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Wei, Xi. "Environmental screening of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and biological characterization of their effects on reproductive health." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2011. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1225.
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Mingotti, Nicola. "Passive environmental design for health." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.709015.
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梁度因 and To-yan Leung. "The ecology and reproductive biology of two intertidal barnacles, capitulum mitella and ibla cumingi (cirripedia: pedunculata), in HongKong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2002. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B42577275.
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Otter, Robert. "Aspects of environmental public health in Portsmouth, 1764-1864." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.387284.
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Thomas, Peter W. 1969. "The effects of low-level flying military aircraft on the reproductive output of osprey in Labrador and northeastern Québec /." Thesis, McGill University, 1999. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=21654.
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The objective of this study was to determine whether low-level flying military aircraft affected the reproductive success of Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), and if so, to determine the optimal avoidance distance to minimize these effects. I studied 49 nests in 1995, and 68 nests in 1996 within the military low-level flying zone. Nest occupancy, clutch size, number of hatchlings, and number of young at 41 days of age were assessed at each nest. GIS flight track records provided frequency of aircraft at given distances and altitudes from the nest. Logistic regression analysis assessed the impact of flight frequency in four distance categories and four altitude categories on Osprey reproduction. The frequency of flights within each category were not accurate predictors of Osprey reproductive output. Nests were then randomly assigned to a buffer-zone radius of either 0, 1.85, 3.7, or to a control of 7.4 km, and reproductive output was compared among treatments, and between years. No significant differences were discovered among the reproductive parameters within either 1995 or 1996, but reproductive output was significantly higher in 1995, likely due to adverse weather conditions experienced in 1996.
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Marteinson, Sarah Catherine. "Reproductive and behavioral effects of two brominated flame retardants in captive american kestrels (Falco sparverius)." Thesis, McGill University, 2011. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=96765.
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II Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are persistent organic pollutants that have reached a global distribution in the environment. Many of the BFRs are lipophilic and bioaccumulative, and consequently several of them have been found in wildlife tissue with some of the highest levels recorded in several raptor species. The overall aim of this study was to determine the effects of exposure to environmentally relevant levels of the two most prominent BFRs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs: DE-71 mixture) or hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) on the reproductive success, behaviour and physiology of captive American kestrels. In 2007, males exposed in ovo to DE-71 at three mean egg exposure concentrations of 289 ng/g ww for the low-exposure males, 1131 ng/g ww for the high-exposure males, or background levels of 3 ng/g ww for controls, were paired with unexposed females, and euthanized in the following year for testes extraction. In 2008, kestrel pairs were exposed via diet to technical HBCD (0.32 µg/µl wet weight (ww) daily) or the vehicle only for controls; testis mass and histology was examined in an additional group of males exposed to the same concentrations for three weeks. Pairs with males exposed in ovo to DE-71 demonstrated decreased clutch size, and egg mass, reduced fertility, and delayed timing of egg-laying when compared to controls. Both members of these pairs displayed reduced courtship behavior, including copulation frequency, and males demonstrated reduced parental behavior compared to controls. The testes of males exposed in ovo to DE-71 were enlarged and contained more seminiferous tubules with lumen, though the number of tubules containing final spermatids decreased with increasing in ovo exposure to some PBDE congeners. Additionally, testosterone levels were reduced during breeding in these males. Pairs exposed to HBCD via diet laid their clutches earlier and their average clutch size of eggs was larger, however no associated increase in reproductive success was noted. Though eggshell thickness was unaffected, HBCD-exposed females produced lighter and smaller eggs. Both members of HBCD-exposed pairs showed reduced courtship behavior and males additionally demonstrated reduced parental care. Males exposed to HBCD had elevated testosterone levels, reduced circulating thyroxin (T4) and increased body mass at certain time-points throughout the breeding season. Unpaired males had larger testes than controls with more seminiferous tubules containing final spermatids. The results presented herein demonstrate that both of these BFRs affect reproduction in American kestrels. Since exposure levels in the present study were environmentally relevant, wild birds receiving similar exposure may experience comparable effects.IV Les ignifugeants bromés sont des polluants organiques tenaces, répandus globalement dans l'environnement. Lipophiles et bioaccumulatifs, on les retrouve dans les tissus animaux, dont ceux des rapaces qui possèdent parmi les concentrations les plus élevées. Cette étude avait comme objectif global de déterminer les effets sur la reproduction, le comportement et la physiologie de crécerelles d'Amérique (Falco sparverius) captives exposées à deux ignifugeants brominés d'importance, soit les polybromodiphényléther (PBDE : mélange DE-71) et l'hexabromocyclodécane (HBCD), à des concentrations représentatives