Urbanization Processes: Environmental and Health Effects in Ibadan Metropolis

This study examined impact of environmental health in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Data for the study were obtained through questionnaire administered on residents in selected core areas of the metropolis. Systematic random sampling was used in selecting the respondents. Findings revealed that the proportion of households occupying one room was 48.1% while only 33.4% have in-house water connection. Significant proportion of the ten top diseases reported in the city is communicable and infectious diseases. The first four of these diseases (diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia and tuberculosis) are those that have been linked directly with contaminated water, poor sewage and solid wastes disposal as well as poor housing conditions. Furthermore, the situations of ill-health in Ibadan have implicated urbanization as a dominant factor. The study therefore concluded that the environmental health problems in Ibadan are largely explained by ineffective urban planning and management functions. Keywords: Urbanization, Health, Environment, Planning

Improving mechanical properties of aluminium alloy through addition of coconut shell-ash

This paper investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum alloy (Al-Si-Fe) reinforced with coconut shell-ash particulate. The aluminium (Al-Si-Fe) alloy composite was produced by a double-stir casting process at a speed of 700 rpm for 10 and 5 minutes at first and second stirring respectively. The samples produced from addition of 0-15 wt% coconut shellash particles (CSAp) were prepared and subjected to microstructural and mechanical properties testing. The results of the microstructural analysis of the composite reveal a fairly uniform distribution of the coconut shell-ash particles in the matrix with increase in volume fraction of CSAp. The mechanical property test results revealed that, hardness of the developed composite increased with increasing percentage weight of CSAp. Also the tensile and yield strength at 0.2% offset values of Al-Si-Fe/CSAp composite increased with percentage increase in CSAp up to 9% addition above which a little decrease in both tensile and yield strength was observed.Keywords: Matrix, coconut shell, mechanical properties, stir- casting, particulate, reinforcement

Preventing occupational ailments and disorders associated with cassava mash dewatering techniques

Open Access JournalMethods in use to reduce the cyanide level in cassava were found to be dangerous to the processors. To reduce occupational hazards, cassava processors sometimes wear protective coverings such as hand gloves, overall, mouth/nose hood, eye goggles which are not comfortable. Each of the steps in cassava processing stages exposes workers to various occupationally related ailments and disorders of ergonomic origin. The operators of dewatering tools are at the risks of suffering from different ailments.The traditional processors still depend on the old technique and resources. Workers are often exposed to cyanide and many are scared of the toxic effect of cassava juice. To prevent the occupational related ailment, mash process handling machine was developed and evaluated. The obtained result by use of the machine confirms the operators’ protection. The obtained mash cake was found to meet the stake holders’ requirement of 47-50% moisture content wet bases without human contact

Determination of juice removal difficulty from mash cake in cassava mash dewatering operation

Open Access JournalCassava processing equipment operators have limited knowledge; this militates against the success recorded in the research so far in cassava mash dewatering. New dewatering schemes to make food processing economical to handle are in progress. Common dewatering processes use a variety of mechanical means such as screw presses and belt presses. Experiments were conducted using three samples of TMS 4(2) 1425 variety while evaluating the difficulty of separating juice from mash cake. Average specific cake resistance (α) of 5×1011 m/kg was obtained confirming that it is moderately easy to dewatering

Assessment of Heavy Metals in Tomatoes, Green Beans and some Vegetables on Road Side Farms in Farin-Lamba, Jos South Local Government Area Plateau State, Nigeria

