in Ghana such as Bogoso, Prestea, Tarkwa and Tamso, which are important mining towns in the Western Region of Ghana. The study evaluated cancer and non-cancer health effects from eating cassava grown in the study areas in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Assessment guidelines. The results of the study revealed the following: cancer health risk for Tamso, 0.098 (RME – Reasonable Maximum Exposure) and 0.082 (CTE – Central Tendency Exposure). This means that approximately 10 and 8 out of 100 resident adults are likely to suffer from cancer related cases by RME and CTE parameters respectively. For Prestea, we have 0.010 and 0.12, which also means that approximately 1 out of 100 and 10 resident adults out of 100 are also likely to suffer from cancer related diseases by RME and CTE parameters. The results of the study obtained were found to be above the acceptable cancer risk range of 1× 10⁻⁶ to 1× 10⁻⁴, i.e., 1 case of cancer out of 1 million or 100,000 people respectively.     

A Simulation Study to Assess the Sensitivity of a Forest Health Monitoring Network to Outbreaks of Defoliating Insects

The sensitivity of the United States Forest Health Monitoring network to outbreaks of defoliating insects was examined by means of a simulation study. A model constructed specifically for the study was used to generate a wide variety of defoliation patterns in forested landscapes. Forest configuration was that of Minnesota, USA, as expressed by the GAP land cover classification. Combinations of model parameters were based on a Latin Hypercube sample. The relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak characteristics was then examined via multiple regression. Both theoretical and model results pointed to a strong, linear relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak size. Model results provided additional insight, suggesting a significant relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and other outbreak characteristics after outbreak size was taken into account.     

松花江流域大型底栖动物生物完整性指数构建及其适用性

利用生物完整性指数评价河流健康状态,对于水环境管理决策具有重要的实践意义。基于大型底栖动物构建生物完整性指数(B-IBI),并评价松花江流域的水生态系统健康状况。在松花江主要干支流设定37个采样点,分别于2016年6、9月进行环境因子和大型底栖动物调查研究。最终从28个候选参数中确定了种类总数、摇蚊种类数、敏感种百分比、Hilsenhoff指数、Marglef指数作为核心参数构建B-IBI。通过0～10赋分法,计算得到了松花江流域全部采样点的生物完整性评价得分。结果显示,松花江流域内60%区域生物状态存在不同程度的损害。另外,B-IBI能够综合反映松花江大型底栖动物群落多样性、生境质量、理化水质等,具有一定的适用性。     

上海隧桥工程海域生态系统健康的初步评价

随着上海经济的快速发展,一些大型海洋工程在上海海域纷纷兴建,造成了生境破碎化、生物多样性的破坏等一系列的生态损害。在分析海洋工程可能造成生态损害的同时,以上海长江口隧桥工程为例,选择2007年春季和秋季的2次生态调查数据进行研究。架桥阶段结束后,综合分析了春季与秋季的调查数据,发现各项指标均有偏向于不利的趋势。基于结构功能指标体系评价法,并利用层次分析法研究后得出上海长江口隧桥工程附近海域的综合健康指数分别为2043和2166。根据CHI≤3的情况下判断,该海域的生态健康状况属于不健康接近亚健康状态,表明河口生态系统自然属性发生明显改变,生物多样性及生态系统结构发生了一定程度的变化,主要生态服务功能出现退化或丧失。针对遭遇海洋工程破坏的生境,需要进行更多、更长时间的人工干预,并提出有效的生态保护和修复对策。     

以植被生物完整性评价梁子湖湖滨湿地生态系统健康

湖滨湿地植被是湖滨带生态系统的主要特征,以湖滨湿地植被为对象可评价湖滨带生态系统健康状况。通过对梁子湖湖滨湿地植被的详细调查,共鉴定出植物182种,隶属于52科128属,其中湿生植物147种,水生植物35种。水生植物中有20种挺水植物,6种浮叶植物和9种沉水植物。采用植被生物完整性(VIBI)方法评价梁子湖湖滨湿地生态系统健康,对21个备选指标进行筛选分析,建立了以挺水植物物种数、多年生植物物种数、外来物种百分比、香农多样性指数、植物区系质量指数FQAI、耐受性物种百分比、敏感性物种百分比为核心指标的评价体系,三分法对指标进行赋值,将梁子湖湖滨湿地划分为健康、良好、一般和较差4个等级。评价结果表明,梁子湖湖滨湿地22个调查位点中,处于健康状态的有3个位点,良好6个,共占总位点数的41%,一般和较差分别为7个和6个,共占59%。总体上看,东梁子湖和牛山湖湖滨湿地位点健康状况较好,而西梁子湖湖滨湿地差异性较大,山坡湖南部湖湾和前江大湖北部位点健康状况良好,张桥湖湖滨湿地健康状况一般,评价较差的6个位点集中在宁港湖周围和前江大湖南部沿岸。底质和人类活动如水位调控、围网养殖、放牧等是影响梁子湖湖滨湿地植被生物完整性的主要原因。     

