Adult Health Risk Research Articles

Heavy metal assessment in agricultural soils and vegetables in the vicinity of industrial pollutants in the Pljevlja municipality (Montenegro): ecological and health risk approach.

This paper aims to assess ecological and health risks associated with heavy metal (As, Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr) content in agricultural soils and vegetables (potato tuber, beetroot, onion bulb, carrot root) collected near the lead and zinc mine (MLZ), coal-fired power station (CFPS) and coal mine (CM) located in Pljevlja municipality (Montenegro). The ecological risk of soil was estimated using the ecological risk index (RI) and pollution load index (PLI). The health risk was evaluated through different soil exposure pathways (ingestion, inhalation, dermal contact) and vegetable consumption. The pollution indices RI and PLI indicated the highest contamination in MLZ study area followed by CM and CFPS areas. RI values revealed considerable contamination in MLZ and CM study areas, while CFPS area is moderately contaminated by heavy metals. According to PLI, soil in MLZ and CM areas is classified as polluted, while the soil in the vicinity of CFPS is classified as unpolluted. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks through soil exposure were identified for both children and adults, in all investigated areas. Dermal contact was identified as the main contributor to carcinogenic risk. Dermal contact was also identified as the main exposure pathway for non-carcinogenic risk in MLZ area, while for CFPS and CM areas, ingestion was the main exposure route. As for vegetables, only Cu and Zn were detected in all examined vegetables. Non-cancerogenic health risk of edible vegetable consumption was found for children in all study areas, while there was no health risk for adults.

Cadmium in the wild edible mushroom species of Agaricus bitorquis in Leicester, UK

Background and Aim: Consumption of urban garden products is increasing despite the risks that they can represent due to high urban contamination. Effects of urbanisation in wild edible mushrooms are scarce. The aim was to assess the risks to cadmium (Cd) present in wild edible mushrooms Agaricus bitorquis collected in Leicester (UK). Methods: Twenty-two A. bitorquis mushrooms were collected from an open green area close to St Augustine Road, a high traffic area within Leicester. Species identification was confirmed by DNA barcoding using internal transcribed spacer 1/4 primers after extracting DNA from 100 mg of frozen homogenised ground mushroom material using DNeasy Plant Mini Kit®. Cd was monitored by ICP-MS in cleaned, dried and homogenised mushrooms’ caps and stipes mineralised with HNO3/H2O2 [LoD=0.081 mg/kg dry weight (dw)]. Results: Cd was detected in all samples, with significantly higher levels in caps (p<0.001), median and ranges are provided in mg/kg dw: 3.878 (2.213-6.598) vs. 2.068 (0.899-3.679). Concentrations were similar to those recently reported in different species of the genus Agaricus collected in urban habitats within Berlin (Germany; <0.1-32.7 mg/kg DW), but much higher than the reported in sixteen A. bisporus (median 0.2 mg/kg DW) cultivated in high traffic areas within Berlin. All caps monitored exceeded the established maximum concentration limit for Cd in Europe (0.2 mg/kg wet weight, approximately 2 mg/kg dw), in line with the high accumulative metal capability described in the literature for Agaricus spp. Non-carcinogenic health risks in adults and children for Cd in the monitored mushrooms were 3.16E-07 and 1.47E-09, respectively. Conclusions: Our results would suggest potential contamination by Cd in the inner city of Leicester that should be further investigated to protect human health. Although non-carcinogenic risks characterised for Cd were negligible, consumption of wild edible species should be limited and substituted by cultivated mushrooms when possible.

Heavy metal contamination of soil in informal foundries and surrounding homes in South Africa

