Term Health Risks Research Articles

Gestational diabetes: an update sixty years after O'Sullivan and Mahan.

Sixty years after the landmark publication by O'Sullivan and Mahan, the current paper seeks to review and place into context the importance of gestational diabetes (GDM) both as a marker of increased risk of adverse maternal and fetal pregnancy outcomes and as an indicator of future maternal and infant health risks. We review the evolution of GDM as a diagnosis, the ongoing debate regarding diagnostic approaches, the underlying pathophysiology, the epidemiology and the importance of GDM in the context of the global epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Focusing on clinical management, we review lifestyle based therapy and pharmacotherapy for GDM, consider obstetric management and outline the short term and lifelong health risks posed by a GDM diagnosis.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation as a natural means to delay menopause.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation (OTCT) offers hope for preserving fertility and endocrine functions in patients undergoing gonadotoxic treatments. Advancements in techniques for the procedure have transformed OTCT from an experimental procedure into a viable option. There is a growing interest in utilizing OTCT to delay menopause and alleviate associated health issues. Menopausal transition affects women globally, leading to symptoms and long- term health risks. OTCT has the potential to restore endocrine functions, reducing menopause-related symptoms while mitigating health consequences such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Although the use of OTCT for delaying menopause is not clinically proven, the discussion around shows potential for future utilization. In essence, the remarkable advancements in OTCT have bestowed upon us the ability to safeguard fertility and sustain the delicate endocrine functions of the ovaries. However, it is the tantalizing prospect of utilizing this technique to postpone menopause and alleviate its associated symptoms that truly captivates the imagination. Further research is imperative to substantiate the clinical efficacy of OTCT; nonetheless, its potential in menopausal therapy is both promising and warrants comprehensive exploration. This review highlights advancements and the feasibility of OTCT to postpone menopause as an alternative approach to currently used conventional menopause therapy methods.

A novel combination of wetland plants (Eichhornia crassipes) and biochar derived from palm kernel shells modified with melamine for the removal of paraquat from aqueous medium: a green and sustainable approach

Herbicide contamination in aquatic systems has become a global concern due to their long- term persistence, accumulation and health risks to humans. Paraquat, a widely used and cost-effective nonselective herbicide, is frequently applied in agricultural fields for pest control. Consequently, the removal of paraquat from contaminated water is crucial. This research presents a sustainable and environmentally benign method for paraquat removal from aqueous system by integrating wetland plants (Eichhornia crassipes) with biochar derived from melamine-modified palm kernel shells. The prepared biochar was characterized by using various analytical techniques. The effectiveness of biochar in enhancing phytoremediation was evaluated through a series of experiments, showing significant paraquat removal efficiencies of 99.7, 98.3, and 82.8% at different paraquat concentrations 50, 100, and 150 mg L−1, respectively. Additionally, present study examined the impact of biochar on the growth of E. crassipes, highlighting its potential to reduce the toxic effects of paraquat even present at higher concentrations. The paraquat removal mechanism was elucidated, focusing on the synergistic role of biochar adsorption and phytoremediation capability of E. crassipes. This innovative approach is an effective, feasible, sustainable and eco-friendly technique that can contribute to the development of advanced and affordable water remediation processes for widespread application.

The role of alcohol in the lives of midlife women living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia

BackgroundIn Australia, midlife women are experiencing increasing levels of risky drinking behaviours and alcohol-related harms. This is despite the general population trend of decreasing alcohol consumption overall. In light of these diverging trends, this research explores the role of alcohol in the lives of midlife women from their own perspective. MethodsSix semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 47 women aged 35–59 years of age. Residents from the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia were recruited, as this group of women appear to be experiencing heightened alcohol-related harms, with an alcohol-related hospitalisation rate 40 % higher than the NSW state average in 2017–18. ResultsMidlife women described the practical utility of drinking as a habit to relieve stress and escape trauma, as well as an effective method for creating and strengthening social connections within the parenthood life stage. Participants also described the act of moderation as a potent trigger for peer pressure and discussed the individual's tendency to prioritise the short term relieving effects of drinking, despite awareness of the long term health risks. ConclusionFindings around the pro-social role of alcohol as a woman and a parent should be explicitly considered when designing ‘swap it’ population health messages. Furthermore, the marked social penalty of moderation and tendency to discount long term health risks should also be factored into health promotion messages which seek to utilise moderation as a strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm for midlife women.