Heavy metals retention by vegetables and crops planted along road-side is of awesome concern due to dangers associated with human health risks. This paper therefore evaluates the levels of heavy metals in onion bulbs, onion leaves, tomato fruit, cabbage, carrot roots, green beans and green pepper on Road-side Farms in Farin-Lamba, Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria using AAS model AA240FS. The results of analysis show that the mean concentration of the heavy metals obtained by sum of all the plants analyzed were Cd: 0.633 ±.02; Cu: 0.209 ± 0.07; Pb: 0.756 ± 0.5; Cr: 0.566 ±0.07; Mn: 0.457 ± 0.3; Zn: 0.663 ± 0.1 and Ni: 0.057± 0.02, respectively. The result shows that the vegetable samples have high content of lead and low content of nickel. The average values of the heavy metal content obtained were compared to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and world Health Organization (WHO) Standard limits, cadmium 0.2 mg/kg, copper 0.1 mg/kg, lead 0.3 mg/kg, chromium 2.3 mg/kg, manganese 0.4 mg/kg, zinc 3.3 mg/kg and nickel 5.0 mg/kg. The results from the study show that the mean concentration of chromium, zinc and nickel were within the permissible limits set by FAO/WHO with exception of cadmium, copper, lead and manganese which were higher than the permissible limits. Therefore, consumption of these vegetables by members of the communities where these vegetables were planted or other communities expose the population to adverse effects of these heavy metals. This may pose a serious health challenge on long term consumption of the vegetables

Effect Of Heating On Vitamin C Content Of Some Selected Vegetables

ABSTRACT: The effect of heating on the vitamin C content of five choice vegetables was determined by redox titration with potassium iodate in the presence of potassium iodide. The results obtained in raw vegetables showed that pepper (61.56mg/100ml) has the highest vitamin C content while the least was in carrot (21.72mg/100ml). The vitamin C content of the vegetables analyzed were found to be in the order: Pepper> Green peas> Spinach> Pumpkin> Carrot. It was also observed that the heating time has significant effect on the vitamin C content of all the vegetables, as the heating time increases, the percentage loss of vitamin C increases too. The percentage loss of vitamin C in the vegetables ranged between (9.94-16.57%), (29.94-37.43%) and (49.91- 64.71%) at 5, 15 and 30 mins respectively. Of all the vegetables assayed pepper gave the highest percentage loss of 64.71 % at 30 mins. Vitamin C is easily destroyed by excessive heat and water, as well as exposure to air. For retention of vitamin C in cooked foods, it is recommended that foods containing vitamin C be cooked as fast as possible with less heat and small amount of water

Effective Service Delivery of Nigeria’s Public Primary Education: The Role of Non-State Actors

The study examines and analyses the role of Non-State Actors (NSAs) in public provision of primary education in Nigeria using descriptive and econometric techniques. The analysis demonstrates that the major source of funding of public primary education in Nigeria flows from the Federal Government to the State government and finally to the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA). The study shows that NSAs’ activities are mainly the provision of school inputs with little or no role monitoring and management of public primary schools. It was found that the presence of private school inspectors has significant positive effect on pupils’ performance. Parents occupation and household qualities especially type of building were found to have positive impact on the pupils’ performance. Based on these findings, the study recommends the need for adequate involvement of NSAs in the management of public primary schools and improved inspection of schools as ways of improving the quality of primary education in Nigeri

Proximate Composition and Metabolizable Energy of Some Commercial Poultry Feeds Available in Abuja, Nigeria

Poultry feeds are prepared to contain all the nutrients in their right proportions necessary for good health, proper growth and egg production of the chicken. This study was undertaken to determine the proximate composition and variations of nutrient in some commercial poultry feeds sold in Abuja, Nigeria. Seven poultry feed brands in their various ratios were subjected to proximate analysis using standard methods. The results of the analysis revealed that the poultry feeds had proximate composition ranging from 6.58 ± 0.02 - 10.88 ± 0.19 % moisture content, 6.03 ± 0.16 - 14.78 ± 0.73 % ash content, 9.98 ± 0.81 - 20.05 ± 0.08 % crude lipid, 3.57 ± 0.11 - 14.77 ± 0.14 % crude fiber, 16.55 ± 0.07 % - 34.01 ± 0.09 % crude protein, 26.28 ± 1.80 % - 48.21 ± 2.07 % carbohydrate and 2971.48 ± 65.44 - 3686.18 ± 29.08 Kcal/kg metabolizable energy. Generally, there were differences in the proximate composition of the poultry feed brands analyzed, however, the poultry feeds have optimum nutrients in their feeds which meet most of the requirements recommended by SON and NRC. The moisture contents in all the feeds were within the recommended value of not more than 12 % while the mean values obtained in crude lipid were all higher than the maximum recommended requirements in poultry feeds

