Health Of Residents Research Articles

Risk factors for Clonorchis sinensis infections and control measures reinforced with focused interviews.

Clonorchiosis, a disease that develops following the consumption of raw freshwater fish that harbors Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae, seriously threatens the health of residents in endemic areas. We aimed to assess the level of awareness of liver fluke infections among infected residents and restaurant workers in liver fluke infection-endemic areas. To identify and provide a more realistic description of C. sinensis infections, we conducted a focused interview and questionnaire survey of local residents in endemic areas in Korea. Most residents knew that freshwater fish are a source of C. sinensis infection. Nevertheless, the consumption of raw freshwater fish was the main risk factor for their infection with C. sinensis. The residents had little knowledge regarding their residential area being endemic to C. sinensis or about the symptoms and complications of C. sinensis infection. Although the participants had no experience with C. sinensis prevention or health education, they preferred on-site education during visits to village halls. The in-depth interviewees had a high level of knowledge about C. sinensis infection but were unaware that eating raw freshwater fish was its cause. Family and social gatherings encourage the habit of eating raw freshwater fish, which is a risk factor for repetitive infections. Based on these findings, to eliminate clonorchiosis, we propose strengthening the capacity of public health care personnel, giving C. sinensis prevention education, and screening educational videos during visits to village halls. Furthermore, intensive education is recommended for reinfected people and community opinion leaders, as well as reservoir host control.

Neurochallenges in smart cities: state-of-the-art, perspectives, and research directions

Smart city development is a complex, transdisciplinary challenge that requires adaptive resource use and context-aware decision-making practices to enhance human functionality and capabilities while respecting societal and environmental rights, and ethics. There is an urgent need for action in cities, particularly to (i) enhance the health and wellbeing of urban residents while ensuring inclusivity in urban development (e.g., through the intelligent design of public spaces, mobility, and transportation) and (ii) improve resilience and sustainability (e.g., through better disaster management, planning of city logistics, and waste management). This paper aims to explore how neuroscientific and neurotechnological solutions can contribute to the development of smart cities, as experts in various fields underline that real-time sensing designs and control algorithms inspired by the brain could help build and plan urban systems that are healthy, safe, inclusive, and resilient. Motivated by the potential interplay between societal challenges and these emerging technologies, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art research through a bibliometric analysis of neurochallenges within the context of smart cities using terms and data extracted from the Scopus database between 2018 and 2022. The results indicate that smart city research remains fragmented and technology-driven, relying heavily on internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies. Mostly, it also lacks careful integration and adoption tailored to societal goals and human-centric concerns. In this context, the article explores key research streams and discusses how to create new synergies and complementarities in the challenge-technology intersection. We conclude that realizing the vision of smart cities at the nexus of neuroscience, technology, urban space, and society requires more than just technological progress. Integrating the human dimension alongside various technological tools and systems is crucial. This necessitates better interdisciplinary collaboration and co-production of knowledge toward a hybrid intelligence, where synergies of education and research, technological innovation, and societal innovation are genuinely built. We hope the insights from this analysis will help orient neurotechnological interventions on urban living and ensure they are more responsive to societal and environmental challenges as well as to legal and ethical concerns.

New York State Climate Impacts Assessment Chapter 10: Water Resources.

Clean, abundant water is essential to the health of New York State's residents, ecosystems, and economy. This critical natural resource faces numerous challenges associated with climate change, including potential impacts on the quality and quantity of source waters-both surface waters and groundwater. Climate change can also affect the infrastructure that treats and delivers safe drinking water to New Yorkers, manages wastewater to protect water quality, and protects against flooding. The Water Resources chapter examines these impacts and highlights opportunities for New Yorkers to adapt and build resilience as the state's climate changes.

Study on the coupling coordination characteristics and influencing factors of ecological environmental civilization and resident public health in China-based on a modified coupling coordination model.

