Environmental Health Indicators Research Articles

Pollution has negative effects on macrozoobenthic trait diversity in a large subtropical estuary.

Changes in species composition and relative abundance caused by pollution might have an impact on the community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Macrobenthos are widely used as indicators of marine environmental health due to their sensitive to disturbance. The present study aims to evaluate spatial and temporal variability of functional diversity of macrobenthos of the Montevideo and Canelones coastal zone along a pre-established pollution gradient, based on Biological Traits Analysis, and functional diversity indices. Body-size", "Feeding-mode", "Habitat", and "Indicator-role" were useful proxies to detect changes in environmental conditions in organically enriched habitats. FRic, FEve and FDis detected temporal variations but only FRic registered spatial variations. Differences among surveys would mainly reflect environmental variability caused by the 2009-2010 El Niño-Southern Oscillation event. Finally, negative correlations between FEve and FDis with AMBI suggest both indices as useful proxies of benthic environmental health, with potential to be used in monitoring and quality assessment programs.

Spatiotemporal variation in the blood lead levels of Chinese children with the environmental Kuznets curve trend

The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) is often used to analyze the relationship between environmental pollution health indicators and economic development level in different regions. In developed countries, the blood lead levels (BLLs) of children have been declining fitting the EKC since the 1970s. However, such figures in China have remained at relatively high levels, without any obvious decline, since 2010. We explored spatial variations and graded countermeasures using reported data on BLLs including the lead poisoning rates (LPRs) of children. We found that there were prefectures where either the mean BLLs of the children had reached 100.00 μg/L or the LPRs of more than 40% of the children had reached 100 μg/L. When we reduced the average BLLs to 50 μg/L or lowered the proportion of children with a lead poisoning rate (LPR) above 100 μg/L to 10.00%, the EKC trend decreased, and the linear slope after 2010 became -0.202. If the areas where children's BLLs exceeded 50.00 μg/L or the proportion of children with an LPR above 100 μg/L was more than 10.00% will be controlled, the linear slope of the EKC decrease trend after 2010 will became -0.989, and the national average of children's BLLs would decline by 22.17%. The study concluded that children's BLLs in different regions of China are situated at different EKC stages, and urgent prevention and control strategies must be put in place for undeveloped areas.

Assessing Identification Accuracy of Research Grade iNaturalist Observations in Lichens and other Taxonomically Difficult Organisms

Community science-generated biodiversity data can provide essential information for understanding species distributions, behaviors and conservation statuses. However, their utility can be limited due to high uncertainty and variability in quality, especially for small taxonomically difficult organisms like fungi and insects. One important set of community-generated data that are increasingly used by scientists are Research Grade (RG) iNaturalist observations. These observations are aggregated into the Global Biodiversity Information Facility database. Here we assessed the accuracy of RG lichen observations in iNaturalist. Lichens are mutualistic symbioses formed between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, either algae or cyanobacteria that occur in every terrestrial ecosystem on the planet (Brodo et al. 2001). They are sensitive indicators of environmental health, especially air quality, and provide essental food and nesting material for animals, along with performing many other ecosystem services (Allen and Lendemer 2021, Brodo et al. 2001, Nimis et al. 2002). We examined hundreds of observations and determined if the identification was correct, if it was not possible to identify the observation given the data provided, or if the identification was incorrect. Identification accuracy of selected species varied widely, from zero observations with enough information for correct identification (e.g., Rhizocarpon geographicum and Cladonia chlorophaea) to 100% correct identifications (e.g., Cetradonia linearis and Physconia subpallida, McMullin and Allen 2022). Most frequently, species that require microscopic examination or chemical tests for accurate identification were unable to be verified versus those that require only macromorphology. We provide a series of suggestions for best practices to improve the quality of RG observations and thus the utility of community-generated observation data for taxonomically difficult organisms.

Colony collapse disorder: A peril to apiculture

Apiculture has become a profitable profession due to the high economic importance of honey and various beehive products. Honeybees are tiny social insects that perform a crucial function in the agricultural field and are necessary for good yields. Honeybees are the biological indicators of environmental health. Unforeseen rapid decrease in honeybee numbers characterized by the departure of honeybees from the colonies and accompanied by the total absence of any dead bees in the hive surrounding and inside it suggests a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Pesticides, pathogens, and other ecological stresses such as nutritional deficiency may add to bee extinction or CCD. Besides this, the exposure to low-level radiofrequency and microwave radiations from mobile phones also have profound undesirable effects on honeybees. Research has shown changes in biology and behaviour which includes some undesirable changes in the biomolecules concentration in honeybees because of radiation exposure. Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF- EMF ) also affects honeybee`s immune system and navigation activities. The radiation induces emotional disturbance and genetic disorders in brood which attributes to a decline in the breeding efficiency of bees. The present review is an attempt to compile the causes of CCD and discuss the management practices to be followed by the beekeepers to avoid the devastating loss to them and the planet Earth.

