A One Health approach to interdict environmental health threats in
                        Suriname

Lichtveld, Maureen Y.; Hawkins, W. B.; Ouboter, Paul E.; Wickliffe, Jeffrey K.; Wilson, Mark; Wahid, Firoz Abdoel; Sauers, A. van; Ramjatan, Radha; Graafsma, Tobi; Mans, Dennis R.A.

doi:10.1016/j.aogh.2016.04.229

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…As part of the Caribbean Consortium of Research in Environmental and Occupational Health research program, 1000 pregnant women and their babies have been recruited from both coastal and interior sites ( Fig. 1 ) [ 48 ]. Inclusion criteria were that women, ages 16–45, were pregnant and in their first or second trimester.…”

Section: Materials/subjects and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to total and methylmercury among pregnant women in Suriname: sources and public health implications

Wickliffe

Lichtveld

Zijlmans

et al. 2020

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Previous research has found that women and children living in rural, interior communities in Suriname have high concentrations of mercury in hair. Freshwater fish from these areas also have high concentrations of mercury. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations in parts of the country use elemental mercury to extract gold from soils and sediments. Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations have been determined in hair and blood from pregnant women across the country. Pregnant women from interior communities have significantly higher concentrations of both total and methylmercury in hair (median total mercury in hair 3.64 μg/g) compared with pregnant women from two urban coastal cities, Paramaribo (0.63 μg/g) and Nickerie (0.74 μg/g). Total and methylmercury concentrations in blood and hair are highly correlated ( r =0.986, r =0.974) with methylmercury making up 86% of the total in blood and 97% of the total in hair. Most women in the interior regions rely heavily on local fish as part of their regular diet, and many live outsides of areas with active ASGM operations. This study demonstrates that diet and fish consumption largely govern mercury exposures in pregnant women in Suriname.

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Section: Materials/subjects and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to total and methylmercury among pregnant women in Suriname: sources and public health implications

Wickliffe

Lichtveld

Zijlmans

et al. 2020

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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“…Screening data from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) from 2010 to 2015 consistently showed pesticide residues in crops imported from Suriname [ 47 ]. The Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) is examining the association of pesticide exposure to birth outcomes in 1000 mother/child dyads [ 48 ]. CCREOH’s preliminary environmental assessment showed pesticide residues in Surinamese produce, including the insecticides endosulfan and lindane in the leafy vegetable Xanthosoma brasiliense (tannia).…”

Section: Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant health and its effects on food safety and security in a One Health framework: four case studies

et al. 2021

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Although healthy plants are vital to human and animal health, plant health is often overlooked in the One Health literature. Plants provide over 80% of the food consumed by humans and are the primary source of nutrition for livestock. However, plant diseases and pests often threaten the availability and safety of plants for human and animal consumption. Global yield losses of important staple crops can range up to 30% and hundreds of billions of dollars in lost food production. To demonstrate the complex interrelationships between plants and public health, we present four case studies on plant health issues directly tied to food safety and/or security, and how a One Health approach influences the perception and mitigation of these issues. Plant pathogens affect food availability and consequently food security through reductions in yield and plant mortality as shown through the first case study of banana Xanthomonas wilt in East and Central Africa. Case studies 2, 3 and 4 highlight ways in which the safety of plant-based foods can also be compromised. Case study 2 describes the role of mycotoxin-producing plant-colonizing fungi in human and animal disease and examines lessons learned from outbreaks of aflatoxicosis in Kenya. Plants may also serve as vectors of human pathogens as seen in case study 3, with an example of Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination of lettuce in North America. Finally, case study 4 focuses on the use of pesticides in Suriname, a complex issue intimately tied to food security though protection of crops from diseases and pests, while also a food safety issue through misuse. These cases from around the world in low to high income countries point to the need for interdisciplinary teams to solve complex plant health problems. Through these case studies, we examine challenges and opportunities moving forward for mitigating negative public health consequences and ensuring health equity. Advances in surveillance technology and functional and streamlined workflow, from data collection, analyses, risk assessment, reporting, and information sharing are needed to improve the response to emergence and spread of plant-related pathogens and pests. Our case studies point to the importance of collaboration in responses to plant health issues that may become public health emergencies and the value of the One Health approach in ensuring food safety and food security for the global population.

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“…The Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) addresses high-priority environmental and occupational health risks in Suriname and those common to the vulnerable Caribbean region, while preserving unique cultural traditions of indigenous people and other health disparate populations. 1 Exposure to environmental contaminants at levels of public health concern may adversely affect pregnancy, and prenatal and postnatal health in multiple ways: miscarriage, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, congenital anomalies and behavioural and physical consequences in later developmental stages. 2–4 Prenatal exposure to multiple heavy metals is associated with adverse paediatric health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

Zijlmans¹,

Wickliffe

Hindori-Mohangoo

et al. 2020

BMJ Open

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PurposeThe Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health prospective environmental epidemiologic cohort study addresses the impact of chemical and non-chemical environmental exposures on mother/child dyads in Suriname. The study determines associations between levels of environmental elements and toxicants in pregnant women, and birth outcomes and neurodevelopment in their children.ParticipantsPregnant women (N=1143) were enrolled from December 2016 to July 2019 from three regions of Suriname: Paramaribo (N=738), Nickerie (N=204) and the tropical rainforest interior (N=201). Infants (N=992) were enrolled at birth. Follow-up will take place until children are 48 months old.Findings to dateBiospecimens and questionnaire data on physiological and psychosocial health in pregnant women have been analysed. 39.1% had hair mercury (Hg) levels exceeding values considered safe by international standards. Median hair Hg concentrations in women from Paramaribo (N=522) were 0.64 µg/g hair (IQRs 0.36–1.09; range 0.00–7.12), from Nickerie (N=176) 0.73 µg/g (IQR 0.45–1.05; range 0.00–5.79) and the interior (N=178) 3.48 µg/g (IQR 1.92–7.39; range 0.38–18.20). 96.1% of women ate fish, respective consumption of the three most consumed carnivorous species, Hoplias aimara, Serrasalmus rhombeus and Cichla ocellaris, known to have high Hg levels, was 44.4%, 19.3% and 26.3%, respectively, and was greater among the interior subcohort. 89% frequently consumed the vegetable tannia, samples of which showed presence of worldwide banned pesticides. 24.9% of pregnant women had Edinburgh Depression Scale scores indicative of probable depression.Future plansFish consumption advisories are in development, especially relevant to interior women for whom fish consumption is likely to be the primary source of Hg exposure. Effects of potentially beneficial neuroprotective factors in fish that may counter neurotoxic effects of Hg are being examined. A pesticide literacy assessment in pregnant women is in progress. Neurodevelopmental assessments and telomere length measurements of the children to evaluate long-term effects of prenatal exposures to toxicant mixtures are ongoing.

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A One Health approach to interdict environmental health threats in Suriname

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Exposure to total and methylmercury among pregnant women in Suriname: sources and public health implications

Exposure to total and methylmercury among pregnant women in Suriname: sources and public health implications

Plant health and its effects on food safety and security in a One Health framework: four case studies

Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) Cohort Study: influences of complex environmental exposures on maternal and child health in Suriname

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