des niveaux environnementaux. En 2007, trois groupes de mâles exposés in ovo à des concentrations moyennes (± l'erreur-type) de DE- 71 respectives de 288,60 ± 33,35 ng/g mh (faible exposition), de 1130,59 ± 95,34 ng/g mh (forte exposition) et de 3,01 ± 0,46 ng/g mh (contrôle), ont été accouplés avec des femelles non-exposées, et euthanasiés l'année suivante pour en extraire les testicules. En 2008, des couples furent exposés au HBCD dans leur alimentation quotidienne, soit à une concentration de 0.544 µg/µl mh ou à un niveau-contrôle. De plus, la masse et l'histologie testiculaires de mâles non-accouplés exposés pendant trois semaines à ces mêmes concentrations respectives furent analysées. Comparés aux couples-contrôle, les couples avec mâles exposés au DE-71 ont subi une réduction dans la grandeur de leurs couvées et dans la masse et la fertilité de leurs œufs, ainsi qu'un délai dans leur ponte. Chacun des membres de ces couples démontra une diminution des comportements nuptiaux, dont la fréquence de copulation, et les mâles ont fait preuve de soins parentaux réduits. Ces derniers avaient également des testicules hypertrophiés contenant un plus grand nombre de tubules séminifères pourvus de lumen, cependant le nombre de tubules contenant des spermatides finales décrut en fonction de la croissance du niveau d'exposition à certains congénères PBDE. De leur part, les couples exposés au HBCD ont connu des pontes précoces comportant un plus grand nombre moyen d'œufs que les couples-contrôle, par contre leur succès reproductif global demeura inchangé. Bien que l'épaisseur des coquilles ne fut pas affectée, leurs œufs étaient anormalement petits et légers. Encore une fois, chacun des membres de ces couples démontra une baisse dans les comportements nuptiaux et l'apport de soins parentaux fut réduit chez les mâles. Ces derniers présentèrent également à certains moments des niveaux de testostérone et des masses corporelles supérieurs ainsi que des niveaux de thyroxine (T4) inférieurs aux mâles-contrôle, et les mâles non-accouplés développèrent de plus gros testicules avec plus grand nombre de tubules séminifères contenant des spermatides finales. L'ensemble de ces résultats démontre que les deux ignifugeants bromés en question, à leurs niveaux environnementaux, agissent effectivement sur la reproduction chez les crécerelles d'Amérique. Il est donc admissible de supposer que les crécerelles à l'état sauvage, voire même autres oiseaux, éprouvent des impacts comparables.
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Fitzwater, Kendra K. "Assessment of environmental and public health hazards of electronic waste." Virtual Press, 2007. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1380100.
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Electronic waste or `e-waste' is a rapidly growing form of solid waste worldwide. The heavy metals present in various electronic components demand attention because such metals may leach and pose significant health and environmental hazards (U.S. EPA, 2007). Knowledge of the potential of heavy metal leaching from e-waste represents an important contribution for developing U.S. standards for classifying e-waste as hazardous waste. Hazardous elements which leach from a variety of electronics wastes were assessed in laboratory batch studies. Electronic components evaluated included PC cathode ray tubes, PC motherboards, PC mice, television remote controls, and cellular phones. Each component was disassembled and digested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), EPA Method 1312, Method EA NEN 7371 (Dutch Environmental Agency), and Method DEV-S4 (Germany). The extracts were analyzed for lead, cadmium, chromium, silver, and cobalt. The TCLP consistently leached the greatest amounts of all metals; TCLP-soluble lead was extracted well beyond federal limits for several electronic devices.Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
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Priego, Hernández Jacqueline. "Sexual and reproductive health among indigenous Mexican adolescents : a socio-representational perspective." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2011. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/364/.
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In this thesis I advance a socio–representational perspective on sexual and reproductive health as constructed by indigenous Mexican adolescents. The social and psychological literature on health among indigenous populations and on adolescent sexual health is reviewed. It is argued that a socio–psychological perspective is needed to understand the resources through which contemporary indigenous youth, a population overlooked by research, make sense of their sexual and reproductive health. In generating the theoretical tools to tackle this issue, I adopt a dialogical approach to social representations theory to sharpen Jovchelovitch’s (2007) model of knowledge encounters by proposing a typology of potential outcomes of these encounters. The empirical research involved female and male indigenous adolescents in two social contexts: rural and urban. In–depth individual interviews, focus group discussions and unstructured observations were employed for data elicitation. Results from the interpretative thematic analysis performed are presented through a ‘funnelling’ approach whereby the interdependent engagements of indigenous adolescents with their social context, their partners and specific health beliefs are discussed by highlighting nuanced differences in relation to social context and gender. Key findings are related to the understanding of romantic relationships in terms of stability and continuity, which impacts on the way that sex and contraception are perceived and experienced. Results also reveal that, in dialogue with others, adolescents come to identify alternative ways of positioning themselves with regards to customary discourses about sexual health. Focus group discussions are further examined through a dialogical analysis of interactions that aim to identify, in sociodialogue, the outcomes of knowledge encounters initially proposed. A further data–driven outcome is subsequently added to the typology and analytical categories are refined. Implications for health promotion in terms of the reflexion entailed in dialogue are offered in the conclusion chapter.
