Guidelines for an environmental education training programme for street food vendors in Polokwane city.

D.Ed.The scientific study of food has emerged as a discipline in its own right since the end of the 1939-1945 war. The need for the development of a training programme for street food vendors reflects an increasing awareness of the fact that the eating quality of food commodities is determined by a logical sequence of events that starts at the production of the food or the germination of the seed, and culminates in its consumption. From this point of view the street food handler is inevitably involved in certain aspects of nutrition, environmental health and psychology. Apart from the problems of handling and preparation of food, it seems likely that the food handler will become increasingly concerned with enhancing the biological value of traditional food. Further, there is the potential for evolving entirely new ways of preparation and handling as a result of the pressure of increasing population diversity and demand. This is likely to produce a need for the additional training of food handlers and health professionals. Street food is one of the major commodities with which Environmental Health Officers are concerned, and is subject of the present inquiry in Polokwane. This sector is a growing enterprise in Africa today: its expansion is linked to urbanisation, unemployment and lack of economic growth. Despite this, the role of street food in supplying ready-to-eat food has received little official attention; more notice has been paid to the potential dangers arising from the consumption of street food than to any benefits it might offer. This has resulted in the marginalisation of the sector’s activities. Much of the bias against street food is, however, unfounded and is based more on prejudice than empirical data. Official data on street food and its consumption in South Africa are largely lacking and few studies have been conducted in this regard. These few studies have shown that the street food industry is a large and complex sector, which provides a means of livelihood principally for unemployed woman and an affordable source of food to many thousands of people. The potential of street vendors to improve the food security in both urban and rural populations remains almost totally unexplored. Where the formal sector fails to provide opportunities for employment, people often resort to informal trading to make a living. This research has confirmed that street food is inexpensive, and immediately available to consumers. In Polokwane the sector produces an integral part of the diet that is regularly consumed by all income groups, but particularly by commuters, workers and school children. Street food is extremely diverse in terms of what is available: it includes drinks, fruit and vegetables, meals and snacks. The ways in which street food is processed vary widely and include the preparation of food on the city street in relatively heterogeneous and unregulated conditions. The potential drawbacks of street food include its safety requirements; the lack of training of street vendors; quality control of the preparation and microbiological safety; consumption requirements; and the enormous variability of street food in terms of ingredients used by different vendors and the way in which it is prepared.Prof. H.G van Rooye

Health Outcomes of Exposure to Biological and Chemical Components of Inhalable and Respirable Particulate Matter

Particulate matter (PM) is a key indicator of air pollution and a significant risk factor for adverse health outcomes in humans. PM is not a self-contained pollutant but a mixture of different compounds including chemical and biological fractions. While several reviews have focused on the chemical components of PM and associated health effects, there is a dearth of review studies that holistically examine the role of biological and chemical components of inhalable and respirable PM in disease causation. A literature search using various search engines and (or) keywords was done. Articles selected for review were chosen following predefined criteria, to extract and analyze data. The results show that the biological and chemical components of inhalable and respirable PM play a significant role in the burden of health effects attributed to PM. These health outcomes include low birth weight, emergency room visit, hospital admission, respiratory and pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, non-communicable diseases, and premature death, among others. This review justifies the importance of each or synergistic effects of the biological and chemical constituents of PM on health. It also provides information that informs policy on the establishment of exposure limits for PM composition metrics rather than the existing exposure limits of the total mass of PM. This will allow for more effective management strategies for improving outdoor air quality

Ambient Gaseous Pollutants in an Urban Area in South Africa: Levels and Potential Human Health Risk

Urban air pollution from gaseous pollutants is a growing public health problem in many countries including South Africa. Examining the levels, trends and health risk of exposure to ambient gaseous pollutants will assist in understanding the effectiveness of existing control measures and plan for suitable management strategies. This study determined the concentration levels and non-cancer risk of CO, SO2, NO2, and O3 at an industrial area in Pretoria West, South Africa. We utilised a set of secondary data for CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 that was obtained from a monitoring station. Analysis of the hourly monitored data was done. Their non-cancer risk (HQ) was determined using the human health risk assessment model for different age categories. The annual levels of NO2 (39.442 µg/m3), SO2 (22.464 µg/m3), CO (722.003 µg/m3) and the 8-hour concentration of CO (649.902 µg/m3) and O3 (33.556 µg/m3) did not exceed the South African National Ambient Air Quality Standards for each pollutant. The HQ for each pollutant across exposed groups (except children) was less than 1. This indicates that the recorded levels could not pose non-cancer risk to susceptible individuals

Health Risk Analysis of Elemental Components of an Industrially Emitted Respirable Particulate Matter in an Urban Area

Particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) is a recognised carcinogen and a priority air pollutant owing to its respirable and toxic chemical components. There is a dearth of information in South Africa on cancer and non-cancer risks of exposure to heavy metal (HM) content of PM2.5. This study determined the seasonal concentration of HM in PM2.5 and the cancer and non-cancer risks of exposure to HM in PM2.5. Ambient PM2.5 was monitored and samples were collected during the winter and summer months in an industrialized area in South Africa. Concentration levels of nine HMs—As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn—were determined in the PM2.5 samples using inductive coupled optical emission spectrophotometry. The non-cancer and cancer risks of each metal through the inhalation, ingestion and dermal routes were estimated using the Hazard Quotient and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR), respectively, among infants, children, and adults. Mean concentration of each HM-bound PM2.5 was higher in winter than in summer. The probability of the HM to induce non-cancer effects was higher during winter than in summer. The mean ELCR for HMs in PM2.5 (5.24 × 10−2) was higher than the acceptable limit of 10−6 to 10−4. The carcinogenic risk from As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb were higher than the acceptable limit for all age groups. The risk levels for the carcinogenic HMs followed the order: Cr > As > Cd > Ni > Pb. The findings indicated that the concentrations of HM in PM2.5 demonstrated a season-dependent pattern and could trigger cancer and non-cancer health risks. The formulation of a regulatory standard for HM in South Africa and its enforcement will help in reducing human exposure to HM-bound PM2.5

Biological Composition of Respirable Particulate Matter in an Industrial Vicinity in South Africa

There is a growing concern that exposure to particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) with biological composition (bioaerosols) may play a key role in the prevalence of adverse health outcomes in humans. This study determined the bacterial and fungal concentrations in PM2.5 and their inhalation health risks in an industrial vicinity in South Africa. Samples of PM2.5 collected on a 47-mm glass fiber filter during winter and summer months were analysed for bacterial and fungal content using standard methods. The health risks from inhalation of bioaerosols were done by estimating the age-specific dose rate. The concentration of bacteria (168⁻378 CFU/m3) was higher than fungi (58⁻155 CFU/m3). Bacterial and fungal concentrations in PM2.5 were lower in winter than in the summer season. Bacteria identified in summer were similar to those identified in winter: Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Flavobacterium sp., Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas sp. Moreover, the fungal floras identified include Cladosporium spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp. and Alternaria spp. Children inhaled a higher dose of bacterial and fungal aerosols than adults. Bacteria and fungi are part of the bioaerosol components of PM2.5. Bioaerosol exposure may present additional health risks for children