An Estimation of Daily Intake of Potentially Toxic Elements from Urban Dust of Abakaliki, Nigeria

This study examined the total concentration of eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in urban dust of Abakaliki and also calculated the daily intake (DI) of these PTEs. Fifteen samples were investigated and the result revealed that the range of mean total PTE concentrations was found in this order: 3.59 – 15.3 mg/kg (As); 66.8 -172 mg/kg (Cd); 0.288 – 1.36 mg/kg (Cr); 25.4 – 86.6 mg/kg (Cu); 55.5 – 1815 mg/kg (Pb); 397 – 1389 mg/kg (Mn); 22.3 – 52.7 mg/kg (Ni) and 73.3 – 434 mg/kg (Zn). For each element the highest concentration (representing the worst-case scenario was used to calculate the daily intake and it was observed that only Pb with a DI of 4.88 μg kgbw -1 day-1 exceeded Pb recommended tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 3.6 μg kgbw-1 day-1. Based on a soil and dust ingestion rate of 50 mg /day for children between the age of 1 and <6 year, the amount of dust that a child would ingest in order to exceed the recommended tolerable daily intake TDI was also calculated.Keywords: urban dust, potentially toxic elements (PTEs), oral ingestion, Abakaliki, tolerable daily intake (TDI

Perspectives on environment and human health: an editorial

Human health and wellbeing are intimately linked to the state of the environment [...]This editorial work received from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund based on COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional da Competitividade e Internacionalização) and projects ICT UIDB/04683/2020 and UIDP/04683/2020

Oral bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in urban dusts of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

A literature survey has shown that no study has investigated the oral bioaccessibility of PTEs in Nigeria dusts. Studies on human health risk of PTEs from urban Nigeria dust have been based only on total elemental concentrations. Whilst this protocol is useful in assessing human health of PTEs, it could lead to an over estimation of the risk considering the elemental sequestration in the dust samples. This study deviated from previous studies by examining the total concentrations as well as the oral bioaccessibility of 8 PTEs in 15 urban dust samples collected from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The result showed that high concentrations of Pb (ranging from 236 \u2013 1815 mg/kg) were observed in 5 locations. The Unified Bioaccessibility Method (UBM) was used to investigate the oral bioaccessibility of these PTEs in the urban dust samples. The result revealed that all the PTEs were more bioaccessible in the gastric phase that the gastric + intestinal phase. The lead tolerable daily intake (TDI), as well as the bioaccessible TDI, was computed and results compared with a guideline value

The requirement for prior consent to participate on survey response rates: a population-based survey in Grampian

BACKGROUND: A survey was carried out in the Grampian region of Scotland with a random sample of 10,000 adults registered with a General Practitioner in Grampian. The study complied with new legislation requiring a two-stage approach to identify and recruit participants, and examined the implications of this for response rates, non-response bias and speed of response. METHODS: A two-stage survey was carried out consistent with new confidentiality guidelines. Individuals were contacted by post and asked by the Director of Public Health to consent to receive a postal or electronic questionnaire about communicating their views to the NHS. Those who consented were then sent questionnaires. Response rates at both stages were measured. RESULTS: 25% of people returned signed consent forms and were invited to complete questionnaires. Respondents at the consent stage were more likely to be female (odds ratio (OR) response rate of women compared to men = 1.5, 95% CI 1.4, 1.7), less likely to live in deprived postal areas (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.45, 0.78) and more likely to be older (OR for people born in 1930–39 compared to people born in 1970–79 = 2.82, 95% CI 2.36, 3.37). 80% of people who were invited to complete questionnaires returned them. Response rates were higher among older age groups. The overall response rate to the survey was 20%, relative to the original number approached for consent (1951/10000). CONCLUSION: The requirement of a separate, prior consent stage may significantly reduce overall survey response rates and necessitate the use of substantially larger initial samples for population surveys. It may also exacerbate non-response bias with respect to demographic variables

Relationships, variety & synergy:the vital ingredients for scholarship in engineering education? A case study

This paper begins with the argument that within modern-day society, engineering has shifted from being the scientific and technical mainstay of industrial, and more recently digital change to become the most vital driver of future advancement. In order to meet the inevitable challenges resulting from this role, the nature of engineering education is constantly evolving and as such engineering education has to change. The paper argues that what is needed is a fresh approach to engineering education – one that is sufficiently flexible so as to capture the fast-changing needs of engineering education as a discipline, whilst being pedagogically suitable for use with a range of engineering epistemologies. It provides an overview of a case study in which a new approach to engineering education has been developed and evaluated. The approach, which is based on the concept of scholarship, is described in detail. This is followed by a discussion of how the approach has been put into practice and evaluated. The paper concludes by arguing that within today's market-driven university world, the need for effective learning and teaching practice, based in good scholarship, is fundamental to student success

Changes in air quality in Mexico City, London and Delhi in response to various stages and levels of lockdowns and easing of restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic

The impacts of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have provided a valuable global experiment into the extent of improvements in air quality possible with reductions in vehicle movements. Mexico City, London and Delhi all share the problem of air quality failing WHO guideline limits, each with unique situations and influencing factors. We determine, discuss and compare the air quality changes across these cities during the COVID-19, to understand how the findings may support future improvements in their air quality and associated health of citizens. We analysed ground-level PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3 and CO changes in each city for the period 1st January to August 31, 2020 under different phases of lockdown, with respect to daily average concentrations over the same period for 2017 to 2019. We found major reductions in PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and CO across the three cities for the lockdown phases and increases in O3 in London and Mexico City but not Delhi. The differences were due to the O3 production criteria across the cities, for Delhi production depends on the VOC-limited photochemical regime. Levels of reductions were commensurate with the degree of lockdown. In Mexico City, the greatest reduction in measured concentration was in CO in the initial lockdown phase (40%), in London the greatest decrease was for NO2 in the later part of the lockdown (49%), and in Delhi the greatest decrease was in PM10, and PM2.5 in the initial lockdown phase (61% and 50%, respectively). Reduction in pollutant concentrations agreed with reductions in vehicle movements. In the initial lockdown phase vehicle movements reduced by up to 59% in Mexico City and 63% in London. The cities demonstrated a range of air quality changes in their differing geographical areas and land use types. Local meteorology and pollution events, such as forest fires, also impacted the results

Working for patient safety: a qualitative study of women’s help-seeking during acute perinatal events

Background Women and their relatives can play an important role in early detection and help seeking for acute perinatal events. Recent UK reports indicate that patient-professional partnership in ‘working for safety’ can be difficult to achieve in practice, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. This research explored the experiences of women and relatives who had experienced early warning signs about their condition and sought help in escalating care. Methods Secondary analysis of case study data which included qualitative interviews with 22 women purposively sampled on account of experiencing a step up in care and 4 of their relatives from two NHS Trusts in England during 2010. Analysis focused on the type of safety work participants engaged in, and the opportunities and challenges reported by women and family members when negotiating safety at home and in hospital. Results Women and relatives took on a dual responsibility for self-diagnosis, self-care and seeking triage, whilst trying to avoid overburdening stretched services. Being informed, however, did not necessarily enable engagement from staff and services. The women’s narratives highlighted the work that they engaged in to build a case for clinical attention, the negotiations that took place with health care professionals and the strategies women and partners drew on (such as objective signs and symptoms, use of verbal insistence and repetition) to secure clinical help. For some women, the events left them with a lasting feeling that their concerns had been disregarded. Some described a sense of betrayal and loss of trust in an institution they believed had failed to care for them. Conclusion The notion of ‘safety partnerships’ which suggests a sense of equality and reciprocity was not borne out by our data, especially with regards to the experiences of teenage women. To enable women and families to secure a rapid response in clinical emergencies, strategies need to move beyond the provision of patient information about warning signs. Effective partnerships for safety may be supported by system level change such as improved triage, continuity of care, self-referral pathways and staff training to address asymmetries of power that persist within the health system

The Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health (SEGH): building for the future.

The challenges of sustainable development are ever more pressing, and the skills, interests and capabilities of the SEGH member are well-placed to continue to make more meaningful contributions to the environment, society and well-being. We reflect on the historical development of the society, its response to the dynamic international research landscape and the great opportunities ahead. In 2018, SEGH implemented a new board structure after 2–3 years of consultation, with approval of a new constitution and a new strategy across the large number of international board members. While regions were represented by sections in Europe, Asia/Pacific and the USA, the structure required renewal in order to be more representative of the distribution of members and website traffic that had evolved in preceding years. In addition, the society wanted to improve its position for future growth opportunities across rapidly developing regions

Abstracts from the NIHR INVOLVE Conference 2017

n/