Everyday Salivary Cortisol in Older Adulthood: Capturing Time-Varying Socio-Emotional Contours in the Wild

Older adults often prioritize emotionally meaningful experiences and social interactions in the face of limited future time perspectives. The presented line of work extends findings from controlled laboratory studies by addressing the processes underlying everyday associations between affective experiences, social contexts, and salivary cortisol in old age. Data are based on repeated daily life assessments of everyday affect, social contexts, and cortisol from community-dwelling older individuals and couples. Pooled analyses based on multiple data sets point to significant within-person couplings in everyday affect and salivary cortisol such that in moments when positive affect is decreased and negative affect is increased, cortisol is elevated. Older adults with more relative to fewer health conditions show less pronounced everyday affect-cortisol linkages. Mostly healthy older adults engaging in more relative to less physical activity show less elevated cortisol in moments when negative affect is higher. Analyzing couple data, we further show that spouses’ everyday fluctuations in salivary cortisol significantly co-vary over time (synchrony). Cortisol synchrony is particularly pronounced when partners feel close and understood. We further demonstrate that dyadic synchrony is shaped by the larger socio-political context in which is occurs and that it could have implications for longer term health risks. The presented line of work points to the promise of capturing dynamically changing salivary cortisol as individuals and couples engage in their everyday lives and environments to better understand key social and emotional resources that could be nourished to promote healthy aging.

Long term spatiotemporal trends and health risk assessment of remotely sensed PM2.5 concentrations in Nigeria

PM2.5 is an important indicator reflecting air quality variations. Currently, environmental pollution related issues have become more severe that significantly threaten human health. The current study is an attempt to analyze the spatio-dynamic characteristics of PM2.5 in Nigeria based on the directional distribution and trend clustering analysis from 2001 to 2019. The results indicated that PM2.5 concentration increased in most of the Nigerian states, particularly in mid-northern and southern states. The lowest PM2.5 concentration in Nigeria is even beyond the interim target-1 (35 μg/m3) of the WHO. During the study period, the average PM2.5 concentration increased at a growth rate of 0.2 μg/m3/yr from 69 μg/m3 to 81 μg/m3. The growth rate varied from region to region. Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe, and Zamfara experienced the fastest growth rate of 0.9 μg/m3/yr with 77.9 μg/m3 mean concentration. The median center of the national average PM2.5 moved toward the north indicating the highest PM2.5 concentration in northern states. The Saharan desert dust is the dominant source of PM2.5 in northern areas. Moreover, agricultural practices and deforestation activities along with low rainfall increase desertification and air pollution in these regions. Health risks increased in most of the mid-northern and southern states. The extent of ultra-high health risk (UHR) areas corresponding to the 8×104−7.3×106 μg⋅person/m3 increased from 1.5% to 2.8%. Mainly Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Osun, Ekiti, southeastern Kwara, Kogi, Enugu, Anambra, Northeastern Imo, Abia, River, Delta, northeastern Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Abuja, Northern Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, central Sokoto, northeastern Zamfara, central Borno, central Adamawa, and northwestern Plateau are under UHR areas.

Consumer Awareness and Health Risk Perceptions of Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables in Kampala Metropolitan Area in Uganda.