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Hedberg, Yolanda. "Environmental and health aspects of corrosion– importance of chemical speciation." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Yt- och korrosionsvetenskap, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-24701.
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During the last decades, the interest in corrosion of metals and alloys from an environmental and health perspective has increased rapidly as a consequence of stricter environmental and human exposure legislations, their extensive use as implant materials and an increasing understanding related to occupational and/or daily exposure to airborne particles. Corrosion-induced metal release, however, needs to be understood in detail and to include knowledge related to chemical speciation, i.e. the oxidation state, complexation and chemical form of released metals, parameters of high importance when considering toxicity. In this licentiate work, corrosion-induced metal runoff from roofing materials (copper, zinc, and chromium(III)-, and chromium(VI) surface treated galvanized steel) has been investigated from an environmental perspective with focus on chemical speciation of released metals (Papers I-II). From these papers it was evident that the total concentration measured in the runoff water is not sufficient for any environmental risk assessment. The environmental fate including changes in chemical speciation and hence metal precipitation has to be considered. For example, it was shown that the copper concentration decreased by three orders of magnitude already in the internal drainage system of a shopping centre with a copper roof, to a concentration lower than storm water collected from a nearby parking space (Paper I). Also, speciation measurements can explain corrosion, metal release and surface processes of chromium surface treated galvanized steel at different sites (urban and marine). Any environmental risk assessment has to be done by considering all metal species released, and compared with ecotoxic values. For example, when most chromium(VI) (the most toxic species) was released, significantly less zinc was released at the same time which decreased the overall ecotoxicity of the runoff water significantly (Paper II). When assessing environmental risks by standard laboratory tests, it is important to understand all mechanisms which are possibly influenced by individual experimental parameters and which often are different for different test substances. Some metals released, as seen in the case of iron, may precipitate with time and be pH-, solution- and buffering dependent. This behavior can lead to strongly underestimated measured metal concentrations (Paper III). When particles of metals or alloys are to be investigated (Papers III-VI), it is essential to conduct a thorough particle characterization, since the surface properties cannot be defined. In addition, the surface properties (oxide layer properties) change with varying particle size (Paper VI) and with other experimental parameters such as dispersion (Paper VI). All iron-, and chromium-based particles investigated (Papers III-VI) revealed large differences between alloy particles and pure metals. Particles of pure iron and nickel released significantly more metals compared with particles of the investigated alloys, whereas particles of pure chromium released less metals compared with the alloys. Particles of stainless steel (AISI 316L), ferro-chromium and ferro-silicon-chromium released very low amounts of metals (Papers III-VI). The released quantity increased with increased acidity (Papers III-VI) and also in the presence of complexing agents (ongoing research). The manufacturing process is of high importance, as observed for stainless steel particles when compared with a side product from stainless steel production with similar composition that released significantly more metals (Paper III). Particles of metal oxides, i.e. chromium(III)oxide and iron(II,III)oxide, released very low amounts of metals due to their thermodynamic stability. Ongoing research activities focus on the specific influence of complexing agents and proteins on the metal release process from massive sheet and particles of metals and alloys. The applicability and the possibility to use different analytical tools are investigated and elaborated for small-sized particles. A detailed understanding of the correlation between material and particle characteristics, the metal release process, the chemical speciation in interaction with proteins and/or cells, and the particle/cell interaction is essential to enable any correlation between material/particle characteristics and toxicity. The aim of this licentiate summary is – in contrast to the six included scientific papers – to explain the importance of chemical speciation for corrosion processes from a health and environmental perspective in a popular way to reach a broad non-academic audience. The summary is hence written as a guidance document for stakeholders and the regulatory community working with environmental and health risk assessment.QC 20101006
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Adams, Jessica Alice. "An integrated approach to the analysis of environmental factors that influence male reproductive health." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/23625.