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Despite the economic benefits, the growing informal sector in residential areas has a significant environmental impact. The present study aimed to determine heavy metals and evaluate the health risks caused by heavy metals in informal foundries and surrounding residential homes situated in rural and urban communities of South Africa. METHODS: Five informal foundries and thirty-three surrounding residential homes were selected for this study. Four composite samples of soil were collected in each informal foundry. One composite sample was taken from a minimum of five houses situated around each of the selected informal foundries. Contamination levels were evaluated using a geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI). Sources of heavy metals and the correlation among metals were assessed using factor analysis and Pearson correlation, respectively. The measured concentrations of metals were used to estimate the health risk for children and adults. RESULTS: The average levels for copper (Cu), iron(Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), strontium (Sr) and Zinc (Zn) were 280, 23980, 137, 493, 129, 459 and 1124 mg/kg, respectively for informal foundries; and 54, 26325, 31, 485, 172, 237 and 74 mg/kg respectively for residential homes. According to Igeo, EF, CF and PLI, contamination exist in the selected study sites. Factor analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient point to the potential roles of informal foundry activities. The health index (HI) for non-carcinogenic effects showed the ingestion route as the main contributor to the total risk, with the accumulative carcinogenic risk exceeding the maximum acceptable level. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of the need to strengthen environmental and occupational health policies related to informal industrial operations. This will help protect individuals from exposure to potentially toxic elements and the associated health risks. KEYWORDS: health risk assessment; technogenic soils; SUITMAs; environmental health

Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence among High School First-Year Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Taiwan.

Different types of high schools in Taiwan have the same physical education curriculum. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the difference in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome between senior and vocational high school students. We retrospectively collected health check-up data from 81,076 first-year senior and 68,863 vocational high school students in Taipei City from 2011 to 2014, including their blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL-c levels. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was determined using definitions from the Taiwan Pediatric Association (TPA), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and de Ferranti et al. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 1.73% (senior and vocational high school students: 1.22% and 2.33%, respectively) using TPA criteria, 1.02% (0.69% and 1.40%, respectively) using IDF criteria, and 5.11% (3.92% and 6.51%, respectively) using de Ferranti et al. criteria. The most prevalent risk factors overall were increased blood pressure and central obesity. Given the significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in vocational school students regardless of the criteria, and that metabolic syndrome causes future adult health risks, the physical education curriculum and health education program in vocational schools should be strengthened to decrease the risk and prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

К оценке риска для здоровья населения, обусловленного влиянием климатических факторов в условиях Крайнего Севера

Extreme climatic conditions in the Far North region create health risks for people living there. Given the necessity to adapt to these conditions, it seems vital to assess health risks caused by exposure to extreme climatic factors. Such an assessment will give an opportunity to establish and quantify influence exerted by climatic factors on public health. The task was to assess risk rates for adults and children living in the Far North region in Russia. To do that, we analyzed the “exposure – effect” relationship for previously established climatic factors (atmospheric pressure and atmospheric air temperature, air humidity, and wind speed (as an index of the normal equivalent-effective temperature – NEET). Additional likelihood of incidence associated with exposure to climatic factors and occurring risk rates were calculated and then characterized based on the results of the analysis using mathematical modeling techniques. As a result, we identified parameters of a cause-effect relation between average monthly NEET, daily pressure drops and incidence among population living in the Far North. We established unacceptable health risks for adults caused by diseases of the circulatory system that were associated with effects produced by NEET and atmospheric pressure, diseases of the respiratory system, injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes associated with effects produced by NEET. We also established unacceptable health risks for children caused by diseases of the respiratory system, injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes associated with effects produced by NEET. The results produced by this study can provide a guideline for developing activities aimed at facilitating adaptation to the existing climatic conditions in order to preserve public health.

Assessing health risks caused by exposure to climatic factors for people living in the far north

Extreme climatic conditions in the Far North region create health risks for people living there. Given the necessity to adapt to these conditions, it seems vital to assess health risks caused by exposure to extreme climatic factors. Such an assessment will give an opportunity to establish and quantify influence exerted by climatic factors on public health. The task was to assess risk rates for adults and children living in the Far North region in Russia. To do that, we analyzed the “exposure – effect” relationship for previously established climatic factors (atmospheric pressure and atmospheric air temperature, air humidity, and wind speed (as an index of the normal equivalent-effective temperature – NEET). Additional likelihood of incidence associated with exposure to climatic factors and occurring risk rates were calculated and then characterized based on the results of the analysis using mathematical modeling techniques. As a result, we identified parameters of a cause-effect relation between average monthly NEET, daily pressure drops and incidence among population living in the Far North. We established unacceptable health risks for adults caused by diseases of the circulatory system that were associated with effects produced by NEET and atmospheric pressure, diseases of the respiratory system, injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes associated with effects produced by NEET. We also established unacceptable health risks for children caused by diseases of the respiratory system, injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes associated with effects produced by NEET. The results produced by this study can provide a guideline for developing activities aimed at facilitating adaptation to the existing climatic conditions in order to preserve public health.