As industrial technologies advance, climate change and environmental pollution increasingly pose threats to human health. This study examines the coupling coordination characteristics between ecological environmental civilization (EEC) and resident public health (RPH) to promote both higher public health standards and enhanced societal sustainability. Utilizing panel data from 31 provinces in China spanning from 2010 to 2022, this paper constructs evaluation indices for EEC and RPH. Initially, the entropy method is employed to determine the development levels of each domain. Subsequently, a modified coupling coordination degree (CCD) model is applied to assess the CCD between EEC and RPH. This research further investigates the spatiotemporal evolution trends of the CCD using methods such as the Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation (KDE), and Markov chains. Finally, the panel Tobit model is utilized to analyze factors influencing the CCD. Findings reveal that during the study period, both EEC and RPH in China exhibited a stable upward trend, although the overall development level remained relatively low. The CCD showed consistent growth both nationally and across three major regions. Overall inequality in coupling coordination, as measured by Dagum Gini coefficient, has decreased, with the coefficient reducing from 0.0316 in 2010 to 0.0199 in 2022. KDE results indicate a rightward shift in the density curve of the CCD, suggesting a significant reduction in absolute disparities. Panel Tobit regression analysis shows that economic development, urbanization, and education levels significantly and positively influence the CCD on a national scale, with urbanization having the most substantial impact, followed by economic development and education levels.

Urban Architectural Color Evaluation: A Cognitive Framework Combining Machine Learning and Human Perception

Architectural color significantly impacts the quality of built environments and is closely related to the physical and mental health of residents. Previous studies have conducted numerous valuable explorations in this field; however, the challenge of quantitatively measuring the characteristics of architectural colors in depth and examining the complex relationship between these colors and human perception remains an unresolved issue. To this end, this study builds upon recent advancements in data technology and emotion analysis to develop a comprehensive cognitive framework for urban architectural color evaluation. It combines machine learning techniques and perception scales, utilizing both objective and subjective data. By acquiring and recognizing numerous street-view images of the Changsha Central District, we quantitatively examined the hue, saturation, value, color complexity index and color harmony index of urban architectural colors and investigated the complex relationships between human perception and architectural colors through large-scale participant ratings and correlation analyses. The results show that the architectural colors of the study area are warm, with low saturation and moderate value. Most areas exhibit a high color complexity index, whereas the overall color harmony score is low. Human-perception evaluations indicate that people are generally satisfied with the urban architectural colors of the Changsha Central District. For further optimization, the saturation and color harmony scores need to be enhanced. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of urban architectural color quality, visualizing the complex relationship between urban architectural color and human perception. It offers new perspectives for improving the built environments and supporting sustainable development, with practical application value.

Decolonizing urban Indigenous healthcare: The potential of urban reserves.

The urbanization of Indigenous peoples in Canada has increased substantially during recent decades, with over 44% of Indigenous peoples now residing in urban centres. Despite the urban concentration of healthcare services, Indigenous health outcomes remain significantly worse than non-Indigenous health outcomes for people living in urban centres. The historical and subsisting impacts of colonialism have had a profound negative influence on social determinants of health for Indigenous peoples, resulting in higher rates of chronic disease and mortality. Mistrust of the healthcare system, racial discrimination, and medical paternalism remain barriers to accessing care and diminish the quality of care received. This commentary explores how Indigenous-led health services can improve Indigenous health outcomes and how urban reserves could be used to improve the health of urban Indigenous residents.

Heavy Metal Distribution in Aquatic Products from Eastern Guangdong and Associated Health Risk Assessment

With the rapid industrialization and urbanization of coastal areas, marine pollution (such as heavy metals) is increasingly contaminating the environment, posing significant public health risks. Eastern Guangdong, a key aquaculture and fisheries hub in China, has a growing market for aquatic products. Heavy metals persist in the environment and are difficult to degrade and bioaccumulate in marine organisms through the food web, presenting carcinogenic and mutagenic risks to humans, as top predators. This study analyzed 10 key species commonly consumed by residents of eastern Guangdong (bivalves, crustaceans, and fish), measuring the concentrations of six heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Pollution levels were assessed using the pollution index (Pi), and dietary exposure risks were evaluated via the target hazard quotient (THQ) for different age groups. Results showed that Pi values for all metals were within normal background levels, but bivalves had a high capacity for Cd accumulation, with pollution severity ranking as bivalves > crustaceans > fish. The THQ values for both adults and teenagers were <1 across all samples, indicating no risk to the health of residents. However, the TTHQ for Sanguinolaria sp. exceeded 1, indicating potential health risks. This study highlights the health risks of consuming heavy metal-contaminated aquatic products, particularly bivalves. Reducing the consumption of these high-metal species could help lower dietary exposure and associated risks. Our findings provide essential data for the quality assessment of aquatic products and offer dietary recommendations for residents in eastern Guangdong.

