WRRCTMR No.61 Monitoring of Pollutants in Waste Water, Sewage, and Sediment

Quarterly samples of Waipahu Incinerator quench water and Sand Island and Honouliuli waste water were analyzed for heavy metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Semiannual sediment samples from the old and new Sand Island ocean outfall sites were also examined for both classes of toxicants. A few supplemental samples of both waste waters were examined for EPA designated priority pollutants as part of the City and County of Honolulu effort to obtain a waiver of secondary treatment requirements for major waste water discharges. Based on the results of this work, there appears to be no significant or alarming level of the examined substances in the waste waters or sediments compared to data from the literature or from other Hawaiian waste waters and sediments. All monthly monitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in the Sand Island discharge yielded values below detection limits. Thus, this discharge permit requirement is being satisfied. Project staff also assisted with on-the-job training of city laboratory personnel in the techniques necessary for heavy metals and chlorinated hydrocarbon analyses. Twenty-four flow-weighted composites were collected for the analysis of pesticides, metals, and base-neutral extractable compounds. Grab samples were collected for the determination of phenols, cyanides, and volatile organics. Volatile organics were not detectable by gas chromatography and further analysis by mass spectrometer was not performed. Acid extractable compounds (phenols) were not detected in all waste waters <0.1 µg/l). Only a few base-neutral extractables were detected. The only pesticides detected were dieldrin in the Mokapu and Waianae effluents and demeton in the Waianae effluent. The level of heavy metals detected was not considered significant compared to existing environmental criteria. Cyanides were, if present, below detection limits. Total phenols were not detected, except in the Sand Island sample at 6 µg/l. Overall, the levels of priority pollutants were extremely low as expected.City and County of Honolulu, Department of Public Works Grant/Contract No. 14-34-0001-9013 (F-518-76

Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy

BACKGROUND: Strong evidence shows that physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including major non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers, and shortens life expectancy. Because much of the world's population is inactive, this link presents a major public health issue. We aimed to quantify the effect of physical inactivity on these major non-communicable diseases by estimating how much disease could be averted if inactive people were to become active and to estimate gain in life expectancy at the population level. METHODS: For our analysis of burden of disease, we calculated population attributable fractions (PAFs) associated with physical inactivity using conservative assumptions for each of the major non-communicable diseases, by country, to estimate how much disease could be averted if physical inactivity were eliminated. We used life-table analysis to estimate gains in life expectancy of the population. FINDINGS: Worldwide, we estimate that physical inactivity causes 6% (ranging from 3·2% in southeast Asia to 7·8% in the eastern Mediterranean region) of the burden of disease from coronary heart disease, 7% (3·9-9·6) of type 2 diabetes, 10% (5·6-14·1) of breast cancer, and 10% (5·7-13·8) of colon cancer. Inactivity causes 9% (range 5·1-12·5) of premature mortality, or more than 5·3 million of the 57 million deaths that occurred worldwide in 2008. If inactivity were not eliminated, but decreased instead by 10% or 25%, more than 533 000 and more than 1·3 million deaths, respectively, could be averted every year. We estimated that elimination of physical inactivity would increase the life expectancy of the world's population by 0·68 (range 0·41-0·95) years. INTERPRETATION: Physical inactivity has a major health effect worldwide. Decrease in or removal of this unhealthy behaviour could improve health substantially. FUNDING: None