Implementing a Telehealth Support Tool for Community-Dwelling Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Investigation of Provider Experiences

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers had to quickly offer telehealth services to address older adults’ needs. This study aimed to understand the experiences of providers who implemented a telephone-based telehealth tool named Socio-Geriatric Evaluation (ESOGER), which assessed health and social isolation risks in community-dwelling older adults in Quebec (Canada). This qualitative study used 20 semi-structured online/phone interviews with health and social service providers coming from publicly-funded healthcare facilities and community organizations. We included adopters and non-adopters of the telehealth tool. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used reflexive thematic analysis to interpret the data. Three dimensions of providers’ practice influenced the tool’s implementation: service organization, working conditions, and interactions with older adults. Participants reported that the tool fostered continuity of care, provided guidance for their pandemic-related new tasks, and helped identify and support socially isolated older adults. Challenges to implementation included limited appropriateness of the telehealth tool for diverse services, feasibility barriers to adopting a new tool amid the health crisis, and acceptability challenges with some older adults. Despite relevance of the telehealth tool for providers, organizational, professional, and interactional barriers could hinder implementation success. Participatory approaches to telehealth may be promising avenues for future policies in this field.

High burden of invasive and non-invasive cancer among women aged 20–49 years: the situation in Geneva, Switzerland

BackgroundThe pattern of cancer among young adults aged 20–49 years is different than that observed in other age groups, most notably women present higher rates than those observed among men. Estimations of the burden of cancer disease among women of this age group, however, rarely include both invasive and non-invasive disease.MethodsWe calculated incidence rates of invasive and non-invasive cancers for women and men aged 20–49 years and by cancer site for the period 2014–2018 in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland using data from the population-based cancer registry.ResultsBetween 2014 and 2018, the incidence rates of invasive and non-invasive cancers among women were 177.6/100,000 and 166.4/100,000, respectively. The rates among men of the same age were 110.6/100,000 and 31.8/100,000, respectively. Just three cancers, breast, thyroid and melanoma accounted for 70% of all invasive cancers among women. In situ cervical cancer represented over 70% of non-invasive disease.ConclusionCancer among women aged 20–49 years is quite frequent. This is primarily a result of increasing risk, increased diagnosis or both and highlights the need for better primary prevention strategies, personalized risk assessment and tailored screening, as well as increased awareness of women and health professionals about health risks in young adults.

Health Risk Assessment and Comparative Studies on Some Fish Species Cultured in Traditional and Biofloc Fish Farms.

The present study aimed at (a) determining the concentration of macro-minerals and toxic metals in fish species collected from biofloc and traditional fish farms; (b) assessing the contribution of macro-minerals to our daily diet; and (c) evaluating the health risks of children and adults based on the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) deterministic model. Significantly higher concentrations of macro-minerals and significantly lower levels of toxic metals (at < 0.05 level) were found in most of the biofloc fish species compared to the market fish samples. The values of the target hazard quotient (THQ) were less than 1.0 for all individual trace metals in all species, which indicated that there were no noncarcinogenic health risks. Furthermore, the value of the hazard index (HI) in three samples of Tilapia from the market exceeded the recommended value of 1.0, while all samples from the biofloc fish tank were within the maximum tolerable limit, which suggested that the daily consumption of Tilapia fishes from the market may result in considerable harmful effects. Target cancer risk (TCR) for Pb in all of the studied samples was within the range of 10-6 and 10-4, hence the adults and children would not experience any kinds of carcinogenic effects. The result obtained from this comparative study revealed that the consumption of fish species from both local market and biofloc fish farms was almost safe, but the value of TCR in Pb was higher in traditional fish samples than that of biofloc tanks, hence fish samples from biofloc farms were more suitable for consumption.

Assessment of metal pollution and human health risks in road dust from mineral rich zone of East Singhbhum, India.