Environmental Health Indicators Affect On The Acheivement Of Community Health Development Index In Tanjung Jabung Timur District

The Public Health Development Index (IPKM) is composite indicator that describe the progress of health development in a district. Enviromental health is one of the indicator contained in the IPKM. There are 2 sub-indicator for environmental health, access to clean water and access to sanitasion. This research was conducted in Tanjung Jabung Timur regency with the aim of knowing the description of IPKM achivements on environmental health indicator in 2016-2018. Methodology this was quantitative research. This study was conducted 5 months starting from May to October 2021. Data analyzed used public health development index formula that has been determined by calculating weights for each indicator and then used minimum and maximum standars values. This study found that the sub-index value of the group from 2016-2018 continued to increase. In 2016 amounted to 0.111411387, in 2017 amounted to 0.363059484, and in 2018 amounted to 0,696495001. The results of this study indicate that for 3 consecutive years the environmental health conditions have continued to improve towards a better direction, both in terms of access to clean water and access to sanitation. However, it still to improvements access to clean water and access to healthy sanitation so that it evenly distributed for all communities in Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency.

PENGELOMPOKAN PROVINSI DI INDONESIA BERDASARKAN INDIKATOR KESEHATAN LINGKUNGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE PARTITIONING AROUND MEDOIDS DENGAN VALIDASI INDEKS INTERNAL

Environmental health is an important aspect in efforts to achieve public health. The condition of environmental health in Indonesia is varies in each province, so the priorities for increasing environmental health are also different. This study aims to grouping provinces in Indonesia based on environmental health indicators in order to know the high/low environmental quality in each province to assist the government in optimizing environmental health efforts. The grouping of provinces is done partitioning around medoids method which is robust to data containing outliers. The measure of similarity objects is calculated using the Euclidean and Manhattan distances, the selection of the best number of clusters is done by validating the internal index, namely the Calinski-Harabasz index, Baker-Hubert index, silhouette index, C-index, and Davies-Bouldin index. The result of this study is that the best number of clusters are two clusters using the Manhattan distance measurement method, with the largest Calinski-Harabasz index value = 24.10072, the largest Baker-Hubert index = 0.8466251, the largest silhouette index = 0.4246581, the smallest C-index = 0.07290109, and the smallest Davies-Bouldin index = 1.094805.

Small mammals in a mountain ecosystem: the effect of topographic, micrometeorological, and biological correlates on their community structure

An increasing number of studies have investigated spatial and temporal patterns in species richness and assemblage composition in mountain ecosystems along altitudinal gradients. Small mammals have been successfully used as indicators of environmental health and as proxies of biodiversity. However, information about the composition and distribution of species assemblages in the mosaic of habitat and rocky landform types at a high altitude is still lacking for most of the mountain regions. Through the use of live traps and camera trapping, we described the small mammal community living above the treeline of the Western Dolomites (Italian Alps), investigating the species richness, abundance of individuals and community composition in relation to topographic, micrometeorological, mesohabitat, and biological correlates. A total of five species and 50 individuals were sampled, analysed, and released. At the extremes of the analysed altitudinal range (i.e. 1900 vs 2900 m a.s.l.), community composition was completely different and species richness was related to elevation, steepness, and vegetation cover. At the same time, the taxonomic distinctness of ground-dwelling arthropods (namely carabid beetles and spiders), a proxy of habitat complexity, showed higher values in areas with a greater small mammal species richness. We found a positive effect of steepness and rocky landform type “carsism” on the number of captured individuals, showing the importance of the availability of shelters and underground burrows for the sampled species. As a confirmation of the altitudinal shift for these species in relation to the ongoing climate change, we detected a negative impact of sub-surface ground temperature on small mammal abundance during the monitoring period. In conclusion, small mammals represent an excellent model for understanding the evolutionary processes of ecosystems, population dynamics under changing environmental conditions, and habitat vulnerabilities.

Cyanobacterial bloom in the Chen Ha karst landscape

The Ejido of Kopomá with an extension of 963,000 hectares, participates in the environmental services program. In this property is located the Cenote Chen Ha. An open-air water body that is often affected by anthropogenic activities that put its conservation at risk. The present study aims to use environmental health indicators to determine the degree of deterioration it presents. Based on this, a conservation and sustainable management plan will be developed. Phytoplankton biodiversity monitoring was carried out in spring and summer. The physicochemical variables determined were pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen. In spring greater diversity was observed and the dominant species were diatoms, however, in summer cyanobacteria, Coelosphaerium, Woronichinia naegeliana and Microcystis predominated. Alkaline pH in summer: 8.24 and dissolved oxygen: 3.38 ppm. Regarding species richness, the Shannon index was 2.748 for spring and 2.389 for summer. No similarity between populations was observed, the beta similarity index was 0.25. The Chen Ha cenote is highly vulnerable to environmental conditions, our results demonstrated the formation of a cyanobacteria bloom with toxic potential in summer.

An Indicator Measuring the Influence of the Online Public Food Environment: An Analytical Framework and Case Study.

The online public food environment (OPFE) has had a considerable impact on people's lifestyles over the past decade; however, research on its exposure is sparse. The results of the existing research on the impact of the food environment on human health are inconsistent. In response to the lack of food elements in the definition of the food environment and the lack of a clear method to assess the health attributes and the impact degree of the food environment, we proposed a new analytical framework based on the latest disease burden research, combining the characteristics of China's current food environment, from the perspective of environmental science. We redefined the food environment and proposed that food and its physical space are two core elements of the food environment. Accordingly, we extracted four domains of characteristics to describe the basic components of the food environment. Using the sales records, we designed an approach by referring to the standard process of environmental health indicators, including the health attributes and the impact degree of the food environment, to measure the OPFE of takeaway food outlets. Further, we conducted a case study and extracted three domains of characteristics for more than 18,000 effective takeaway meals from 812 takeaway food outlets located in 10 administrative subdivisions in the Haidian District and Xicheng District of Beijing Municipality. The results showed that more than 60% of single meals sold by takeaway food outlets were considered as healthy, and only 15% of takeaway food outlets sold healthy meals exclusively. Additionally, there were significant differences in health effects among different types of food environments, and high-risk areas of different types of food environments can be spatially identified. Compared with the counting method in the availability of food environment, the proposed new approach can depict food environment characteristics not only in the macro-scale like the counting method but also in the meal-scale. The indicators could be useful for large-scale and long-term monitoring of food environmental changes due to their simple calculation and design depending on the food delivery platform.

Pigeon cleaning behavior detection algorithm based on light-weight network

The behavior of pigeons in the dovecote reflects their environmental comfort and health indicators. In order to solve the problems of time-consuming, labor-consuming, and subjectivity of traditional manual experience, an improved YOLO V4 light-weight target detection algorithm was proposed for row detection of breeding pigeons. Employ SPP, FPN, and PANet networks to strengthen the features retrieved from GhostNet as the backbone. To ensure accuracy, Ghostnet-yolo V4 reduced the model's number of parameters and raised its size to 43 MB. The light-weight feature extraction network GhostNet outperformed MobileNet V1~V3 under the modified model. Faster RCNN, SSD, YOLO V4 and YOLO V3 compression rates were increased by 43.4 percent, 35.8 percent, 70.1 percent, and 69.1 percent, respectively. The improved algorithm has an accuracy of 97.06 percent and a recognition speed of 0.028 s per frame. The improved model can provide a theoretical foundation and technological reference for detecting breeding pigeon behavior in real-time in a dovecote.

