The effect of seasonal variations in physical parameters on quality of gravity flow water was investigated in Kyanamira Sub-County, Kabale District, Uganda. The seasonal variations in the physical parameters (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, colour, total dissolved solids (TDS), and total suspended solids (TSS)) were determined during wet and dry seasons. Composite samples from gravity flow water sources were collected monthly from March to August, 2014 and then analyzed. Temperature was measured using thermometer; pH, EC and TDS were determined using a multimeter, turbidity, colour and total suspended solids were determined by spectrophotometric method. TDS, pH and temperature were the most contributing parameters to water quality variations in both seasons. The mean pH values varied between 3.78-4.84 from March to August, 2014 at all study sites. These pH values were consistently below the WHO permissible range of 6.5-8.5. Similarly, total suspended solids varied between 0.66-2.17 mg•L −1 and were well above the recommended WHO limit of zero mg•L −1 at all study sites. Turbidity mean values varied between 0.83-3.7 NTU and were outside the recommended limits of 3 NTU at Kigata (3.7 NTU) only. Temperatures (20.3˚C-21.15˚C) for all the study sites were within the recommended limit of 20˚C-30˚C in water for domestic purposes. The mean values of physical parameters for the wet season were: temperature (21.12˚C), colour (12.5 PtCoU), turbidity (3.4 NTU), TDS (76.76 mg•L −1), TSS (2.13 mg•L −1), pH (4.19) and EC (152.7 µS•cm −1) were different from those of the dry season (temperature (20.99˚C), colour (0.93 PtCoU), turbidity (0.53 NTU), TDS (77.33 mg•L −1), TSS (0.67 mg•L −1), pH (4.86) and EC (158.65 µS•cm −1). Basing on these findings above, it was evident to justify discouraging the use of gravity flow water at these study sites for domestic purposes without proper treatment.

The use of biomass energy over open fires in sub-Saharan Africa is rampant yet it is associated with air pollution. Information on the contribution of common biomass like charcoal to indoor air pollution in Uganda is scarce; therefore, kitchen-indoor air in charcoal fueled kitchens was characterized for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), heavy metals and carbon monoxide content in Mbarara Municipality Western Uganda. PM 2.5 was measured using University of California Berkeley Particle and Temperature Sensor (UCB-PATS), heavy metals were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and carbon monoxide was measured using a portable, battery-operated, datalogging Drager Pac 7000. In the kitchens assessed, the mean 24-h concentration for PM 2.5 was 0.449 mg/m 3 in the wet season and 0.526 mg/m 3 in the dry season; CO was 41.52 ppm, and all concentrations were higher than the World Health Organization 24-h Air Quality Guideline for PM 2.5 of 0.024 mg/m 3 and CO of 6.340 ppm. Heavy metals in particulate matter were in concentration ranges of 1.012-9.820 μg/m 3 Fe, 0.012-0.092 μg/m 3 Cr, 0.060-10.750 μg/m 3 Zn, 0.048-0.300 μg/ m 3 Cu, 0.004-0.052 μg/m 3 Pb and ND-0.004 μg/m 3 Cd. All mean metal concentrations were lower than recommended exposure levels by EPA although chronic exposure is a risk to health. Kitchen ventilation and size were found to significantly influence indoor pollutant levels; charcoal fuel significantly contributed to indoor air pollution and is therefore a risk factor to human health. Keywords Charcoal • Carbon monoxide • Indoor air pollution • Particulate matter • Heavy metals Article Highlights-Charcoal fuel generates particulate matter, carbon monoxide and heavy metals which pollutes indoor air pollution especially in kitchens-While the concentration of heavy metals was lower than recommended EPA concentrations, it is important to note that chronic exposure is a health risk-In order to reduce this pollution, kitchens should be well ventilated; we recommend that people in rural areas should endeavor to increase the kitchen size and improve ventilation * Grace Birungi,