A detailed study of heavy metals in the road dust of a mineral rich zone of Jharkhand state, India is reported herein. Metal concentrations in the road dust exceeded the corresponding values in the average shale as well as world average of soil. Metal pollution due to the road dust and the possible health impact arising there from was appraised through a number of indices such as Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), Pollution Load Index, Enrichment Factor (EF), Contamination Factor and US EPA Hazard Index and Cancer Risk. Cu contamination was highest as per EF and Igeo, followed by Pb and Zn. Aggravated heavy metal loading in the road dust was conspicuous in the proximity of copper mines and processing units. Both geogenic and anthropogenic sources were responsible for heavy metals in road dust according to principal component analysis. Hazard Quotient, Hazard Index and Cancer Risk were calculated to ascertain non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks in adults and children. Local inhabitants, particularly children, were under appreciable cancer and non-cancer risk. Oral ingestion was the major pathway for risk to the local commuters followed by dermal pathway. Present study underscored the importance of regular heavy metal monitoring of road dust in this zone and administer proactive road dust management practices to reduce metal pollution.

Typical Pesticide Residues and Their Risk Assessment in Farmland Environment of Different Plant Types in Shaya County, Xinjiang

In order to investigate the characteristics of typical pesticide residues in farmland soil of different plant types in Shaya County and to evaluate the level of human health risk and ecological risk caused by pesticide residues, a total of 55 samples of plants, soil, and water from nine areas of Shaya county were collected on September 29, 2020. The occurrence levels of 47 typical pesticides in the samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that a total of 23 pesticides were detected in three environmental media, and the maximum concentrations of pesticides in soil, plants, and water were 70.58 μg·kg-1, 1832.18 μg·kg-1, and 188.53 μg·L-1, respectively. The levels of pesticide residues in the three environmental media in Shaya county were characterized as plants>water>soil. From the detection of pesticides in different plant types, P1, P2, P6, and P8 in the center of the county were the most seriously polluted. The plants with a high pesticide load level in the corresponding areas were cotton, walnut, red jujube, and poplar, and the pesticides with a high concentration contribution were hexachlorocyclohexanes, chlorpyrifos, cyhalothrin, fluvalinate, metalaxyl, difenoconazole, and procymidone. The human health risks of adults and children caused by oral intake, skin contact, and respiratory inhalation were evaluated. The results showed that oral intake was the main exposure route, and the risk level of children was significantly higher than that of adults but was within the acceptable range. The ecological risk level of earthworms in soil was subsequently evaluated. The results showed that the potential ecological risk level of a single pesticide was low, and the potential ecological risk level of bifenthrin was the largest. The calculation of the total ecological risk of mixed pesticides showed that areas P1, P4, P7, and P9 were at moderate risk, whereas other areas were at low risk. Therefore, the use of some pesticides in Shaya County should be restricted.

Is the World Health Organization’s multicentre child growth standard an appropriate growth reference for assessing optimal growth of South African mixed-ancestry children?

&#x0D; In South Africa (SA), it has been estimated that one-third of boys and 25% of girls under the age of 5 years are stunted, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study. During the past decade, research in developed and developing countries has shown that the international growth standard overestimates stunting and/or wasting when compared with population-specific growth references. Population-specific growth references typically incorporate genetic and environmental factors and can therefore better inform public health by identifying children who may be at risk for malnutrition, or who may be ill. Using the universal growth standard in SA may not be accurately assessing growth. In this article, environmental and genetic factors, and their influence on growth, are reviewed. These points are illustrated through a brief history of the peopling of SA, with an understanding of the socioeconomic and political climate – past and present. We discuss the uniqueness of certain population groups in SA, with contributions regarding some of the shortest peoples in the world and a history of sociopolitical inequities, which may mean that children from certain population groups who are perfectly healthy would underperform using the universal growth standard. Therefore, we suggest that a local population-specific growth reference would serve to better inform public health policies, and address childhood health equity and physical developmental pathways to adult health risk status.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Assessment of pollution indices and human health risk related to 13 heavy metal contents in surface water of Sihke Pond (Van), Turkey