Analysis of Environmental Health Conditions in Obio-Akpo Local Government Area, Rivers State

Introduction: Environmental health encompasses the assessment and control of the environmental factors that can potentially affect health and is targeted towards preventing diseases and creating health-supportive environment. Although, the environmental health indicators are made up of intermediate and impact indicators; these indicators are most routinely used for monitoring the three most common environmental health problems faced in developing countries, which includes Malaria, ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection) and Diarrhoea. This study shows the interrelationship between environmental health condition and WASH diseases (Cholera, Typhoid fever, and Diarrheal).
 Materials and Methods: A pre-test on analysis of Environmental Health condition in Obio-Akpo LGA, multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting a total of 50 respondent who were women, questionnaires were used to elicit data from the respondents and the data was analysed using descriptive statistics, prevalence and correlation.
 Results: The women in the study area indicated their willingness to participate in the survey when compared to the men, with the women having 50(100%) and the men 0(0%) participation. It was common among the respondents that 37(74%) wash their hands with soap and water while others 13(26%) wash their hands at times with soap and water, and at times they just rinse their hands with water. The diseases related to WASH that occurred in the past 12months among the respondents were 6(12%) had Cholera, Diarrhoea occurred in 10(20%) of the respondents, Typhoid malaria occurred in 13(26%) of the respondents, also Skin Infection and COVID-19 were 1(2%) each. While 19(38%) of the respondents had none of the diseases related to WASH in the past 12 months. The type of toilet facilities had a negative relationship to the prevalence of diseases with a 0.01 level of significance.
 Discussion: There was prevalence of WASH disease among the respondents and it was above average, it is recommended that the government and non-governmental organisations should provide water in homes and public spaces due to the strong correlation between hand washing and prevalence of diseases.

Chemical pollution impairs the health of fish species and fishery activities along the Algeria coastline, Mediterranean Sea.

Chronic exposure to multiple pollutants affects aquatic organisms, even at low concentrations, and can impair fishery activities along marine coastlines. The bioavailability of toxic metals and the presence of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in both water and sediment can explain the worst-case scenario of fish health and fishery production decline along the Algeria coastline. The hepatosomatic index (HIS), gonadosomatic index (GSI), and condition factor (K) in the studied species from the Algiers, Bou Ismail, and Zemmouri bays are the first indicators of the poor environmental health along the studied region. These findings could be explained by the bioavailability of Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, Hg, and Ni and the detection of PAHs in the water and sediment of these bays. Additionally, histopathological damage in the liver is described in sardine (Sardina pilchardus), anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), and sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) highlights the current study in the investigation of the risk of exposure to biota or human populations. The occurrence of permanent lesions in the livers of fish impairs organ function and increases the incidence of diseases affecting the fish community. Furthermore, the factor analysis with principal component analysis (FA/PCA) dataset explains the physiological disturbances described in all studied species. These findings revealed that Zemmouri bay is the most affected by chemicals, suggesting that S. pilchardus is the most sensitive species. Finally, the results showed that the bioavailability of chemicals present in the studied bays confirms poor water quality, which can explain the decrease in fishery production along the Algerian Coastline.

The Macrophyte Indices for Rivers to Assess the Ecological Conditions in the Klina River in the Republic of Kosovo.

Macrophytes are important elements of aquatic ecosystems that grow in or near water. Their taxonomic composition, species diversity, depth, and density are indicators of environmental health; as such, Macrophytes are used to assess the ecological status of water bodies. Under the aim of assessing the ecological status of the Klina River in Kosovo, a survey was conducted at eight sampling sites along the river course to analyze macrophyte composition, diversity, density, and cover. Three samples were collected at each sampling site from early June to late September. The following macrophyte indices were used to assess the ecological status of the river: Macrophyte Index for Rivers (MIR), River Macrophyte Nutrient Index (RMNI), and River Macrophyte Hydraulic Index (RMHI). Our sampling area included the upper reaches of the river where no organic pollution was detected (oligotrophic), the middle reaches where polluted water from farms is discharged into the river, and the lower reaches characterized by heavy organic pollution from settlements and various industrial activities. There is a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between water temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), orthophosphates (PO43−), ammonia (NH4+), nitrites (NO2−), calcium (Ca2+), and potassium (K+) with plant density, RMNI, RMHI, EQR-RMNI, EQR-RMHI, and MIR. Sodium (Na+) has stronger positive correlation (p < 0.01) with RMNI and RMHI indices and negative correlation with EQR-RMNI and EQR-RMHI. Our results show that ecological status along the river varies from high and good upstream to poor, bad, and moderate running downstream.

Trends in the Environmental Conditions, Climate Change and Human Health in the Southern Region of Ukraine

The Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, being adjusted to the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas, are located in the steppe zone and constitute the southern region of Ukraine. The environmental parameters and health indicators of the population of the region are sensitive to the impact of natural (e.g., climate change) and anthropogenic processes. An analysis of satellite remote sensing data (NOAA NDVI time series) for the assessment of vegetation condition demonstrates an increase in frequency and duration of drought events in the region during the last few decades. It may have a relation to climate change processes. Data analysis of local meteorological observations over the past 100 years proved alterations of some bioclimatic indexes. The Equivalent Effective Temperature (IEET) increases in winter and summer (due to the increasing repeatability of high anomalous temperatures) and remains stable in spring and autumn seasons. The increasing number and variability of climate anomalies can provoke an increase in cardiovascular and some other diseases in the local population. At the same time, an analysis of the statistical data of health indicators of the population (such as morbidity of digestion, breathing, and the endocrine and circulatory systems) shows a tendency to decrease morbidity (contrary to the indicators of the mountain regions’ population, which have higher values of life expectancy). Interrelations between environmental, climate change, and population health indicators in the Black Sea region are being discussed.

Impact assessment of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant cotton on arthropod communities

BackgroundCotton (Gossypium spp.) is one of the most important economic crops worldwide, and its production plays an important role in the economy of many countries. Genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops, which were developed to minimize the losses caused by weeds, have gradually become the most widely adopted genetically modified crops in the world due to their economic and environmental benefits. However, the potential ecological and environmental risks of GMHT crops have attracted extensive attention and controversy. Arthropod communities form a prominent part of the biodiversity of agroecosystems and are important indicators of environmental health. Elucidating the effects of GMHT crops on the diversity of arthropod communities is necessary to ensure the safety of GMHT crops.ResultIn this 2-year study, we investigated the potential impact of GMHT crops on arthropod communities. The GMHT cotton variety GGK2 with glyphosate tolerance and its near-isogenic non-GMHT variety K312 were used for the experimental groups. The Shannon diversity index (H), Simpson diversity index (D), Pielou evenness index (J), and principal co-ordinates analysis (PCoA) of the Bray–Curtis distance were used to evaluate the population dynamics and biodiversity of arthropods in cotton fields. No significant differences were found between GGK2 and K312 in their total abundance of arthropod communities, and biodiversity indexes on most sampling dates. The arthropod composition in the GGK2 and K312 plots was similar. Sampling dates had a significant effect on biodiversity indexes, whereas no clear tendencies related to cotton variety or cotton variety × sampling dates interaction were recorded. In addition, PCoA revealed high similarity between the arthropod communities in the plots of the GMHT cotton variety GGK2 and its near-isogenic variety K312.ConclusionThere was no obvious difference in abundance, diversity indexes of arthropod communities between GMHT cotton variety GGK2 and its near-isogenic variety K312 under the small-scale planting regime.

Comparison of Shannon-Weinner’s and Simpson’s indices for estimating birds species diversity in Bodel forest of Gashaka Gumti national park, Nigeria

The decline in bird’s species population and their diversity posed a great challenge to the conservators and the ornithologist. Shannon-Weinner’s and Simpson Indies were used to evaluate the bird’s species diversity in Bodel forest reserve of Gashaka Gumti National Park. A systematic sampling method was adopted, in which three (3) transects of 1 km in length were laid at an interval of 200 m apart in the study site. Species of birds sighted along the transect were observed and recorded. The species evenness was determined using the evenness equation E = H’/Ln(S). The results on bird’s species distribution revealed a total of 788 birds, belonging to 73 species and 26 families in the study area. Lunchura cucullata has the highest frequency of 82 birds (10.4%), this was followed by Ploceus cuculatus with a frequency of 50 birds (6.3%), while the least frequency of 1(0.1%) was recorded for Eliminilongi cauda. The two diversity indices revealed that bird species in the Bodel forest reserve of Gashaka Gumti National park are highly diverse. Simpson’s index gave a value of 0.97, while Shannon-Weinner’s index gave a value of 3.79 of species diversity in the Bode forest reserve. T-test conducted shows that the two indices are significant in measuring bird’s species diversity, but, Shannon-Weinner’s index is mostly preferred due to its lower mean standard error (0.005). The study has shown that the Bodel Forest reserve of Gashaka Gumti National Park is capable of sustaining a large population of bird species, if human interference is curtailed. Since bird’s are an integral part of the ecosystem that occupy many tropic levels in a food chain ranging from producers to consumers, there occurrence should be protected and conserved as they are of helpful in environmental health indicator, pollinators, seed dispersal and as an agent of pest control.

A Food Security Indicator Framework for British Columbia, Canada.