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At least 30 million men are infertile around the world, identifying male factor infertility as a global health issue. In the past 70 years, evidence of a significant general decline in sperm quality has been reported, prompting concerns about the implications for reproductive health. Over the same period, there have been substantial changes in human lifestyles. New technologies, such as mobile phones and wi-fi, have been proposed to have a negative impact on a range of health outcomes, from an increased risk of cancer to a decrease in fertility. However, these links remain controversial. Over the last 30 years, the introduction of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has offered infertile patients, particularly men with severe male factor infertility, a successful treatment option. However, miscarriage rates associated with fertility treatment can be as high as 30% and how this risk had changed over time was unclear. In addition, there are natural fluctuations in human health, including seasonal changes to birth rates. However, the clinical implications of these fluctuations need to be established. In this thesis, using an integrated approach that combined epidemiological research with laboratory investigations, I show that sperm quality is negatively affected by exposure to RF-EMR from mobile phones and wi-fi. I also identified a seasonal summer increase in sperm motility and morphology that followed patterns of seasonality in birth rates and in the success of assisted conception cycles. I showed that although the number of successful conceptions from ART has increased over time, there has been an equal increase in miscarriage rates. Male reproductive health continues to be under-researched when compared with the female, this inequality needs to be addressed in order to understand the causes of the decline in male fertility and the relationship this has with subsequent reproductive success.
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O'Grady, Taylor Jacob. "Women's health care in American Catholic hospitals : a proposal for navigating ethical conflicts in accessing reproductive health care." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16588.
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The Catholic Church is one of the largest providers of medical care in the US, with 1 in 6 acute-care beds residing in a Catholic hospital. One third of these hospitals are in rural or underserved areas in the US, and advocacy for the vulnerable is a central platform of the Catholic Healthcare Association. Despite this, the Church has been under attack for allegedly putting women at risk of injury or death due to the care restrictions concerning reproductive health stipulated in the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs). Additionally, scholars are questioning the distinctiveness of the Catholic healthcare mission in practice, pointing to the increased homogenization of Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals. For these reasons, it is necessary to assess if and how women are being harmed in Catholic hospitals and, if there is harm being done, if there is a way to prevent these harms while preserving the Catholic Social Tradition in medicine. In carrying out this assessment, I read the current literature closely to explore both the origins and the practical consequences of these ethical conflicts. Subsequently, I use Chris Durante's "pragmatic perspectivism" to formulate a proposal that considers both Catholic medical ethics and secular medical ethics on the same plane. The proposal suggests the adoption of an alternative and complementary lens for Catholic health care. Using this framework would allow the Church to pursue its health care mission in a fuller sense, unencumbered by the inertia of the medical industry towards homogenization due to legal and economic pressures. It also provides the potential for Catholics to more easily receive Catholic care in all hospitals, not just those under Catholic sponsorship. Importantly, it would also prevent any American woman from being practically forced to receive Catholic care, circumventing many of the ethical conflicts present in the current system.
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Garcia, Hernandez Jacqueline. "Aspects of ecosystem health in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/279931.
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Two aspects of ecosystem health in the Colorado River delta were investigated as part of the present dissertation. The following is a summary of the most important findings: Contaminants of natural origin (e.g. selenium) and anthropogenic activities (e.g. pesticides) represent a potential threat for humans and wildlife in the Colorado River delta. Fourteen locations were sampled for bottom material and biota from March 1998 to April 2000. Concentrations of selenium in bottom material ranged from 0.6-5.0 μg/g. Concentrations of selenium in biota ranged from 0.5-18.3 μg/g, 23% of these samples exceeded the toxic threshold where reproductive impairment in birds from dietary exposure is reported. Concentrations of DDE exceeded the lower critical dietary level for sensitive species in 30% of biota samples. No clear relationship could be found between the concentration of Se in bottom material and the concentration of Se in fish. Nevertheless, smaller Se concentrations in biota were found at sites that had an outflow and exposure or physical disturbance of the bottom material was uncommon. Greater concentrations of Se in biota were found at sites with strongly reducing conditions, no output, and subsequent periods of drying and flooding or dredging activities, and at sites that received water directly from the Colorado River. The southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus ) is an endangered neotropical migrant with only 300-500 breeding pairs. The objective of the second study was to determine the presence/absence of this bird in the Colorado River delta. Surveys were conducted from June to July, 1999 and from May to June, 2000 using an audio tape of this subspecies' songs to elicit responses. We detected a total of 50 willow flycatchers in the Colorado River delta in the months of May to June. None were detected in July, thus, the birds were most likely migrants. Restoration of the intensively used stopover sites of the Colorado River delta appears to be essential for the overall recovery of this subspecies. Additionally, we propose a possible willow flycatcher summer migratory route throughout the series of coastal estuaries found adjacent to the coast of Sonora.