Heavy metals may cause serious problems for human health in contaminated water resources. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the metal contamination levels in Sihke Pond surface water and assess the possible human health risk for children and adults through ingestion of the surface water. The concentrations of thirteen heavy metals (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, selenium, and zinc) were determined monthly using the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer between September 2019 and August 2020. Heavy metal pollution index and metal index were used to determine the metal pollution level. Non-carcinogenic risks including hazard quotient and hazard index were calculated and the carcinogenic risk values were estimated for both age groups. The mean value of heavy metals was decreased in the order of manganese > molybdenum > iron > chromium > zinc > arsenic > cobalt > copper > nickel > lead > aluminum > cadmium > selenium. The mean heavy metal pollution index value was determined as 110.8 and classified as totally not suitable. The mean metal index value was also included in the slightly affected class. The hazard quotient for arsenic, cobalt, and molybdenum, and hazard index values had values >1 for both groups. The carcinogenic risk caused by arsenic, chromium, and lead were all above the tolerable limit of 1.0 × 10−4. Thus, the non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk results for children and adults exceed the threshold values. Consequently, the Sihke Pond surface water is contaminated with heavy metals and is not suitable for direct consumption.

Evaluation of Mercury Pollution in Soil of Different Land Use Types in Coal-fired Industrial Area

The geo-accumulation index, potential ecological risk index, health risk model, and geographical detector were used to evaluate the soil mercury (Hg) concentrations and assess the health risks for various land use types to reveal the characteristics and spatial variability of soil Hg pollution under different land uses in the coal-fired industrial area of the Loess Plateau. The study area included seven counties in the western part of Xinzhou City, Shanxi province. The results showed that the average ω(Hg) in the agricultural land, grass land, wood land, and residential land were 0.48, 0.34, 0.58, and 0.52 mg·kg-1, respectively, which were 16.00, 11.33, 19.33, and 17.33 times higher than the background value, respectively. The variation coefficients were ranked as residential land>agricultural land>grass land>wood land. The evaluation results of the geo-accumulation index and potential ecological risk index indicated a high ecological risk of Hg pollution in the entire study area with extreme pollution points in certain aeras. The health risk assessment results indicated no non-carcinogenic health risks for children and adults in the study area from Hg. Additionally, the geographical detection results revealed that the spatial variability in Hg was mainly impacted by industrial and agricultural activities in agricultural land, by soil organic matter and pH value in grass land, by soil salinity in wood land, and by soil salinity and organic matter in residential land. The spatial distribution pattern of Hg concentrations peaked in both the northern and southern edges, with a decreasing trend towards the middle and the majorly polluted areas being caused by human activities such as coal mining and industrial production.

Electronic cigarette use and risk of COVID-19 among young adults without a history of cigarette smoking

It is unknown whether use of e-cigarettes increases susceptibility to COVID-19. In a large clinical sample of young adults, we evaluated whether current or ever e-cigarette use was associated with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19. To address the confounding of combustible smoking, the sample was restricted to never smokers. This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the electronic health records of 74,853 young adults (aged 18–35 years), without a history of cigarette smoking, who were screened for e-cigarette use (current, former, never) in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) healthcare system from 3/5/2020 (baseline) to 11/30/2020 (pre-vaccine). COVID-19 risk was estimated in time-to-event analyses using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models, adjusted for socio-demographics and medical comorbidities. E-cigarette status in the cohort was: 1.6% current, 1.2% former, and 97.2% never. During follow-up, 1965 (2.6%) patients acquired COVID-19. We did not find evidence that current (vs never) e-cigarette use was associated with risk of COVID-19 (aHR = 1.12 95%CI:0.77–1.62). However, we did find suggestive evidence that former (versus never) e-cigarette use may be associated with greater risk of COVID-19 (aHR = 1.39 95%CI:0.98–1.96). While e-cigarette use is associated with health risks for young adults, results from this study suggest that current use of e-cigarettes may not increase susceptibility for COVID-19 among young adults who have never smoked cigarettes.

Evaluation of non-carcinogenic causing health risks (NCHR) associated with exposure of fluoride and nitrate contaminated groundwater from a semi-arid region of south India.