The Analysis and the Impact of Surface Temperature Anomalies on the Health of Residents in the River Niger Basin Development Authority Area, West Africa.

This study investigates the impact of surface temperature anomalies on the health of residents within the River Niger Basin Development Authority (RIBDA) enclave, which covers Nigeria, Niger, and Mali in West Africa, with a focus on the regional implications for public health. Historical climate data from 1985 to 2014, sourced from the Climatic Research Unit Time-Series, Version 3.22 (CRU TS 3.22), was analyzed to comprehend past climate patterns and establish a baseline for future comparisons. Predictions for future climate conditions (2015-2044) were derived by adjusting the CRU data using temperature projections from the Community Climate System Model 4 under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario. To assess the potential impacts of these climate changes, particularly during the boreal summer season of July-August-September (JAS), the study utilized the Hydrology, Entomology, and Malaria Transmission Simulator (HYDREMATS). Findings indicate that surface temperature can intricately influence disease transmission, with varied effects on parameters such as Ro, EIR, prevalence, and immunity index. Observations revealed fluctuations in temperature anomalies over the years, with negative anomalies in 1991-1995 and positive anomalies in subsequent years. Although precise predictions for 2016-2044 are challenging based solely on data trends from 1985 to 2015, continued temperature rises could potentially lead to increased disease prevalence and decreased immunity index. Moreover, the analysis identified a notable temporal increase in mean annual temperature and mean annual maximum temperature from 1999 to 2020, suggesting a faster warming trend in maximum temperatures compared to minimum temperatures. This increase in temperature variability may alter the onset and cessation dates of the rainy season, affecting water availability, accessibility, and consumption, consequently fostering conditions conducive to health-related diseases. By incorporating predicted long-term temperature changes due to greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining current inter-annual climate patterns, this approach allows researchers to anticipate potential future health implications in the studied regions.

How digital infrastructure development affects residents' health: A quasi-natural experiment based on the “Broadband China” strategy

Health not only concerns human well-being but also affects China's long-term development and social stability. Based on the quasi-natural experiment of the “Broadband China” strategy and the data of CFPS from 2010 to 2020, this study examines the underlying mechanism of digital infrastructure development on residents' health, as well as the macro and micro heterogeneity between them. The study finds that digital infrastructure contributes to residents' health. Mechanism tests confirm that increasing residents' income and enhancing medical services are underlying approaches. Digital infrastructure is conducive to the health of middle-aged people and rural residents. In areas with heavy air pollution and the eastern region, the impact of digital infrastructure on residents' health is more prominent. This study breaks through the existing qualitative research on digital technology in the healthcare sector, integrates both micro and macro perspectives, and enriches the empirical evidence in the field of digital health. It also contributes to guiding the in-depth practice of digital health in China, enhancing the digital health management level, thus supporting the realization of “Healthy China” blueprint.