基于水量分配方案的抚河流域最小控制需水量研究

鄱阳湖流域水资源丰富,在非汛期尤其是用水高峰期,存在供需水矛盾和河道外用水挤占河道内用水现象。基于水量分配方案,以控制断面为节点,考虑河道外需水,兼顾河道内生态环境需水,系统提出计算流域控制断面最小控制需水量方法。在此基础上,以抚河流域为例,把流域划分为12个控制断面,分别为沙子岭、黎川、南城、洪门、廖坊、石门、廖家湾、娄家村、马圩、焦石、柴埠口和李家渡,各断面的最小控制需水量分别为740、380、2873、1200、4981、261、5085、7168、050、10894、1556 和1030 m3/s。通过水文监测控制流域断面流量,为落实水量分配方案、保护流域水环境和维持河流生态系统健康提供保障。同时,以最小需水量并与实测流量比较,确定各用水区余缺水量,为实施流域非汛期水量调度提供依据     

西安市大气和水污染对人群健康损害的经济价值损失研究

环境污染对人群健康造成损害的经济价值评价一直是学术界讨论的热点．采用不同的价值评估方法-VPLL潜在寿命损失年法、VSL统计生命价值法、WTP支付意愿法对西安市1996—2003年的大气和水污染对人群健康造成的经济损失进行评价。结果表明：1996—2003年。西安市大气和水污染健康损失年平均为228792万-434237万元，占GDP的3．69％-7％。对居民健康有显着影响。     

Environmental health in the complex city: a co-evolutionary approach

While public health and urban planning were closely linked in the past, today both domains are institutionally separate. In most cases, health intersects with spatial planning processes only through obligatory evaluations, such as environmental impact assessments, or restrictive environmental legislation. This institutionalisation of health criteria in most western countries has difficulty in dealing with recent environmental health challenges, leading to continual distrust and conflict between citizens and the government. This impasse has recently been discussed by academics who acknowledge the complexity of both city and health issues. It seems, however, that the full extent of the issue has not been covered yet, leading to recommendations and frameworks that are useful but fixed and retrospective. This paper moves beyond those fixed frameworks to develop a better understanding of the complexity of the current disconnect and explores ideas for a future planning approach, grounded on new ideas of co-evolutionary and adaptive planning.     

庐山不同森林植被类型土壤特性及其健康评价

土壤作为森林生态系统的一个重要因子,评价森林土壤健康状况对森林健康的维护经营以及森林系统功能的发挥具有重要意义。在系统调查和分析庐山8种森林植被类型土壤特性的基础上,评价指标分别从物种多样性以及不同的森林土壤特性中进行筛选,包括物种多样性系数、枯落物层厚度、腐殖质层厚度、土层厚度、容重、粘粒含量、有机质、p H值、阳离子交换量、全氮、水解氮、有效磷、速效钾、磷酸酶活性等指标,基于SPSS19.0软件对所获得数据进行差异性检验和相关分析,确定各项指标的权重,应用合适的土壤健康评分函数,将测得的指标值转换为对应指标的分值,最后通过加权综合法,计算其土壤健康指数,并对不同森林植被类型土壤健康状况进行评价。结果表明,8种森林植被类型下最终的土壤健康指数大小排序为:针阔混交林(0.78)常-落混交林(0.72)灌丛(0.69)常绿阔叶林(0.67)落叶阔叶林(0.64)竹林(0.59)马尾松林(0.53)黄山松林(0.46)。     

Which compounds contribute most to elevated airborne exposure and corresponding health risks in the Western Balkans?

A majority of ongoing monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is currently focused on chemicals emphasized in the Stockholm Convention. Quantitative detection of other substances (especially those with numerous anthropogenic sources such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) is, however, also needed since their concentrations are usually several orders of magnitude higher. A goal of this study was to determine how various groups of compounds contribute to total human health risks at the variety of sampling sites in the region of Western Balkan. Distribution of the risks between the gas and particulate phases was also addressed. Results showed that inhalation exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) does not represent a significant risk to humans, while polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) re-volatilized to the atmosphere from contaminated soils and buildings can pose a problem. PCB evaporation from primary sources (currently used PCB-filled transformers or non-adequate storage facilities) generally resulted in much higher atmospheric concentrations than evaporation from the secondary sources (soils at the sites of war destructions). A majority of the human health risks at the urban sites were associated with PAHs. Between 83 and 94% of the cumulative risk at such sites was assigned to chemicals sorbed to particles, and out of it, PAHs were responsible for 99%.