Geochemistry and health Kenyan stakeholder workshops 2022

This report summarises an exchange visit carried out by the British Geological Survey (BGS) to disseminate soil geochemical and public health data collated over the previous five years with partners from the University of Eldoret and Moi University to relevant stakeholders. A series of workshops provided a platform for the co-design of digital tool applications to ensure accessible data and to identify end-users with appropriate heads of agricultural and public health offices from 20 County governments. Workshop hubs were held in Kisii, Kisumu, and Eldoret between 23rd June and 3rd July 2022. This report describes a knowledge exchange visit to Kenya by BGS with partners at the University of Eldoret and Moi University leading on the dissemination of consortia data outputs and outcomes via coordinated workshops for leaders in agricultural and public health invited from each of 20 County governments (50+ attendees across three hubs), with additional practitioners familiar with the research-to-government-to-industry interaction in attendance. The geochemistry and public health data resulted from a comprehensive programme of data collection between 2016 and 2019 to inform the geochemical spatial influence on agricultural practices and for future use of a geochemical predictive model in determining the geospatial influence on non-communicable diseases (e.g. cancer, micronutrient deficiency). Additional focussed meetings with key stakeholders were undertaken to improve data uptake and outcomes, including the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation and Kenya Forestry Research Institute. Background for the project collation of the data can be found at: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/geochemistry-and-health

Workshop on dynamics of land to lake transfers in the Winam Gulf

This report describes a stakeholder engagement workshop carried out by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and research partners from the University of Eldoret and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute in December 2023. This workshop was co-funded by a Royal Society International Collaboration Grant (ICA\R1\191077 entitled ‘Dynamics of Environmental Geochemistry and Health in a Lake-wide Basin’) and a NERC NC-International grant (NE/X006255/1, entitled ‘Geoscience to tackle global environmental challenges’). The aim of this workshop was to disseminate our most recent research findings on soil erosion and sediment source apportionment in the Winam Gulf, Kenya. We also built upon previous stakeholder engagement meetings where discussions were held to identify the most effective methods of delivering outputs where they can be used to inform strategies to mitigate soil erosion and sediment transfers in the catchment resulting from poor land management. All the information collected from participants will be used to inform future workshops, planned for June 2024 and final data distribution tools. Furthermore, it was recommended by the workshop participants that the need for greater capacity building could be achieved through the formation of a committee which oversees and plans the coordination of land-lake activities through the communication and sharing of the latest activities, interests and needs of the combined land/lake communities in the Lake Victoria basin. The formation of such a committee could be facilitated through this research project and would be the first step towards creating an impactful management framework. This could provide an exemplar for other land-lake systems

Distribution of Potentially toxic elements in Water, Sediment and Soils in the Riparian Zones around a Kraft Pulp and Paper Mill in Western Kenya

This chapter discusses the impact of effluent discharge on the distribution of potentially toxic elements (Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn) in water, sediments and soils near a Kraft mill in Western Kenya. Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) concentrations were determined at three sites: Water Intake Point, Effluent Discharge Point and Downstream Point. The mill liquid effluent parameters and gaseous emissions were also characterized. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the spatial differences in PTEs concentrations. Principal component analysis determined the correlations between the proximity to the Kraft mill and the PTEs in soils, water and sediments. In riverine soils, Cd was 0.78 ± 0.01 mg/kg, while Pb was 94.38 ± 9.65 mg/kg. In sediments, the concentration was 16.81 ± 2.46 mg/kg for Zn, 6.16 ± 0.72 mg/kg for Cd and 75.28 ± 5.97 mg/kg for Pb. In water, Zn was 0.26 ± 0.038 mg/L, Cu was 0.75 ± 0.11 mg/L, Cd was 0.05 ± 0.004 mg/L and Pb was 1.26 ± 9.65 mg/L. The spatial distributions of PTEs in soils near the factory and across the river may have resulted from the factory’s effluent discharge and gaseous emissions. These findings should help formulate more stringent industrial effluent management programs in Western Kenya

Suitability of 210Pbex, 137Cs and 239+240Pu as soil erosion tracers in western Kenya

Land degradation resulting from soil erosion is a global concern, with the greatest risk in developing countries where food and land resources can be limited. The use of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) is a proven method for determining short and medium-term rates of soil erosion, to help improve our understanding of soil erosion processes. There has been limited use of these methods in tropical Africa due to the analytical challenges associated with 137Cs, where inventories are an order of magnitude lower than in the Europe. This research aimed to demonstrate the usability of 239+240Pu as a soil erosion tracer in western Kenya compared to conventional isotopes 210Pbex and 137Cs through the determination of FRN depth profiles at reference sites. Across six reference sites 239+240Pu showed the greatest potential, with the lowest coefficient of variation and the greatest peak-to-detection limit ratio of 640 compared to 5 and 1 for 210Pbex and 137Cs respectively. Additionally, 239+240Pu was the only radionuclide to meet the 'allowable error' threshold, demonstrating applicability to large scale studies in Western Kenya where the selection of suitable reference sites presents a significant challenge. The depth profile of 239+240Pu followed a polynomial function, with the maximum areal activities found between depths 3 and 12 cm, where thereafter areal activities decreased exponentially. As a result, 239+240Pu is presented as a robust tracer to evaluate soil erosion patterns and amounts in western Kenya, providing a powerful tool to inform and validate mitigation strategies with improved understanding of land degradation