Consumer awareness of the presence of pesticides in fruits and vegetables and associated health risks influences the actions they undertake to reduce their exposure. This study was carried out to explore consumers' awareness of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables and perceptions towards associated health effects in Kampala Metropolitan Area (KMA) in Uganda. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were done with fruit and vegetables consumers in KMA. The FGDs consisted of females and males living in urban and rural areas. Discussions were recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were coded inductively and analysed using conventional content analysis. Consumers were aware of the presence of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. Non-compliance to good agricultural practices, desire to produce good quality fruits and vegetables, and conflict of interest were thought to be the underlying reasons for the contamination. Consumers thought that their health is at risk of chronic and acute health effects, and that this risk is unavoidable. They emphasized that long term exposure to the pesticide residues puts them at risk of conditions like reproductive defects and noncommunicable diseases like cancer, hypertension, obesity, kidney and heart diseases among others. To reduce the risk, consumers were aware of and relied on mitigation measures including washing, peeling, drying and cooking or applied them in combination. Consumers were aware of the presence of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables, potential short and long term health risks due to exposure, and domestic processing methods to reduce health risks. There is need for authorities to ensure adherence to good agricultural practices and ensure that farmers and consumers understand that pesticide are used to control pests and disease but not to primarily increase shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

Health hazards and risk assessment of the use of fossil fuel electricity generators in suburb of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Study on the health hazards and risk assessment of the use of fossil fuel electricity generators in suburb of Port Harcourt, Nigeria was carried out. The results showed that the concentrations of the metals varied greatly among the vegetable species and locations. It was observed that the vegetables (Telfairia occidentalis and Talinum triangulare) cultivated less than 15m away from fossil fuel generator after analysis showed some level of trace metals concentration. The variation in metal concentrations in the vegetables can be attributed to the metal concentrations in soils. The concentration of the metals in the edible vegetables studied ranged from 0.90 ± 0.01 to 3.20 ± 0.001, Pb; 0.08 ± 0.001 to 0.11 ± 0.01, Cd; 53.10 ± 0.002 to 106.30 ± 0.02, Fe; and 0.40 ± 0.002 to 1.60 ± 0.02, Zn. The difference in the concentration of the metals in the various vegetable can be attributed to the different concentration of the metals in the soils and also the direction at which the vegetation was located. The CDI values of iron for adult and children were all above oral reference dose (RfD) (0.007mg/kg/day). The hazard quotient (HQ) values of the metals in all the stations were greater than 1 except Zn and Cu for children. Lead, Iron, Cadmium and Chromium exceeded 1 for both adult and children while in In all the stations, HQ values were generally high for children, thereby making people living around the area more vulnerable. The high HQ values recorded in this study were as result of high CDI values of the metals involved. These metals pose long term health risk to the land users. All the hazard index (HI) values recorded in this study were well above 1. The long-term health risk is high and the non-carcinogenic adverse effect is not negligible. Health risk assessment for all the sites considered showed that cumulative effect of some of the heavy metal studied, as indicated by the hazard index (HI), calls for concern.

Risk Factors, Incidence and Mortality of Vertebral Artery Injury in Patients Undergoing Anterior Cervical Corpectomy: A Retrospective Large National Data Base Study.

Retrospective Cohort Study. To determine the incidence of vertebral artery injury (VAI), risk factors, intervention, associated complications, and mortality in patients undergoing anterior cervical corpectomy. We performed a retrospective review of the incidence of VAI during anterior cervical corpectomy using the PearlDiver database from 2010-2017. The CPT code 63081 to identify corpectomy patients. Patient data extracted included, incidence of VAI, demographic factors, intervention, and future complications of death and stroke. The risk were calculated compared with those patients who did not have VAI. 26126 patients were identified to have undergone cervical corpectomy. Multivariate analysis of risk factors showed that younger age and male sex were associate with higher rate of injury (t = -11.5; P < .0001 and t = 3.8; P = .0001, respectively). Vertebral artery injuries occurred in 78 patients at an incidence of .3%. 11 (14%) VAI patients had a cerebral infarction compared with 1705 (7%) for non-VAI patients (OR = 2.13; 95% CI = [1.18 - 3.85; P = .0179]) during the follow up period. 1-year mortality rates were higher in patients who suffered a VAI (14%) compared to those who did not suffer a VAI (4%; OR = 3.85; CI = [2.04 - 7.14]; P < .0001). Consequence of VAI may not be known for months following the injury. Although the same admission mortality is rare with this injury, there is a significant increase in post-discharge complications. This study suggests that further investigations into long term health risk of VAI is needed.

The role of circadian phase in sleep and performance during Antarctic winter expeditions.

