Quantitative and structural analyses of hazardous elements in Chinese medicines and herbs

Thirty samples of Chinese medicines and herbs were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, mainly noting on the hazardous elements arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium, antimony and cobalt. The three Niuhuang Jiedu Pian samples contained 8.6%, 8.3% and 2.2% As. Two out of four Liushen Wan samples contained approximately7% of both As and Hg. Despite being identically named, the other two Liushen Wan samples did not contain such high concentrations. Japanese Liushen Wan for children contained 1.2 ± 0.03% As and 31 ± 12 mg/kg Hg, whereas Liushen Wan for adults manufactured by another Japanese company contained 550 ± 22 mg/kg As and 1.2 ± 0.05 mg/kg Hg. All the chemical structural formulas of As and Hg in the high-concentration Niuhuang Jiedu Pian and Liushen Wan were realgar (As₄S₄), uzonite (As₄S₅) and cinnabar (HgS). Although the human body is generally not believed to absorb sulphides, continuous intake of these Chinese medicines is potentially no good because it is possible that some arsenic-sulfides will dissolve in gastric acid and then alter their chemical structures. Additionally, many herbs contained low concentrations of Hg, and their chemical structures were unknown.     

Landscape fires as social disasters: An overview of ‘the bushfire problem’

The ‘landscape’, ‘bushfire’ or ‘forest-fire’ problem is exemplified by the destruction of homes and human lives by landscape fires raging out of control. The ‘problem’ involves a series of landscapes (e.g. wildland and suburb), a series of systems (e.g. biophysical system and environmental-effects system), and a series of time phases (e.g. planning phase). It is a multi-stakeholder, multi-variable, multi-scale problem. Land uses, like ‘farmland’, imply a set of specific assets and, therefore, particular perceptions of losses. In all land-use designations, at any one point, fire-proneness may be seen as a function of exposure to ignition sources (embers, burning brands or flame radiation and flame contact) and the ease of ignition. The landscape-fire problem has multiple partial ‘solutions’, not just one overall solution, and these involve social governance, land management (public and private), suppression capacity and personal preparedness. The problem needs to be addressed at multiple temporal and spatial scales in an integrated fashion for the outcome to be of maximal benefit. There will always be a residual risk of severe fire occurrence. Minimisation of residual risk requires effective land management, recurrent funding and the perpetual vigilance of all parties.     

Not just a matter of knowledge. The Katrina debacle

The paper deals with hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf coast of the US at the end of August 2005, with disastrous consequences. The paper sketches the chronicle of the main events and deals with preparation and response in New Orleans, exploring the connection between knowledge and disaster management policies, in particular communication policy. The main failures in applying and sharing available information for preventing and limiting damage are attributed to lack of coordination between elected officials, authorities and agencies at all levels. The critical role of the media in shaping the perception of the event and the immediate response to it is also highlighted.     

Modern accident investigation - Four major challenges

Nowadays, ‘investigation’ is a very commonly advocated approach and consequently is becoming an umbrella concept. ‘Investigation’ includes many types of approaches on different system levels. Originating from transport accidents and crime scenes, ‘investigation’ ranges from genocide, natural disasters, via discrimination, health care to crime fighting, economic fraud and ethical questions in engineering and management. In such a changing operating environment and widespread applications, accident investigation must reassess its distinctive role, purposes and operating conditions. It must clarify and communicate its specific aims and functions and performance to such an extent that it maintains its credibility, capability and quality in the eye of professionals, politicians as well as the public. Based on an assessment of the past performance of leading investigation agencies, practical experiences during major ad hoc accident investigations and changes in the operating environment, a SWOT analysis identified several issues as internal and external challenges in the future conduct of major investigations. Finally, the article proposes several priorities, challenging each stakeholder and expert in the investigation community to contribute from its own perspective to improve accident investigation theory and practices.     

The safety chain: A delusive concept

Various governments have defined a so-called safety chain to structure their efforts in the field of risk management for low-probability disasters. The safety chain typically consists of the following components: proaction, prevention, preparation, repression. While the terminology suggests that the safety chain should be interpreted a series system, the safety chain more closely resembles a parallel system. This has important implications: the safety chain is not as weak as its weakest link; unreliable links need not always be strengthened as it will often be more efficient to rely on a few layers of protection, or just one. To avoid misguided efforts caused by the confusing terminology ‘safety chain’, we propose the use of the term ‘layers of protection’, as is currently the case in the Dutch flood safety policy. Furthermore, we show that imperfect preparedness for low-probability disasters is often perfectly defensible or rational, given the differences between the cost-effectiveness of investments in prevention and disaster preparedness.     

1997年5月7日益阳罕见雷击灾害分析

通过调查益阳市赫山区羊角乡小河口村发生的特大罕见雷击灾害，翔实记述了雷击出现引起的特异现象及灾害，科学地分析了雷击发生的天气形势和地理环境条件及其原因．并提出了预防雷击的措施。     

震害的动态预测

利用多层递阶模型，在选取影响人口损失大小的动态因子的基础上，建立了可应用于未来人口损失估计的动态预测模型，并由此对中国大陆各区域未来10a的人口损失进行了预测。     

中国近40年自然灾害总况与减灾对策建议

中国是世界上自然灾害最严重的少数国家之一。大陆地震的频次和强度居世界之首,占全球地震能量的十分之一以上;台风登陆的频次每年达七次;旱、涝灾害,山地灾害,海岸带灾害连年不断;危及工农业生产和城市安全相当严重。本文介绍了中国近40年自然灾害总况,现有的受灾害威胁的状况和防御能力,最后提出了监测、预报、抗灾、防灾、救灾和援建为要点的减灾系统工程建议。     

论地震灾害场控制的系统化方法

强烈地震后效时间长,影响范围广。因此,地震灾场的控制,对于遭受地震的城市或地区的震后功能恢复具有重要的意义。本文界定了地震灾害场和地震灾害影响场的概念;讨论了地震灾场的一些基本特征;结合作者研究工作的进展,对地震灾害场控制的基本思路作出了探讨。