Density growth in Kantowski-Sachs cosmologies with cosmological constant

In this work the growth of density perturbations in Kantowski-Sachs cosmologies with a positive cosmological constant is studied, using the 1+3 and 1+1+2 covariant formalisms. For each wave number we obtain a closed system for scalars formed from quantities that are zero on the background and hence are gauge-invariant. The solutions to this system are then analyzed both analytically and numerically. In particular the effects of anisotropy and the behaviour close to a bounce in the cosmic scale factor are considered. We find that typically the density gradient in the bouncing directions experiences a local maximum at or slightly after the bounce.Comment: 33 pages, 17 picture

Source apportionment of micronutrients in the diets of Kilimanjaro,Tanzania and Counties of Western Kenya

Soil, water and food supply composition data have been combined to primarily estimate micronutrient intakes and subsequent risk of deficiencies in each of the regions studied by generating new data to supplement and update existing food balance sheets. These data capture environmental influences, such as soil chemistry and the drinking water sources to provide spatially resolved crop and drinking water composition data, where combined information is currently limited, to better inform intervention strategies to target micronutrient deficiencies. Approximately 1500 crop samples were analysed, representing 86 food items across 50 sites in Tanzania in 2013 and >230 sites in Western Kenya between 2014 and 2018. Samples were analysed by ICP-MS for 58 elements, with this paper focussing on calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), selenium (Se), iodine (I), zinc (Zn) and molybdenum (Mo). In general, micronutrient supply from food groups was higher from Kilimanjaro,Tanzania than Counties in Western Kenya, albeit from a smaller sample. For both countries leafy vegetable and vegetable food groups consistently contained higher median micronutrient concentrations compared to other plant based food groups. Overall, calculated deficiency rates were 90% for Ca, Zn and I in both countries. For Mg, a slightly lower risk of deficiency was calculated for Tanzania at 0 to 1% across simplified soil classifications and for female/males, compared to 3 to 20% for Kenya. A significant difference was observed for Se, where a 3 to 28% risk of deficiency was calculated for Tanzania compared to 93 to 100% in Kenya. Overall, 11 soil predictor variables, including pH and organic matter accounted for a small proportion of the variance in the elemental concentration of food. Tanzanian drinking water presented several opportunities for delivering greater than 10% of the estimated average requirement (EAR) for micronutrients. For example, 1 to 56% of the EAR for I and up to 10% for Se or 37% for Zn could be contributed via drinking water

Editorial: The society for environmental geochemistry and health (SEGH): 50 years and beyond

When the SEGH international board released a short editorial paper back in 2019, we described an aim to increase the membership offering, whilst improving the diversity of input regionally, by scientific discipline and to ensure greater and more regular contact across the regions from 2020 onwards. Wider aspirations described in 2019 (Watts et al. 2019) are discussed within this short communication at the end of 2021 to evaluate progress made. In particular, how the SEGH community adapted to the unprecedented circumstances that have challenged each and every one of us throughout the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020 and are likely to influence our activities for the foreseeable future

Antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter isolates from small scale and backyard chicken in Kenya

Background Thermophilic Campylobacter species are a major cause of bacterial foodborne diarrhoea in humans worldwide. Poultry and their products are the predominant source for human campylobacteriosis. Resistance of Campylobacter to antibiotics is increasing worldwide, but little is known about the antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter isolated from chicken in Kenya. In this study, 35 suspected Campylobacter strains isolated from faeces and cloacal swabs of chicken were tested for their susceptibility to seven antibiotics using a broth microdilution assay and molecular biological investigations. Results Overall, DNA of thermophilic Campylobacter was identified in 53 samples by PCR (34 C. jejuni, 18 C. coli and one mix of both species) but only 35 Campylobacter isolates (31 C. jejuni and 4 C. coli) could be re-cultivated after transportation to Germany. Isolates were tested for their susceptibility to antibiotics using a broth microdilution assay. Additionally, molecular biological detection of antibiotic resistance genes was carried out. C. jejuni isolates showed a high rate of resistance to nalidixic acid, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin of 77.4, 71.0 and 71.0 %, respectively. Low resistance (25.8 %) was detected for gentamicin and chloramphenicol. Multidrug resistance in C. jejuni could be detected in 19 (61.3 %) isolates. Resistance pattern of C. coli isolates was comparable. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was confirmed by MAMA–PCR and PCR–RFLP in all phenotypically resistant isolates. The tet(O) gene was detected only in 54.5 % of tetracycline resistant C. jejuni isolates. The tet(A) gene, which is also responsible for tetracycline resistance, was found in 90.3 % of C. jejuni and in all C. coli isolates. Thirteen phenotypically erythromycin-resistant isolates could not be characterised by using PCR–RFLP and MAMA–PCR. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report about resistance to antibiotics in thermophilic Campylobacter originating from chicken in Kenya. Campylobacter spp. show a high level of resistance to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and tetracycline but also a remarkable one to chloramphenicol and gentamicin and they are multidrug resistant. Resistance to antibiotics is a global public health concern. In Kenya, resistance surveillance needs further attention in the future. Efforts to establish at least a National Laboratory with facilities for performing phenotypic and genotypic characterization of thermophilic Campylobacter is highly recommended

A framework to guide planetary health education

People around the world are increasingly facing the pressing challenges of today's interconnected environmental, social, and health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an important wake-up call reminding us that we need a healthy planet to ensure the health of all people. The emerging field of planetary health is a framework for understanding these interconnections and identifying solutions to the complex challenges confronting our civilization. Building on the unique role and responsibility of education institutions in shaping our futures, embedding planetary health education in curricula is an essential step to achieving the transformative change needed. Planetary health education across all levels and disciplines will equip and enable learners to drive transdisciplinary and mutually reinforcing actions to protect and restore planetary health and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals