Abstract. A systematic survey of heavy metal (Pb, Cd, Cr, As and Hg) concentrations in pond water, sediment and products of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) aquaculture areas was carried out to assess their potential health risks to local people. The samples were all collected in the Liaoning Province, in the northeast of China. According to the results, the studied aquatic environment is not severely affected by heavy metal pollution at this time. As a result, local dietary exposure to these pollutants is still below the JECFA recommended values.
Mosquitoes spread more diseases than other known arthropod and have shown resistance to conventional insecticides despite several control efforts, prompting the need to explore alternative control measures such as the use of bio-larvicides which are environmentally friendly. To this end, a study on larvicidal activity of the powder of Capsicum chinensis against mosquitoes larvae in Lafia Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria was carried out through collection of wild field mosquitoes larvae from April to July 2018. Fresh Capsicum chinensis fruits were collected from farmlands and dried under room temperature and further processed to fine powder from which varying concentrations were used against the larvae. The larvae were exposed at 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Anopheles gambiae larvae were susceptible (100% mortality) to the various concentrations of the powder at the end of the 72 hours exposure period while Culex quinquefasciatus were resistant (0% mortality). There was a very high significant difference (P < 0.0001) in mortality rate of An. gambiae larvae in relation to concentrations while there was no significant difference (P = 1) in mortality rate of Cx. quinquefasciatus across concentrations. LD 50 and LD 90 values for An. gambiae at 24 hours were 21.88mg/ mL and 52.48mg/mL respectively; 16.98mg/mL and 38.90mg/mL respectively at 48 hours and 13.80mg/mL and 30.19mg/mL respectively ay 72 hours. This study shows that Capsicum chinensis is a promising bio-larvicide for controlling An. gambiae. Also, Cx. quinquefasciatus may possibly require higher multiple doses of Capsicum chinensis to influence mortality.
Dreaded realities await us each day as we wake up due to the impact of anthropogenic activities. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has etched itself into every aspect of our lives, changing the way we behave and creating new normal. Our consumption habit has been unsustainable even before coronavirus hit. COVID-19 has just made a bad situation much worse. Since news of the coronavirus was first announced in January, its horrors have not stopped. The number of cases worldwide is still rising, and its death toll is appallingly high. Lockdowns was introduced in order to curb transmission of COVID-19 in which both e-commerce and health sectors resolved to using plastics ('known unknowns'). There is no denying that single-use plastic has been a lifesaver in the fight against COVID-19, especially for frontline health workers. It has also facilitated adherence to social-distancing rules, by enabling home delivery of basic goods, especially food. And it may have helped to curb transmission, by replacing reusable coffee cups and shopping bags in many cities over fears that the virus could stick to them. Though other studies have shown that SARS-COV-2 still last longer on single-use plastics (72 hours) than on cardboard (24 hours) and yet the paper industry association is not using this as an opportunity to lobby or directly profit from the crisis in comparison to the plastic industry association appealing for reversal on the ban of single-use plastics. Plastic pollution impacts behind the scenes on public and environmental health have both short-and longterm effects. Plastic-to-Ocean movement has created a lot of micro-and nano plastics in an alarming rate. The question is, would the COVID-19 crisis prompt innovation for waste reduction, as it had for virtual health access, small business e-commerce, community collaboration and more? This review suggests recent environmentally friendly and sustainable plastic waste management practices. Plastic waste would be a thing of the past through the most recent molecular re-engineering technique which combined two super enzymes, PETase and MHETase which yielded a faster breakdown of PET. Also, plastic waste can be fought through the use of underwater robot called Smart Infrared Based Remotely Operated Vehicle to identify microplastics in marine environments. The
The knowledge on human-vectors contact is of great importance in order to tackle the point of transmission of mosquito-borne diseases through relevant control measures and interventions. To this end, a study on the feeding behaviour of mosquito species in Mararraba-Akunza, Lafia Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria was carried out for 8 nights in May 2018 using modified CDC Light Traps set in indoor and outdoor points. The traps were suspended by the foot side of the bed having human bait laying under an untreated mosquito bed net. Mosquitoes were collected hourly between 6:00pm and 6:00am and transferred into well labelled paper cups. Hourly temperature and relative humidity were recorded using digital thermo-hygrometer. A total of 95 mosquitoes belonging to An. gambiae 49 (51.6%) > Culex quinquefasciatus 40 (42.1%) > Aedes aegypti 4 (4.2%) > Mansonia uniformis 2 (2.1%) were collected. The abundance of mosquitoes in relation to feeding points showed no significant difference (P > 0.5). Outdoor point had higher abundance of 52 (54.7%). The feeding behaviour in both points showed that mosquitoes feed most from 1:00 to 2:00am and decreased around 5:00 -6:00am. The indoor and outdoor mosquitoes feeding time peaked at 9:00 -10:00pm and 3:00 -4:00am respectively. Temperature influenced indoor mosquitoes abundance while outdoor mosquitoes abundance was influenced by relative humidity. The indoors and outdoors man biting rate of mosquitoes per person per night was 5.0 and 5.9 respectively. Therefore, inhabitants of the area are encouraged to sleep under Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets in both points from dusk to dawn so as to prevent them from mosquitoes bites and consequently mosquito-borne diseases.
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