Leaching behavior of arsenic in coal under the action of mine water

Arsenic, a potentially harmful element in coal, has a detrimental effect on the quality of groundwater and the water cycle. There is a significant safety risk to the drinking water and overall health of residents living near mining areas. It is of great significance to explore the leaching pattern of arsenic in coal under the influence of mining and identify the main controlling factors for the prevention and control of groundwater pollution in mining areas. In this paper, we selected long flame coal and non-caking coal from Wulanmulun Mine, along with four types of water samples from the mine area, as the research subjects. Our aim was to investigate the leaching mechanism of arsenic in groundwater under the influence of coal-water interaction in the mine area. To achieve this, we conducted indoor batch coal-water leaching simulation experiments. The results show that: 1) The four leaching solutions, which correspond to four groundwater types at the coal mine production site, exhibit similar trends in the presence of arsenic ions after water-coal interaction. The leaching process can be divided into three distinct zones: a rapid descent zone, a dissolution shock zone, and a dissolution linear stable zone. The initial decline rate of arsenic content in different water samples is proportional to the initial concentration of arsenic in the water samples. 2) The dissolution of arsenic has a strong negative correlation with DO, and the lower the oxygen content in the solution, the higher the arsenic ion content. There is a relatively strong negative correlation with pH value. It has a strong positive correlation with the leaching of Mg, K, V, Cr, and Fe, and a relatively small positive correlation with the leaching of Mn and Cu. The leaching degree of Mg, K, V, Cr and Fe can be used as a sign to explore the leaching or content change of arsenic in actual mining environment. 3) Most arsenic in coal occurs in pyrite in the form of isomorphism or solid solution, and the dissolution of arsenic is related to pyrite content and its oxidative dissolution behavior. The higher the pyrite content, the greater its oxidation degree, and the higher the arsenic content in the solution. 4) Clay minerals, predominantly kaolinite, found in different coal samples demonstrate varying capacities for arsenic adsorption in the leaching solution. The results of this experiment indicate that the adsorption capacity of clay minerals in long flame coal is considerably higher than that observed in non-caking coal, leading to a substantial decrease in the concentration of arsenic ions in the solution. This reduction is associated with a notable decline in the arsenic concentration within the groundwater associated with the coal samples collected on-site. The results suggest that the leaching of arsenic from the coal samples will not lead to arsenic contamination in four distinct categories of groundwater. This finding holds considerable importance for the management and remediation of water pollution in mining contexts.

Dental caries in 12-year-olds in the Russian Arctic: A systematic review and metaanalysis

Background: The health of Russian Arctic residents has recently received special attention; however, information on the dental health of children in this region remains limited. Aim: To perform a systematic search and qualitative synthesis of scientific data on the prevalence and severity of dental caries in 12-year-olds in the Russian Arctic published in Russian and English over the last 25 years. Materials and methods: The scientific data were identified, selected, and presented according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The literature search on the prevalence and severity of dental caries in 12-year-olds in Arctic and Subarctic Russia was performed using eLIBRARY.RU for publications in Russian and PubMed for publications in English, for the period from 1998 to 2023. Furthermore, information was gathered from national dental examination reports. Results: The initial search yielded 279 publications. Following screening and eligibility assessment using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 publications were selected for qualitative synthesis. According to the metaanalysis, the newly arrived residents in Salekhard had the highest prevalence and severity of dental caries among 12-year-olds, accounting for 98.33% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 95.04–99.97) and 7.82%, respectively. The lowest prevalence and severity of dental caries were observed in Segezha (Republic of Karelia): 54.98% (95% CI: 48.21–61.65) and 1.81%, respectively. The weighted prevalence based on systematic sampling was 79.33% (95% CI: 74.70–83.62). In the majority of cities where the assessment was performed at least twice, the prevalence of dental caries decreased over time; however, there were no significant differences. Conclusion: The study found that dental caries were more severe in 12-year-olds in the Russian Arctic than in other northern countries; however, the prevalence decreased over time without achieving statistical significance.

A Survey on Disabilities and Disability Awareness in General Surgery Residents in the United States