Aim: In Kasese district of Western Uganda, farmers cultivating near Nyamwamba River (NR) experience crop wilting whenever the river banks burst. Increased cases of cancer and ulcers                    in the district is anecdotally blamed on ingestion of contaminated water from water resources polluted by tailings from Kilembe copper mines. Sand miners attested that mining in NR caused body irritations and itching while drinking water from the same river results in abdominal complications in infants. The aim of this study was to assess the seasonal variations in the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals (HMs) content of water from NR, and the associated health risks. Place and Duration of Study: The experiments were done at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda from 2018 to 2019. Methodology: This study employed quantitative research design. Water was sampled from down, middle and upstream of NR and Mubuku River, Western Uganda during the dry and wet seasons. The samples were analyzed for physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total suspended soils) and HMs: chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) by atomic absorption spectrometry. The estimated daily intake (EDI), target harzard quotient (THQ) and cancer risks were calculated to explore if there are any carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks that could arise from ingestion and dermal contact with water from NR. Results: Most physicochemical parameters of the water samples only met WHO guidelines for drinking water in the upstream. The mean concentration of Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd and As were 0.90-29.66 mg/L, 0.21-10.74 mg/L, 0.40-8.21 mg/L, 1.10-13.47 mg/L, 0.79-13.47 mg/L, 0.05-1.40 mg/L and 0.22-4.34 mg/L, respectively. Wet season recorded higher HMs concentrations when compared to the dry season, with all its samples exceeding the WHO guidelines for drinking water. There was an extremely high concentration of HMs in the upstream samples than expected. Health risk assessment indicated that the EDI through dermal contact ranged from 0.015 to 4.150 mg/kg/day while through ingestion of contaminated water, the values ranged from 0.008 × 10-6 to 38.266 × 10-6 mg/Lday. Some of the EDI doses were higher than corresponding reference doses for ingestion and contact with the HMs in water. THQ and total THQ exceeded 1 while cancer risk values were beyond the US EPA cancer risk borderline. Conclusion: This study revealed that there are serious non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks that could arise from consumption and contact with water from NR. Future studies should examine the relationship between the occurrence of trace metals in food stuffs with cancer, ulcers and other associated diseases in the area.

In this study, Skin-lightening creams commonly sold in Mbarara municipality were analyzed for chemical parameters (pH, thermal stability and fatty substance content), total hydroquinone, Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic contents. Total heavy metal content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The levels of hydroquinone were determined using High Performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All the creams showed detectable mean levels of mercury, ranging from 0.07±0.01ppm to 0.33±0.01ppm. Only 26.31% of the creams showed detectable levels of lead and 15.79% creams recorded detectable levels of arsenic. The mean levels of hydroquinone ranged from 0.54±0.02% to 4.47±0.02%. All the creams passed the thermal stability and fatty substance content tests. However, all the creams had very low pH values below the recommended 4.5- 8.5 pH ranges by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). The levels of mercury, arsenic and lead in the samples were less than the UNBS, European Union and US Food and Drug Administration’s acceptable limits. Only 84.2% of the cream samples analyzed contained hydroquinone levels higher than the recommended WHO limit of 2%. The use of such creams may lead to serious health hazards. While the low concentrations of heavy metals detected in the cream samples analyzed do not pose any potential risk to consumers, repeated application of these creams may cause a cumulative effect over prolonged exposure. The low pH values may cause skin irritations.  Therefore, the community needs to be sensitized on the implications of using skin lightening creams and UNBS should conduct periodic analysis to ascertain the levels of hydroquinone, heavy metals, and chemical requirements of skin lightening creams sold in Uganda as well as encourage manufacturers to state the exact bleaching agents in their creams.

In the current study, water from Chuho springs used as the main water source in Kisoro municipality, Uganda were assessed for their suitability as drinking water. The temperature, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, total hardness, total alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, phosphates, iron, copper, arsenic, chlorides and the fluoride content of the water samples were determined. Not all the parameters met World Health Organizations’ guidelines for drinking water. Temperature, dissolved oxygen and fluorides were outside the recommended limits of 15 ℃, 10-12 mg/L and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. Further studies should assess the microbiological and sanitary profile of the springs.