The Antarctic environment presents an extreme variation in the natural light‐dark cycle which can cause variability in the alignment of the circadian pacemaker with the timing of sleep, causing sleep disruption, and impaired mood and performance. This study assessed the incidence of circadian misalignment and the consequences for sleep, cognition, and psychological health in 51 over‐wintering Antarctic expeditioners (45.6 ± 11.9 years) who completed daily sleep diaries, and monthly performance tests and psychological health questionnaires for 6 months. Circadian phase was assessed via monthly 48‐h urine collections to assess the 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) rhythm. Although the average individual sleep duration was 7.2 ± 0.8 h, there was substantial sleep deficiency with 41.4% of sleep episodes <7 h and 19.1% <6 h. Circadian phase was highly variable and 34/50 expeditioners had sleep episodes that occurred at an abnormal circadian phase (acrophase outside of the sleep episode), accounting for 18.8% (295/1565) of sleep episodes. Expeditioners slept significantly less when misaligned (6.1 ± 1.3 h), compared with when aligned (7.3 ± 1.0 h; p < .0001). Performance and mood were worse when awake closer to the aMT6s peak and with increased time awake (all p < .0005). This research highlights the high incidence of circadian misalignment in Antarctic over‐wintering expeditioners. Similar incidence has been observed in long‐duration space flight, reinforcing the fidelity of Antarctica as a space analog. Circadian misalignment has considerable safety implications, and potentially longer term health risks for other circadian‐controlled physiological systems. This increased risk highlights the need for preventative interventions, such as proactively planned lighting solutions, to ensure circadian alignment during long‐duration Antarctic and space missions.

Toolkit for the management of breast implants and the importance of Informed educated consent.

Breast implants have had a long and chequered history of periodic regulatory activity and class actions and are associated with significant medium and long term health risks, including the development breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).1–3. NSW Health through the Agency of Clinical Innovation has just released a toolkit for the management of breast implants.4 These are the result of collaborative clinical consensus across leaders in plastic and reconstructive surgery, breast surgery and radiology with support from the Surgical Services Taskforce and evidence directorate of the agency. Input was also sought from health consumers to ensure that the language and structure of the information was both comprehensive and accessible to women who were either considering either cosmetic augmentation or reconstruction and/or have breast implants in place.

Long term and short-term occupational health risks associated with petroleum industry in India

The present informative article is intended to focus on the occupational diseases being faced by oil and gas company’s employees, its effects on their health, family life and some remedies have been discussed to overcome the problems related to their health. Occupational hazards are always been a prominent issue in industries especially hazardous industries like Petroleum Industry. In this review paper, we have tried to mention and identify most of the long term and short-term health risks associated with Petroleum Industry in India. Also, it covers Ergonomics/ mechanical hazards and Psychological Hazards in Oil &amp; Gas Industry in India. This review article outlines the health hazards and risks present in petroleum industry and it mentions preventive measures to minimize the health risks by analyzing the root cause. We have tried to mention primary causes of Occupational Diseases associated with petroleum Industry and its prevention. The health hazards that are present in oil and gas industries are classified as long term and short term depending on primarily on the duration of Exposure. It was felt that there is a need to do work on safety of human capital resulting in the culmination of this review article paper.

Preterm Delivery: Microbial Dysbiosis, Gut Inflammation and Hyperpermeability

Preterm birth is one of the main health problems encountered in the neonatal period, especially because it is also the first cause of death in the critical 1st month of life and the second in children under 5 years of age. Not only preterm birth entails short term health risks due to low weight and underdeveloped organs, but also increases the risk of suffering from non-transmissible diseases in the long term. To date, it is known that medical conditions and lifestyle factors could increase the risk of preterm birth, but the molecular mechanisms that control this process remain unclear. Luteolysis, increased inflammation or oxidative stress have been described as possible triggers for preterm birth and, in some cases, the cause of dysbiosis in preterm neonates. Several murine models have been developed to shed light into the mechanistic of preterm birth but, for the most part, are inflammation-based labor induction models and the offspring health readouts are mainly limited to survival and weight. Using a set of SWISS-CD1 mice born prematurely we analyzed inflammation and gut permeability parameters compared with term pups at weaning age. Overall, preterm mice presented higher systemic inflammation and gastrointestinal tract permeability. In this perspective article, we discuss the recent discoveries on preterm birth and the necessity of non-inflammatory murine models to really understand these phenotypes and be able to design strategies to prevent the sequels of this traumatic event in neonates.