IntroductionDisabilities affect a substantial portion of the US population, with mental health conditions being predominant. Despite the acknowledged challenges, there is a lack of data on disability prevalence among general surgery residents. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of disabilities in general surgery residents to the national benchmark, investigate the factors that prevent surgery residents from disclosing their disabilities, and assess the presence of a disability policy in a residency program. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional cohort study surveyed 198 general surgery residents from 323 programs using a 33-question conditional survey. The survey, distributed via mass email, covered demographics, disability status, disclosure practices, accommodation use, and awareness of disability policies and training. ResultsAmong respondents, 30.3% reported having a disability, higher than the national average. Although 83.9% of respondents reported that their disability has some impact on their ability to work, 62.9% of residents with a disability have not informed their program directors or administration. Moreover, many residents experienced negative outcomes due to their disabilities. Fear of discrimination and lack of transparency, among other factors, were major barriers to disclosure. Only 16.2% received disability training, and 75.3% were unaware of their program's disability policy or if one existed. ConclusionsThis study reveals significant gaps in disability policy and training within general surgery residency programs in the United States. Despite about 1 in 3 surgical residents reporting a disability, disability support seems lacking, impacting the health of residents and the care provided to patients. Furthermore, many residency programs do not comply with requirements and recommendations regarding disability policy from graduate education organizations. Enhancing transparency, providing robust support systems, and integrating disability awareness into training are crucial steps to improve resident experiences and promote inclusivity in surgical training programs.

The Impact of Built Environment in Shanghai Neighborhoods on the Physical and Mental Health of Elderly Residents: Validation of a Chain Mediation Model Using Deep Learning and Big Data Methods

As urban aging issues intensify, the impact of the built environment in urban neighborhoods on the physical and mental health of elderly residents has garnered increasing attention. Previous studies have demonstrated that the built environment is related to various health outcomes; however, most empirical research typically focuses on the objective physical environment, lacking measurements of subjective environmental perceptions. This study, using 24 neighborhoods in Shanghai as case studies, employed deep learning, big data methods, and surveys to collect 462 valid questionnaires from elderly residents. Structural equation modeling was applied to explore the relationship between the built environment and the physical and mental health of elderly residents, incorporating respondents’ subjective perceptions, physical activity, and neighborhood relationships as chain mediation effects. The results indicate that although there is no direct relationship between the built environment and the mental health of elderly residents, the built environment positively impacts mental health through enhancing subjective.

Green Streets, Healthy Hearts: Exploring the Roles of Urban Nature and Walkability in Cardiovascular Health.

With the growing evidence that connects urban environments with public health outcomes, the role of urban planning has become increasingly critical in addressing public health challenges. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in urban areas and worldwide and are impacted by characteristics of the built environment, such as walkability and nature exposure. In this literature view, we explore the influence of the physical built environment, specifically green spaces and walkability, on cardiovascular health. Results from prior studies show a clear reduction in cardiovascular disease-related risk factors, morbidity, and mortality in neighborhoods that integrate green spaces and/or walkability. Cumulative evidence suggests that urban environments that integrate green spaces (such as parks) and walkability (eg, safe sidewalks) can significantly improve cardiovascular health. Urban planning policies and strategies that prioritize the integration of green infrastructure and walkable designs can contribute to improving cardiovascular health in urban residents while also enhancing the overall well-being and quality of life.

Community-University Partnerships: The Benefits of Collaboration in Measuring Public Support for a Community Recreation Center

Community recreation centers (CRCs) are gaining popularity across the country. While many support the argument that CRCs improve quality of life by building social capital and improving the physical health of residents, that support does not necessarily translate into community support for the funding and construction of CRCs. Some communities undertake surveys to try to gauge the support for CRCs but have had mixed results on the insights provided by those surveys. Furthermore, public perceptions about the accuracy and usefulness of survey data could lead to stakeholder disregard for the data produced by them. This case study focuses on the benefits of a robust partnership between a local community and a regional university in developing a survey research project to analyze support for building a CRC. In this paper, we emphasize the value of producing trusted data and provide lessons on how community-university partnerships can achieve similar objectives. The first lesson is that community-university partnerships, by emphasizing local connections, can help foster trust in survey research projects. Second, strategic community-university partnerships can derive additional benefits such as division of labor, expertise, and cost savings. Third, by embracing the above two benefits, collaboration is not only possible, but can produce tailored survey research projects that provide stakeholders insights into critical questions. Finally, community-university partnerships that are structured around shared values can help communities solve critical policy issues effectively and efficiently. This case study details these lessons through an examination of a robust community-university partnership that led to the passage of a ballot referendum to build a CRC. This community-university model of collaboration provides a framework for communities and universities to work together to serve the public good.

