Global distribution and coincidence of pollution, climate impacts, and health risk in the Anthropocene

Marcantonio, Richard; Javeline, Debra; Field, Sean; Fuentes, Agustín

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0254060

Cited by 25 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 113 publications

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“…The stride to achieve industrialization and urbanization has introduced various environmental challenges [1,2]. Firstly, it has led to the destruction of landscape, ecosystems and exacerbated the climate change crisis [3,4]. Secondly, it has accelerated the introduction and transport of legacy contaminants, threatening the existence of humans, the environment and other organisms [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicochemical Quality and Health Risks Associated with Use of Water from Nyamwamba River, Kasese, Western Uganda

Masereka

Byamugisha

Adaku

2022

AJACR

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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.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physicochemical Quality and Health Risks Associated with Use of Water from Nyamwamba River, Kasese, Western Uganda

Masereka

Byamugisha

Adaku

2022

AJACR

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“…Environmental issues are crucial because they involve the interests of human rights [4]. Various environmental problems include pollution, climate change, depletion of natural resources, waste disposal, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and depletion of the ozone layer [5]. In general, pollution is the first environmental issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green restorative justice approach in environmental issues to attain the sustainable development

Fuady

Ishak

2023

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Environmental has been a global issue. The industry entities have damaged the ecosystem severely, so the right approach to solve this problem is necessary. This study aims to discuss on the prospects of green restorative justice as the settlement of environmental cases, especially in broken environments due to the industry company activities. This qualitative study used the exploratory method about the chance of green restorative justice to settle the problem between corporations and communities which were damaged in their living area. The findings showed that green restorative justice could be another way to solve the environmental issues because the non-trial process took less time and low cost. Following that, another finding was that implementing re-greening of the ecosystem by the guilty company could be faster and more beneficial for the community as long as the other stakeholders involved, such as the government and media guarding the cases. Furthermore, this study can be used as a future way to face the conflict between the corporation and the society where the environment is the victim, so that sustainable development can be attained.

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“…Yet, although Africa contributes only an estimated 2%–3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a recent report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicated that the continent suffers a disproportionate environmental impact, including rising temperatures, drought and water stress due to flooding and rising seas [ 1 ]. Research from 2022 analysing combined data from the Notre Dame–Global Adaptation Index (ND-GAIN), environmental performance index, and the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution demonstrated that ‘the highest climate and toxic pollution risks appear to coincide in the same countries’ which are ‘geographically concentrated across the African continent’ [ 2 ]. These findings align with over a decade of warnings produced by earlier research, such as the African Development Bank’s 2011 report which stated, ‘as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), climate damages in Africa are expected to be higher than in any other region in the world, more than 10% higher than the next exposed region (India) and more than twice as high as in the US, Russia, Eurasia, and Latin America’ [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and oncology nursing: the African perspective

Samba,

Mezgebu,

Habtes

et al. 2023

ecancer

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Climate change is impacting the lives of millions around the world and exacerbating existing challenges in healthcare globally. Although Africa contributes only 2%–3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers a disproportionate share of the environmental impact. High-income countries dominate the global discourse on climate change, while their continued utilisation of extractive policies exacerbates climate hazards and impacts economies in regions not responsible for the damage. Cancer is on the rise and constitutes a significant public health burden in low- and middle-income countries, yet little is known about the impact of climate change on oncology nursing on the African continent. To address the ways that climate change is exacerbating existing challenges and adding new difficulties for oncology care, it is essential that the expertise of professionals working in settings that are most impacted by the threats of climate change is amplified if climate crisis risks are to be effectively mitigated. Seven African oncology nurses from across sub-Saharan Africa were reflexively interviewed by voice over internet protocol (VOIP) in English to learn about their understanding of climate change and experiences with its impact on nursing care. Using a conceptual framework to map the impact of climate change on health and considering the vulnerability and social capacity of patients with cancer, our findings show how existing challenges to oncology nursing care are exacerbated by climate change on the continent. Food insecurity, national economic dependency on the agricultural sector, economic inequality, social vulnerability and isolation, transportation challenges, and the immunocompromised status of patients with cancer are all key concerns for oncology nurses in this context. We also present the nurses’ specific recommendations for governments, hospital authorities, and oncology nurses regarding climate change mitigation, adaptation, and event response strategies. With this work, we aim to lay a foundation for further investigation and action to mitigate the oncoming challenges of climate disaster for oncology nurses across sub-Saharan Africa and the patients and families they care for.

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Global distribution and coincidence of pollution, climate impacts, and health risk in the Anthropocene

Cited by 25 publications

References 113 publications

Physicochemical Quality and Health Risks Associated with Use of Water from Nyamwamba River, Kasese, Western Uganda

Physicochemical Quality and Health Risks Associated with Use of Water from Nyamwamba River, Kasese, Western Uganda

Green restorative justice approach in environmental issues to attain the sustainable development

Climate change and oncology nursing: the African perspective

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