Food security is a determinant of health and increasingly recognized as a focus for health promotion. Led by the Population and Public Health Program, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, this article outlines the process of development and the evidence-based conceptual framework that guides the systematic selection of food security indicators in the Province. A phased, iterative approach to develop the food security framework was adopted. Phase 1 consisted of a literature search of food security indicator models, and key informant discussions. Phase 2 consisted of modification of the model based on stakeholder consultation. The framework development occurred between January 2016 and April 2019. A structured scan of the literature found no existing conceptual frameworks specific to food security indicators in the Global North. The most relevant and frequently used frameworks for indicator reporting identified were environmental health indicator frameworks. This article presents a matrix framework based on existing environmental health indicator frameworks. It integrates environmental health causal networks (e.g., determinants-current state-impact-response) with food security elements identified as (a) individual and household food insecurity, (b) food systems, and (c) capacity. This framework contributes to food security performance monitoring in the Global North and fills an important gap in evaluating the impact of the public health response to food security. Use of this comprehensive framework can enable program planners and policy makers to be clear about where and how they are attempting to assess, influence and monitor food security, and illustrate the interconnectedness between indicators.

One Health Index (OHI) applied to Curitiba, the ninth-largest metropolitan area of Brazil, with concomitant assessment of animal, environmental, and human health indicators

One Health has been defined as a comprehensive approach to human, animal, and environmental health, but unsuccessful in providing a specific index for city, state, or country assessment. Accordingly, the present study aimed to calculate the One Health Index (OHI) in 29 cities of the Curitiba metropolitan area, the ninth largest in Brazil. Animal and Environmental health indicators were obtained from the city secretary of environment. The social vulnerability index (SVI) was used as the overall human health indicator. The indicators were parameterized following a binary logic Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied in association with city population, per capita income, and distance from the capital Curitiba. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) was applied using the three first coefficients of the principal components obtained from Principal Component Analysis Plot (PCA) and exploring a pairwise comparison between the scenario ranges. A value of p less than 0.05 was considered significant. Overall, a higher OHI was associated with a higher city population and income, and shorter distance from the capital, and tendency of low-income cities to present lower OHI compared to higher-income cities. In conclusion, the OHI proposed herein portrays a holistic representation of a city's overall health. Moreover, animal issues should be considered part of local to global sustainability, considering OHI to calculate sustainability indexes.

Assessing Potential Environmental Impacts of Pesticide Usage in Paddy Ecosystems: A Case Study in the Deduru Oya River Basin, Sri Lanka.

Rice paddies are unique ecosystems that provide rich wetland habitat. Their enduring existence across vast stretches of land has led them to evolve into unique systems serving a diverse assemblage of organisms and sustaining a staple grain for many people. With food demand rising, agricultural intensification through agrochemical application is a common practice used to boost food production in developing countries, including Sri Lanka. The aim of the present study was to assess the concentration of pesticide residues in water in rice ecosystems and discover their potential impacts on both environmental health and the most common fauna groups across a cropping year in Sri Lanka. A total of 270 water samples from waters associated with paddy fields within a watershed were analyzed for 20 commonly used pesticides; in addition, local farm holders were surveyed to assess pesticide usage details in three selected paddy tracts. We then used the Cornell University environmental impact quotient (EIQ) calculator and the ECOTOX Knowledgebase to determine the exposure risk associated with individual pesticides relative to their application rates and aquatic concentrations. Survey results demonstrate that several pesticides were overapplied at rates 1.2–11 times the recommended application, and the EIQ demonstrated high environmental risk of two of the agrochemicals detected, 2‐methyl‐4‐chlorophenoxyacetic and diazinon. Fish, amphibians, insects, and beetles were found to have a wide range of potential adverse outcomes from exposure to diazinon, captan, thiamethoxam, and chlorantraniliprole. To balance the trade‐offs between food security and ecosystem sustainability, the present study recommends that adoption of quantifiable environmental health indicators be considered as part of the national policy regulating pesticide use. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:343–355. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Study of Health Dimensions

Good health is determined by achieving a balance in the interrelated dimensions of health. The goal of this article is to study the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and environmental health of students from the Faculty of Education of Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. A survey was conducted using questionnaire "How healthy are you?". The targeted group included 557 students from different specialties in the Faculty of Pedagogy were interviewed. The results show that the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual health of the respondents is good. Physical and environmental health indicators have deteriorated.