Physico-Chemistry Of Geophagic Soils Ingested To Relief Nausea And Vomiting During Pregnancy

Background: Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) is one of the most common symptoms experienced by most women during their first trimester of pregnancy. For some of these women, especially the more tribally and culturally oriented ones, soil ingestion is one of the remedies used to curb NVP. The aim of this study was to physico-chemically characterise selected geophagic soils from Cameroon and South Africa, ingested for the relief of NVP and to appraise their ability to meet the needs of geophagic individuals.Materials and Methods: Thirteen geophagic soil samples (6 from Cameroon and 7 from South Africa) were obtained from traditional mine sites and physico-chemically characterized. The following tests were conducted; particle size distribution (PSD), liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), plasticity index, soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC).Results: The samples were texturally classified as silt loam, of medium to high plasticity with normal to active swelling potentials. The samples were generally acidic (pH of 3.1 – 6.1) with low EC (average of 92.71μS/cm).Conclusion: Based on soil consistency limits and pH, the samples were found to be suitable for use as remedy for NVP with soils from Cameroon displaying the most optimum properties.Key words: Geophagia, salivation, soil plasticity, acidity, nausea

Fostering coastal resilience to climate change vulnerability in Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay: a cross-country comparison

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media B.V. This paper describes a comparative study of four different cases on vulnerability, hazards and adaptive capacity to climate threats in coastal areas and communities in four developing countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay. Coastal areas are vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR), storm surges and flooding due to their (i) exposure, (ii) concentration of settlements, many of which occupied by less advantaged groups and (iii) the concentration of assets and services seen in these areas. The objective of the paper is twofold: (i) to evaluate current evidence of coastal vulnerability and adaptive capacity and (ii) to compare adaptation strategies being implemented in a sample of developing countries, focusing on successful ones. The followed approach for the case evaluation is based on (i) documenting observed threats and damages, (ii) using indicators of physical and socioeconomic vulnerability and adaptive capacity status and (iii) selecting examples of successful responses. Major conclusions based on cross-case comparison are (a) the studied countries show different vulnerability, adaptive capacity and implementation of responses, (b) innovative community-based (CBA) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and (c) early warning systems are key approaches and tools to foster climate resilience. A recommendation to foster the resilience of coastal communities and services is that efforts in innovative adaptation strategies to sea-level rise should be intensified and integrated with climate risk management within the national adaption plans (NAPAs) in order to reduce the impacts of hazards

Geophagia among female adolescents as a culturally driven practice

Geophagia, the deliberate ingestion of soil, is a culturally sanctioned practice common to the world’s more tribally oriented people. Widely reported among pregnant and lactating women, geophagia is also practised by female adolescents (FA). This article presents preliminary findings on the incidence and reasons of geophagia among FA in Molyko (Cameroon). From results of semi-structured questionnaires administered to 100 randomly selected FAs, all ingested earth (60% < thrice a week, 30% > thrice a week and 10% daily) with an average daily intake of 50g. White to greyish soils were the most sought after (72%). About 67.5% consumed unprocessed earth, 27.5% in combination with ground sugar and 5% fried. Ten percent of the respondents were encouraged by their mothers to ingest soil, 60% as a result of peer pressure and 30% out of personal desire. None consumed soil to supplement nutrients, 11% for cultural reasons, 65% craved for soil whereas 24% engaged in the habit for other reasons such as depression, or lack of appetite. Findings indicate that peer pressure as opposed to cultural heritage (mother to daughter) is the main contributory factor.Keywords: Culture, soil ingestion, peer pressure, health risks