Perceptions of improvements and mental health outcomes of micro-renewal in old Danwei community: a survey of residents in Hengyang, China.

Danwei communities are a testament to China's socialist urban development, characterized by the self-sufficiency, strong social networks, and institutional management. In the historical context of urban development in China, many old communities have evolved from former housing areas of Danwei. After more than 40 years of use, the buildings, and environments in the old Danwei communities remain in disrepair, dirty, disorderly and poor condition. Many functions have failed that negatively affect the quality of life and health of residents. After Covid-19, improving the mental health of residents has become a major goal of public policies in various countries. To explore the residents' mental health in the micro-renewal, this study carried out a survey regarding residents' evaluation on the micro-renewal and their mental health in two renewed Danwei communities in Hengyang, China. More than 800 respondents joined the interview, among them, 634 samples are effective for analysis. Entropy-TOPSIS is applied to analyze the weights of various indicators of micro-renewal. And multinominal logit model is used to examine the relationship between the personal factors, satisfaction on various items of micro-renewal and mental health. The findings indicates that the mental health level of residents living in Danwei community is affected by micro-renewal. The socio-demographic characteristics and behavior factors can influence on the possibility of being in different levels of mental health. The satisfaction on the components of micro-renewal and improvements after micro-renewal is also determiner of residents' mental health level. In addition, the heterogeneity is address in mental health.

The impact of street and building configurations on respiratory health risks in an urban environment considering street behavior heterogeneity

The rapid urbanization has led to serious air pollution issues, making it crucial to effectively reduce respiratory health risks for the health of urban residents. This paper proposes an approach for adopting the PM2.5 personal intake fraction (PIF) in neighborhood street to assess respiratory health risks by considering pollutant concentrations along with the behavior patterns of three subgroups (i.e., pedestrians, cyclists, and shop vendors). PIF was indirectly predicted by combining computer vision and computational fluid dynamics simulations based on the discrete phase model. Fifty-one configurations with different building densities, porosity (dimensions of setbacks and podiums), and height variability were examined. This study found significant differences in exposure levels and behavior heterogeneity among subgroups, with risk assessment results varying under different street cross-section scenarios. From the perspective of respiratory health, the recommendations involved modify the street cross-section through setting business interface for vendors, excessive sidewalk expansion for pedestrian and cyclists, and the building configurations of the adjacent street blocks according to the street orientation to minimizing the PIF. This study provides valuable insights into the impact of street and building configurations on respiratory health risks in neighborhood street, and this assessment framework can be partially applied to other types of streets.

Nurse-led framework to improve the safety and quality of residential aged care (HIRAID® Aged Care): protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial

BackgroundThe health issues experienced by older people can often be severe and complex, and an increasing number are using residential aged care services to meet their care needs. High-quality nursing care is fundamental to the health and safety of aged care residents and is contingent on nurses’ accurate assessment, informed decision-making, and delivery of timely interventions. However, the role of the aged care nurse is often challenging, impeded by factors such as understaffing, high workloads, and a lack of access to clinical infrastructure and resources. When these challenges mount, residents are put at greater risk of adverse outcomes, such as avoidable clinical deterioration and hospital transfers. This study describes the adaptation and implementation of the emergency nursing framework, HIRAID® (History including Infection risk, Red Flags, Assessment, Interventions, Diagnostics, reassessment, communication and plan)—a tool to assist nurses’ assessment, decision-making and care in residential aged care.MethodsThe HIRAID® framework will be adapted for residential aged care using a real-time Delphi and panel of aged care and nursing experts. The co-designed HIRAID® Aged Care framework will be trialled in 23 residential aged care homes in Sydney, Australia, in a modified stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial design. All homes will be randomised into one of four clusters. Outcomes of interest include the rate of clinical deterioration events resulting from nurses’ actions, the rate of hospital transfers determined to be inappropriate, performance against the national mandatory aged care quality indicators, resident satisfaction with care, nurse and medical staff satisfaction with communication, and the quality of nursing documentation. These outcomes will be evaluated using a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis of routinely collected resident data, expert assessments of facility documentation events against validated criteria, and pre- and post-intervention surveys of residents, family carers, nurses, and medical staff.DiscussionThis protocol describes a pragmatic trial that aims to translate an evidence-based framework from the emergency care context into residential aged care. The adapted HIRAID® Aged Care framework will be the first of its kind to standardise and guide holistic nursing assessment, decision-making, and documentation in residential aged care in Australia.Ethics and disseminationThis research has been approved by the Western Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee: 2023/ETH00523. A waiver of consent has been approved to access resident health data and nursing documentation at each participating site.Trial registrationAustralian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN12623000481673. Registered 12 May 2023.Protocol versionVersion 1.0 6 February 2024.