Predictors of change in BMI over 10 years among midlife and older adults: Associations with gender, CVD risk status, depressive symptoms, and social support

RationaleChange in BMI is recognized as a key health indicator among midlife and older adults, though predictors of BMI change in this group have received little attention. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine relations between hypothesized predictors (i.e., gender, cardiovascular disease [CVD] risk status, depressive symptoms, social support) and BMI change over 10 years, among midlife and older adults. MethodsParticipants were adults ages 50–74 at baseline (N = 5,688, 64% women) who completed four assessments over 10 years. Gender, CVD risk status (i.e., diagnosis of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or both), depressive symptoms, and perceived social support were assessed at baseline, and BMI was calculated from height and weight reports at all assessments. Multilevel models tested for concurrent and prospective relations between predictors and BMI change (effect size estimates as semipartial correlation coefficients, sr), as well as whether observed relations were further moderated by baseline BMI category (underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese). ResultsBaseline BMI was higher among those with (vs. without) CVD risk, higher (vs. lower) depressive symptoms, and lower (vs. higher) social support; all of these relations were moderated by gender (ps < 0.05, srs 0.03–0.32). Moreover, BMI showed significant change over 10 years, and BMI variability during this time was higher among women (vs. men) and those with (vs. without) CVD risk (ps < 0.0001). BMI change also differed by CVD risk status, and this relation was moderated by gender, baseline depressive symptoms, and baseline BMI category (ps < 0.05, srs 0.03–0.08). ConclusionsAlthough the predictors of interest were not associated with steady BMI decreases (which are associated with long term health risks for older adults), findings reveal unique patterns of change in BMI among subgroups of midlife and older adults, and may allow for early identification of those with noteworthy BMI changes after age 50.

Smoking among muslim students behavior case study in Surakarta

Abstract. Based on various studies, cigarettes are harmful to the health of both active and passive smokers. That is the reason The Fatwa and Islamic Research Council, The Central Board of Muhammadiyah forbidding smoking behavior (haram). Nevertheless, many muslim students at University smoke. The purpose of this study is to descibe smoking behavior of Muslim students in Surakarta. The informants are active smokers (n=119) determined by purposive sampling. This study uses qualitative research methods with an exploration approach. The result shows that the students initiate their smoking behavior since junior high school. The internal factors that affect smoking behavior are the need for pleasure, existence, acceptance of social environment and stress coping. The external factors consist of social and family environment that have smoking habit. Smoking behavior continues because students tend to consider short-term benefits (psychological and social) rather than the long term health risks. The active smoker students do not identify themselves as part of the Muhammadiyah community therefore they do not concern about the Fatwa issued by The Central Board of Muhammadiyah. Most students want to quit smoking for two reasons: the encouragement of the closest people who object to smoking behavior and feeling a deterioration in health. Keywords: muslim; smoking behavior; university student

Preeclampsia Emerging as a Novel Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease in the Offspring.

Introduction Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder which affects 2%-8% of all gestations and is associated with high maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is no “cure” for the disease except for early delivery of the fetus and placenta, however leaving preeclampsia a long term health risk both for mothers and infants.Aim The aim of the study is to review currently available information linking preclampsia to long-term cardiovascular complications in infants and children.Results Currently, there is evidence of predisposition to cardiovascular disease, and a higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors among children born to preeclamptic mothers. Both in experimental models and human epidemiological studies it is now clear that the infants of pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure and double the risk of stroke in later life. Preeclampsia is consistently associated with higher blood pressure and body mass index as early as 4–10 years of age. Also there is some evidence of higher cardiovascular risk in adults exposed to maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. It seems that preeclampsia has an impact on the cardiovascular system independent of preterm birth and is associated with endothelial dysfunction, increased carotid intima media thickness and reductions in cardiac function that cannot be accounted for by prematurity alone.Conclusion Taking into consideration the currently available evidence, it can now be suggested that preeclampsia is linked to adverse effects on the cardiometabolic health of the infant. Understanding the relationship between preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease will allow for implementation of early interventions to prevent or delay the onset of adverse events in this high risk population.