Groundwater is the foremost resource for drinking water supply in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, and also intake of contaminated drinking water is the major source for creating a several health risk for humans. To estimate the groundwater suitability for drinking and also to measure the non-carcinogenic health risk for infants, children, and adults, a total of 35 groundwater samples were collected from the semi-arid region of India and analyzed major ions including fluoride and nitrate. The results revealed that the concentration of fluoride ranges from 0.6 to 3.6mg/L and is about 2.4 times higher than the maximum allowable limit of 1.5mg/L for drinking water purposes. And nitrate contents varied from 17 to 120mg/L in which 54.29% of the groundwater samples exceeded the recommended limit of 50mg/L. The estimated individual non-carcinogenic health risk (INCHR) frequency is evidently displayed that intake of higher concentration of nitrate creates the greater detrimental health effects than fluoride. The contribution of individual non-carcinogenic health risk (INCHR) of nitrate is greater detrimental health effects than the fluoride. The results of total non-carcinogenic health risk (TNCHR) reflect the infants and also children were found to be more susceptible towards fluoride and nitrate-associated health risks in the investigated region. Fluoride-bearing minerals and different anthropogenic sources such as septic tank leakages, nitrogen fertilizers, domestic, agricultural, and animal wastes played a vital role in groundwater pollution and thereby non-carcinogenic human health risks. Therefore, a proper sustainable future plan is most important to mitigate the fluoride and nitrate contamination in the groundwater of the study region.

Heavy metals and metalloids in edible seaweeds of Saint Martin's Island, Bay of Bengal, and their potential health risks

The present study aimed to assess the levels of heavy metals and metalloids present in six seaweeds and their potential impact on consumption. The highest concentration of 11 metals, i.e., Be (0.47 mg/kg), Co (4.34 mg/kg), Cr (23.46 mg/kg), Cu (11.96 mg/kg), Fe (2290.26 mg/kg), Li (11.55 mg/kg), Ni (13.75 mg/kg), Pb (6.67 mg/kg), Ti (736.62 mg/kg), Tl (0.14 mg/kg), and V (33.09 mg/kg) were observed in Enteromorpha intestinalis (green seaweeds). Besides, the highest concentration of Ca (1071.09 mg/kg), Cd (5.81 mg/kg), Mn (1003.41 mg/kg), Sr (2838.86 mg/kg), and Zn (41.95 mg/kg) were found in Padina tetrastromatica (brown seaweeds). Eight metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Cr, Fe) have been used to assess the potential health risk for adults, but no potential health risk was detected (HQ value > 1). The HI value of E. intestinalis and P. tetrastromatica were >1, implying that these two seaweeds are not safe for human consumption as there is a carcinogenic health risk for adults.

A comprehensive study of radon in drinking waters of Hanumangarh district and the assessment of resulting dose to local population.

Study of radon concentration in drinking water from different sources (groundwater and surface water) used across the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, India, was done using scintillation-based detector. The concentration of radon in surface water varied from 0.12 to 2.07Bq/l with an average value of 0.62Bq/l and a standard deviation of 0.55Bq/l and in groundwater samples varied from 1.61 to 8.73Bq/l with an average value of 4.8Bq/l and a standard deviation of 2.24Bq/l. The ingestion and inhalation dose were calculated to assess the health risk for infants, children and adults. The resulting average annual effective dose has been found to be considerably lower than the recommended safe limit of 0.1 msv/y (WHO, In: Incorporating first and second addenda, third ed. WHO Press, Geneva. 3rd ed. World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland, 2008). It can be concluded that radon in water does not pose a significant radiological health risk to the population of the studied area.

Measuring human capital in middle income countries

This paper develops an indicator that measures the level of human capital to address the specific education and health challenges faced by middle income countries. We apply this indicator to countries in Europe and Central Asia, where productive employment requires skills that are more prevalent among higher education graduates, and where good health is associated to low levels of adult health risk factors. The Europe and Central Asia Human Capital Index (ECA-HCI) extends the World Bank's Human Capital Index by adding a measure of quality-adjusted years of higher education to the original education component, and it includes the prevalence of three adult health risk factors—obesity, smoking, and heavy drinking—as an additional proxy for latent health status. The results show that children born today in the average country in Europe and Central Asia will be almost half as productive as they would have had they reached the benchmark of complete education and full health. Countries with good basic education outcomes do not necessarily have good higher education outcomes, and high prevalence of adult health risk factors can offset good education indicators. This extension of the Human Capital Index could also be useful for assessing the state of human capital in middle-income countries in general.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Investments in Adverse Childhood Experience Prevention Efforts

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Investments in Adverse Childhood Experience Prevention Efforts