Environmental And Health Implications of Waste Disposal Sites In The Lesotho Lowlands

Many Southern African countries, including Lesotho, face severe health and environmental issues attributed to waste disposal. The purpose of this study is to assessed the environmental and health impacts on residents living in proximity to disposal sites in the lowlands of Lesotho. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, using a semi-structured questionnaire and observation method. A mapping device was used, and photographs were taken to validate the findings. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test (?²) were employed to analyze the data. Results indicate that in Lesotho, some landfill sites are located as close as 50 meters from residential areas, and most (60%) received hazardous mixed waste streams. Waste burning and backyard dumping were the most frequently used disposal methods by residents. Several perceived health outcomes and environmental issues were noted, with respiratory and gastrointestinal health issues being the most prevalent. There was a statistically significant association between waste burning and respiratory diseases (P < 0.010) and between backyard dumping and gastrointestinal diseases (P < 0.003). The study concludes that regulatory instruments need to be revised and enforced, requiring hazardous waste producers to take responsibility for end-of-life waste and banning the entry of such waste into disposal sites. The application of waste management strategies to initiate other preferable end-of-life waste procedures, such as recycling of WEEE and waste-to-energy technologies for organic waste in Lesotho, could improve the quality of health for residents and their environment.

The health impact of PM2.5 and O3 in Beijing modified by infiltration factors from 2014 to 2022.

PM2.5 and O3 are significant threats to the health of residents and modern residents spend more than 80% of their time indoors, so quantifying indoor exposure of residents has a positive influence on formulating policies and improving health indicators. Analysis of monitoring data shows a consistent decrease in the annual average concentration of outdoor PM2.5 in Beijing from 90.1 to 30.4μg/m3, and the equivalent human exposure concentration also declined from 55.2 to 18.6μg/m3 modified by infiltration factors from 2014 to 2022, while during the peak season, the average value of O3-8h concentration in Beijing has consistently remained between 159.3 and 225.3μg/m3; the equivalent human exposure concentration remained between 64.7 and 92.3μg/m3 modified by infiltration factors from 2014 to 2023. The equivalent exposure concentration is calculated by weighting the concentration of indoor and outdoor pollutants, the proportion of indoor and outdoor activity time of the population, and the permeability coefficient of outdoor pollutants into the room, so as to quantify the actual concentration of pollutants exposed to the human body in a certain time. Previous studies have primarily focused on the impact of annual changes in pollutant concentrations on health estimates, often neglecting indoor concentrations and behavior patterns. This limitation should be addressed. Therefore, this study utilized equivalent human exposure concentration and AirQ + , the authoritative software released by the World Health Organization (WHO), to evaluate quantitatively the impact of PM2.5 and O3 on the health of Beijing residents by combining pollutant concentration, annual population, and mortality of various diseases and other indicators to enhance the credibility of the study. The number of deaths related to PM2.5 has decreased from 28,182 people in 2014 to 10,250 people in 2022 (age ≥ 30). The number of premature deaths in 2022 was only 36.4 percent of that in 2014 and was decreasing by 1992 per year. The number of deaths related to O3 varies between 550 and 3358 people. Lowering PM2.5 and O3 concentrations can effectively reduce natural premature death as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases caused by air pollution. The government should persist in enhancing the regulation of PM2.5 and accord significance to the oversight of O3. Concurrently, there is a need to reinforce the cooperative regulation addressing both PM2.5 and O3.