Integrating occupational health and safety into plant simulation

Diminished quality of life (DQL) is based on the combination of tradition risk management methodology and Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), which has a special focus on measuring long term health risk at work. DQL identifies the likelihood of an exposure incident arising, and quantifies the biological consequences. Plant simulation provides a quantitative methodology for analysing the dynamic and economic performance of a system, such as a production plant. These simulations are used for production planning and plant layout studies. However, there is little integration between plant simulation and industrial safety. These are commonly treated as independent activities, which is odd given that human operators are common to both. This paper develops a methodology namely “Plant Safety Simulation” (PSS) which combines plant simulation and DQL as one methodology to manage economic outcomes and occupational health and safety (OHS) at the same time. This methodology allows professionals measuring health and safety (H&S) in a quantitative method rather than a qualitative method. The key concept is the creation of a routine within the plant simulation software, that determines DQL for an activity. The ‘DQL Routine’ calculates the safety risk for that activity. In parallel the plant simulation determines the production time and efficiencies for the same activity. The outputs of the multiple ‘DQL Routines’ are then aggregated to determine the total health and safety risk for the plant layout and its operational settings.

Study of Risk Assessment of Indoor NH3 in Two Urban Households of NCR-Delhi

Indoor air pollution is a matter of serious concern in the mega cities which are grappling with poor air quality. There are very few reports available that discuss the indoor air quality of gaseous ammonia (NH3). This study reports the abundance and risk assessment of NH3 in two distinct urban households of Delhi city during July 2017 to June 2018. Results showed that the NH3 concentrations were consistently higher during entire sampling period at the Dwarka household (DH) site which represented the residential sector having an average value of 102.5 µg/m3, as compared to the Mayapuri household (MH) site which represented the industrial sector having an average value of 57.2 µg/m3. The spatio-temporal analysis suggested a characteristic seasonal influence as indoor concentrations were very high during monsoon season following the order, monsoon &gt; summer &gt; post-monsoon ≥ winter, at DH site but indoor NH3 at MH site did not show any remarkable seasonal variation except a sweeping increase during monsoons. Short term and long term health risk characterisation using multiple appropriate toxicological end limits for NH3 in the two households showed that at its present concentrations indoor NH3 cannot be a health hazard to the inmates. However, it does not fail to escape our notice that mushrooming urban areas with their complex problems such as poor sanitation, industrialisation, waste management, high vehicular traffic, high occupant density, etc. have become major hubs of continual rise in indoor ammonia.

Bushfire smoke: urgent need for a national health protection strategy.

This research was undertaken with support from the Australian National University College of Health and Medicine, and the assistance of resources from the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR). We used the CAR Data and Analysis Technology platform (https://cardat.github.io) to analyse data

The Effect of Mechanization on Safety and Productivity of a Gold Mine

New resource determinations enable gold mines to change from the conventional system of mining and introduce mechanized mining methods. This decision could however be plagued with problems. It is necessary to review mechanization to determine its impact. In this study safety, gold production, productivity, manpower, maintenance and equipment cost data was collected and analyzed along with questionnaire and interviews from a mine to determine its performance before and after mechanization. From the study, mechanization reduced mining grade cut-off by 86%, increased gold production per annum by 94%, has increased tonnage productivity per man-month by 564%, improved the skill levels of workers but reduced manpower by 53% and has potential to creating labour unrest. It has helped reduce Loss Time Injury Frequency Rate by 1160%, has helped reduce accidents by 94%, but has potential to increase fatality on a mine. Mechanization is also capital intensive with high maintenance cost, causes the inability of mines to sustain production levels, rapidly exhausts ore reserves, causes grade control problem associated with dilution of the ore hence increasing operating cost, workers are exposed to long term health risk, and there is high incidence of crime.