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Assessment of nutritional status of children under five years of age, pregnant women, and lactating women living in relief camps after the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

Food Nutr Bull. 2006 Jun;27(2):144-52

Authors: Jayatissa R, Bekele A, Piyasena CL, Mahamithawa S

BACKGROUND: A strong earthquake that hit Aceh on December 26, 2004, triggered a powerful tsunami, resulting in an unprecedented catastrophe in Sri Lanka. The initial phase of the disaster was marked by limited access to food coupled with an inadequate supply of safe water and poor environmental hygiene and sanitation, all of which placed children at increased risk for undernutrition. OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional status of children under five years of age, pregnant women, and lactating women residing in 40 relief camps after the tsunami. METHODS: A cross-sectional, 30-cluster study was performed. Thirty children under five from each cluster (camp) and all pregnant and lactating women in selected camps were studied. Data were collected by interviews with the primary caregivers of the children, interviews with key informants in the camps, direct observation, and focus group discussions with mothers. Weight, height, or length was measured on children and pregnant women. Mid-upper-arm circumference of lactating women was measured. RESULTS: A total of 878 children were assessed, of whom 16.1%, 20.2%, and 34.7% were wasted, stunted, and underweight, respectively. The prevalence of each indicator was higher in boys than in girls. During the 2 weeks before the survey, 69.5% of the children had acute respiratory tract infections and 17.9% had diarrhea. Although the general food distribution was well in place, the food supply lacked diversity, and 70.9% of the children did not get appropriate supplementary food. The prevalence of undernutrition among pregnant women (n = 168) was 37%. Thirty-one percent of lactating women (n = 97) were underweight, and 20% were overweight. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of both acute and chronic undernutrition among children in the camps is significantly higher than the national Sri Lankan average. There is a need to establish nutritional surveillance systems to monitor the nutritional status of displaced and nondisplaced children and mothers.

PMID: 16786980 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Mobilisation of arsenic from a mining soil in batch slurry experiments under bio-oxidative conditions.

Water Res. 2006 Mar;40(6):1240-1248

Authors: Bayard R, Chatain V, Gachet C, Troadec A, Gourdon R

Laboratory investigations were performed to estimate the potential mobility of arsenic (As) from a highly contaminated gold-mining soil under bio-oxidative aerobic conditions as a potential remediation process. The selected soil was sampled from a gold-mining site in the South of France. It contained 27700 mg kg(-1) total As, with only 0.01% present under water-soluble forms. The nature of the immobilization mechanisms was identified by using complementary physical and chemical techniques. As was found to be strongly associated to iron (oxy)hydroxide solid phase by adsorption and/or co-precipitation. Determination of iron (Fe) and As mobility as a function of pH showed that the release of As was related with the dissolution of Fe (oxy)hydroxide at very low pH values. Bioleaching experiments were conducted with the objective to enhance the mobilization of As from the source material via biological oxidation of elemental sulfur (S degree) into sulfuric acid by autotrophic exogenous or indigenous bacteria naturally located in the soil (i.e. Acidithiobacillus species). Tests conducted at 30 degrees C in shaker flasks supplemented with S degree resulted in very acidic (pH < 1) and oxidative conditions (oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) around +800 mV vs. NHE) and induced the extraction of up to 35% of As over 84 days of incubation. Under the experimental conditions of the study (batch experiments), As mobilization was strongly correlated to the dissolution of Fe solid phases. As mobilization was probably limited by the saturation of the liquid phase. Chimiolithotrophic exogenous population appeared to have a minor effect on As bioleaching. Endogenous populations were shown to rapidly develop their capacity to oxidize S degree and mobilize As from the mining soil in the form of arsenate when elemental S degree was supplemented. The use of microbial population adapted to high As concentrations reduced significantly the lag period to reach optimal pH/ORP conditions, and increased As extraction rate to a maximum of 41% within 70 days of incubation. However, As reprecipitation was subsequently observed, suggesting that the solution should be periodically replaced in order to optimize the process.

PMID: 16529789 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Developing regulations for occupational exposures to health hazards in Malaysia.

Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006 Aug 7;

Authors: Rampal KG, Mohd Nizam J

In Malaysia exposures in the workplace are regulated under the Factories and Machinery Act (FMA), 1967 and also under the more comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) enacted in 1994. With OSHA 1994 the philosophy of legislating safety and health in the workplace changed from one that was very prescriptive and containing detailed technical provisions under FMA, 1967 to one that is more flexible and encourages self-regulation under OSHA 1994. OSHA 1994 is supported by regulations, codes of practices and guidelines to further clarify the provisions in the Act. Under the FMA 1967 emphasis was on safety while with OSHA 1994 there has been equal emphasis on addressing health hazards in the workplace. Regulations for occupational exposures are developed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health with tripartite and stakeholder consultation. When developing these regulations International Labor Organization Conventions, laws of other countries and occupational exposure standards adopted internationally are reviewed. The government also conducts surveys to collect information on both exposures and health effects in workplaces to have better understanding on specific occupational health problems. Effective law enforcement is crucial in ensuring compliance to safety and health law. The challenge at the moment is to ensure all employers and employees, particularly those in the small and medium enterprises, understand and comply with the provisions stipulated in the legislation.

PMID: 16899331 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Prioritizing Safe Patient Handling: The American Nurses Association's Handle With Care Campaign.

J Nurs Adm. 2006 July/August;36(78):363-369

Authors: de Castro AB, Hagan P, Nelson A

Nurses continue to suffer debilitating injuries secondary to manual patient handling. Patient care ergonomics has emerged to redesign patient care with reduced exposure to physical hazards. Safe patient handling programs are being increasingly accepted by healthcare organizations to prevent occupational injury and to enhance patient safety. The authors discuss national-level efforts to promote patient care ergonomics principles and safe patient handling programs and their impact on nursing shortages and quality patient care.

PMID: 16902360 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Posted by blogposter at 02:09 PM | Permalink

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Related Articles

Mobilisation of arsenic from a mining soil in batch slurry experiments under bio-oxidative conditions.

Water Res. 2006 Mar;40(6):1240-1248

Authors: Bayard R, Chatain V, Gachet C, Troadec A, Gourdon R

Laboratory investigations were performed to estimate the potential mobility of arsenic (As) from a highly contaminated gold-mining soil under bio-oxidative aerobic conditions as a potential remediation process. The selected soil was sampled from a gold-mining site in the South of France. It contained 27700 mg kg(-1) total As, with only 0.01% present under water-soluble forms. The nature of the immobilization mechanisms was identified by using complementary physical and chemical techniques. As was found to be strongly associated to iron (oxy)hydroxide solid phase by adsorption and/or co-precipitation. Determination of iron (Fe) and As mobility as a function of pH showed that the release of As was related with the dissolution of Fe (oxy)hydroxide at very low pH values. Bioleaching experiments were conducted with the objective to enhance the mobilization of As from the source material via biological oxidation of elemental sulfur (S degree) into sulfuric acid by autotrophic exogenous or indigenous bacteria naturally located in the soil (i.e. Acidithiobacillus species). Tests conducted at 30 degrees C in shaker flasks supplemented with S degree resulted in very acidic (pH < 1) and oxidative conditions (oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) around +800 mV vs. NHE) and induced the extraction of up to 35% of As over 84 days of incubation. Under the experimental conditions of the study (batch experiments), As mobilization was strongly correlated to the dissolution of Fe solid phases. As mobilization was probably limited by the saturation of the liquid phase. Chimiolithotrophic exogenous population appeared to have a minor effect on As bioleaching. Endogenous populations were shown to rapidly develop their capacity to oxidize S degree and mobilize As from the mining soil in the form of arsenate when elemental S degree was supplemented. The use of microbial population adapted to high As concentrations reduced significantly the lag period to reach optimal pH/ORP conditions, and increased As extraction rate to a maximum of 41% within 70 days of incubation. However, As reprecipitation was subsequently observed, suggesting that the solution should be periodically replaced in order to optimize the process.

PMID: 16529789 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Posted by blogposter at 02:08 PM | Permalink

Related Articles

Developing regulations for occupational exposures to health hazards in Malaysia.

Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006 Aug 7;

Authors: Rampal KG, Mohd Nizam J

In Malaysia exposures in the workplace are regulated under the Factories and Machinery Act (FMA), 1967 and also under the more comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) enacted in 1994. With OSHA 1994 the philosophy of legislating safety and health in the workplace changed from one that was very prescriptive and containing detailed technical provisions under FMA, 1967 to one that is more flexible and encourages self-regulation under OSHA 1994. OSHA 1994 is supported by regulations, codes of practices and guidelines to further clarify the provisions in the Act. Under the FMA 1967 emphasis was on safety while with OSHA 1994 there has been equal emphasis on addressing health hazards in the workplace. Regulations for occupational exposures are developed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health with tripartite and stakeholder consultation. When developing these regulations International Labor Organization Conventions, laws of other countries and occupational exposure standards adopted internationally are reviewed. The government also conducts surveys to collect information on both exposures and health effects in workplaces to have better understanding on specific occupational health problems. Effective law enforcement is crucial in ensuring compliance to safety and health law. The challenge at the moment is to ensure all employers and employees, particularly those in the small and medium enterprises, understand and comply with the provisions stipulated in the legislation.

PMID: 16899331 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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149 new PubMed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

Environmental Safety

These PubMed results were generated on 2006/08/09

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, includes over 15 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950's. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

Posted by blogposter at 12:13 PM | Permalink

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Identification of Ah receptor agonists in sediment of Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake, China.

Environ Sci Technol. 2006 Mar 1;40(5):1415-9

Authors: Qiao M, Chen Y, Zhang Q, Huang S, Mei M, Wang C, Wang Z

Deterioration of ecosystem and water quality in Taihu Lake, the third largest freshwater lake in China, is of great concern in China. However, most evaluations on water and sediment were carried out by chemical analysis, which could hardly gain information on the risk stressors affecting the system. Sediment samples from Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake were assayed for AhR-mediated EROD induction using a rat hepatoma cell line (H4IIE). The known AhR agonists including PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAHs were analyzed by instruments. The cause-effect relationship between the observed EROD activity and chemical concentrations of AhR agonists and their dose-effect relationship were examined. Our results showed that sediment extracts could induce significant AhR effects, and the chemical-derived TCDD equivalents (TEQ(cal)) were significantly correlated to bioassay-derived TCDD equivalents (TEQ(bio)) (R = 0.85, p < 0.01). Among different contributors, PAHs could account for 70-93% and PCDD/Fs could contribute less than 30% of TEQ(cal). PCBs exhibited almost no contribution. Therefore, integration of EROD bioassay and chemical analysis provided an effective way for identifying the potential risk stressors. Underthis circumstance, a quantitative dose--effect relationship between TEQ(PAH) and EROD activity could be established, suggesting that the observed AhR effect was mostly derived from PAHs. The implication is that the EROD assay and the identified risk stressors (PAHs) may be used in lieu of detailed environmental analysis to follow the progression of a remediation strategy.

PMID: 16568750 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Posted by blogposter at 12:13 PM | Permalink

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OSHA compliance issues--exposure to tularemia.

J Occup Environ Hyg. 2006 Aug;3(8):D74-6

Authors: Patel A, Kadis N, Abundo ML

PMID: 16862710 [PubMed - in process]

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This digital document is an article from Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, published by Air and Waste Management Association on April 1, 2005. The length of the article is 5078 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Enhancing bioremediation of diesel oil and gasoline in soil amended with an agroindustry sludge.(TECHNICAL PAPER)
Author: Leandro F. Spinelli
Publication: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2005
Publisher: Air and Waste Management Association
Volume: 55 Issue: 4 Page: 421(9)

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Provides a detailed background of the technologies available for the bioremediation of contaminated soil & ground water. Prepared for scientists, consultants, regulatory personnel, & others who are associated in some way with the restoration of soil & ground water at hazardous waste sites. Also provides insights to emerging technologies which are at the research level of formation, ranging from theoretical concepts, through bench scale inquiries, to limited field-scale investigations. 95 tables & figures Buy at Amazon or Comparison Shop at Best Buys Zone

Posted by blogposter at 04:43 PM | Permalink