Screening for diabetes mellitus in a Nigerian family practice population

Background Diabetes mellitus is a non-communicable disease with a rising prevalence worldwide. Most of the increase in prevalence is projected to be in the developing countries. As it is recognised that the onset of the disease and its complications predate the symptoms, it is expedient that screening procedures are undertaken to diagnose the disease in the individual as early as possible to minimise the risk of complications. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease necessitating life-long therapy, usually with drugs. This creates a life-long financial burden on the family, especially in low socio-economic communities in West Africa, where the majority of the population still lives on less than one dollar a day. This affects the wellbeing of the entire family, hence the need for early detection, prompt and adequate management of the disease and avoidance of its complications. Methods The study is an incidental screening to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, its risk factors and the clinical characteristics of diabetics in a Nigerian family practice population. Four hundred and twenty subjects aged 15 years or older were recruited by systematic random sampling in a family practice in South West Nigeria over a three-month period. Data collected include the subjects\' socio-demographic data, family history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and history of tobacco and alcohol use. The subjects\' weight and height were measured and their body mass index (BMI) calculated. Each subject was examined for peripheral neuropathy, lens opacity and hypertension. Fasting blood glucose was measured using a glucometer and urine was tested for albumin. Those with a fasting blood glucose of greater than 6.1 had a fasting blood glucose determination by the standard spectrophotometric method. Results Ten (2.38%) subjects were known diabetics, while 57 (13.6%) were known hypertensives. Ten (2.38%) new diabetics were identified, and 7.5% of the females compared to 5.8% of the males were diabetic. Alcohol intake, obesity, age above 44 years and a positive parental history of diabetes were the significant risk factors (p < 0.01) for diabetes in the study. Proteinuria and peripheral neuropathy were the significant complications (p < 0.01). Conclusions It is concluded that diabetes is a common problem in our practice, with a prevalence of 4.76%, half of which was previously undiagnosed. Alcohol intake, obesity, positive parental history and age over 44 years were the identified risk factors. Peripheral neuropathy, proteinuria and high blood pressure were the identified complications. It is recommended that routine screening of people at high risk of diabetes mellitus in family practice be commenced. The glucometer, a relatively cheap item of equipment in the practice, is a highly useful, sensitive and specific tool for this purpose. South African Family Practice Vol. 49 (8) 2007: pp. 1

Spatial analysis of tuberculosis and risk factors at the lowest administrative level in Nigeria

BACKGROUNDFew studies have utilized modern techniques of spatial data analysis to understand the distribution of tuberculosis (TB) and its possible predictors. In 2013, an estimated 9 million new TB cases and 1.5 million deaths occurred worldwide, out of which 360,000 deaths were HIV related. AIMTo assist in planning key interventions for the control of TB at a sub-national level, the studysought to explore the spatial distribution of TB and associated risk factors at the lowest administrative level in Nigeria. METHODOLOGYThis was an ecological study carried out using number of notified TB cases for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 2013. Bayesian spatial regression analysis was conducted to identify high-risk clusters of the disease and to assess associated factors . RESULTSAnalysis revealed that TB was significantly clustered in 138 (17%) LGAs. Significant associations were found with household size, urban residence, access to transportation, population density, number of TB diagnostic services. Other predictors, including a composite index of socioeconomic status, living in a single room, number of TB treatment centres, and total health facilities in the LGA were not significantly associated with TB incidence. CONCLUSIONThe study identified LGAs with elevated risk as well as significant factors associated with TB. This information can assist policymakers in rationally planning targeted specific interventions with the potential to effectively control TB in the country