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Seryak, Liesel M. "Factors and Outcomes Associated with Bisphenol A Exposure in Women of Reproductive Age." The Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1355885304.
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蔡健生 and Kin-sang Choi. "Reproductive biology and ecology of the loliginid squid, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvauceli (Orbigny, 1835), in Hong Kong waters." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2007. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B39557169.
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Ruan, Ruoling, and 阮若琳. "Environmental noise and non-auditory health impacts in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206958.
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The magnitude of noise pollution is fast-growing worldwide. Environmental noise has been linked with several non-auditory health impacts, including annoyance, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases and impaired cognitive performance. Also, environmental noise exposure is associated with increased reported psychological symptoms, prolonged healing time of patients and poorer performance of staff in hospitals. Hong Kong has been suffering from environmental noise for years, especially transportation noise, but lack of relevant local studies to support public health intervention. This review is attempted to summarize three governmental study reports and overseas studies on the relationship between noise and non-auditory effects. Also data on noise complaints will be briefly analysed as a supplement. It is ascertained that noise pollution and noise-induced annoyance and sleep disturbance are prevalent in Hong Kong. Also, noise mapping and subjective auditory effect scales are already available. Noise complaint level in Hong Kong is generally lower than levels in London and New York City, but is probably underestimated. Future studies are needed to emphasize on noise exposure in particular areas and vulnerable populationspublished_or_final_version
Public Health
Master
Master of Public Health
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Cycon, Sarah M. K. "Fertile Lands and Bodies: Connecting the Green Revolution, Pesticides, and Women’s Reproductive Health." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2013. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pitzer_theses/38.
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Environmentalists, social scientists, and economists have long critiqued the enduring impacts of the Green Revolution’s diffusion of agricultural technologies throughout the Global South. However, largely missing from the myriad analyses is the relationship between those technologies, namely pesticides, and health outcomes. This thesis explores the social and biological mechanisms through which excessive pesticide use culminated into adverse reproductive health outcomes for rural women in the Global South. Drawing together the history of the Green Revolution’s use of DDT, its social and economic impacts, and the biology of pesticide contamination in women’s bodies exposes how the Green Revolution situated women in spaces of increased pesticide exposure. Together, the gendered nature women’s social and biological susceptibilities resulted in impaired reproductive functioning. The most common reproductive impacts of DDT contamination are breast milk contamination, spontaneous abortion, and preterm delivery. Analyzing an intricate web of social, economic, and biological factors through the theoretical lenses of ecofeminism, structural violence, and dialectics illustrates how women’s negative health outcomes are a new, and unacknowledged legacy of the Green Revolution.
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Woo, Chunho Anthony, and 鄔俊豪. "Molecular ecology and public health risks of urban bio-aerosols." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2012. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B49617680.
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The Earth’s atmosphere supports microorganisms and they include potential pathogens and microbial allergens. Whilst indoor environments have been well studied, relatively little is known of bio-aerosols in outdoor locations and their potential influence on human health, particularly with regard to urban development. Hong Kong provides an ideal model system for testing hypotheses related to the impact of urbanization on bio-aerosols, with a well-defined gradient of urbanization and large population. This thesis describes work to establish the biodiversity and spatio-temporal dynamics of outdoor bio-aerosols in Hong Kong. A comprehensive study of multi-domain microbial diversity and allergen levels in urban aerosols over a contiguous annual timescale and along a gradient of urbanization was carried out. A comprehensive suite of climatic and pollutant variables were also recorded during the sampling interval. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) was employed to investigate variations in bacterial and eukaryal assemblages, followed by phylogenetic assessment using high-throughput sequencing. The results revealed a strong seasonality in both bacterial and eukaryal assemblages, with Archaea forming a negligible part of the urban bio-aerosols. The most abundant bacteria were proteobacteria but community shifts were seen due to increases in algae in summer, and betaproteobacteria and cyanobacteria in winter. This was most parsimoniously explained by considering the backward trajectory analysis of air mass. A greater abundance of marine-associated phylotypes such as Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta were identified when the dominant air mass arriving in Hong Kong in the summer originated from oceanic sources. In contrast, betaproteobacteria, which indicated soil sources were prevalent when the origin of air mass was from terrestrial sources. A trend in fungal phylotypes was also apparent, with summer samples dominated by basidiomycetous Agaricales, and winter samples by the ascomycete genus Cladosporium. This was likely due to favourable climatic conditions during wetter summer months enhancing release of fungal basidiospores. A range of airborne human pathogens was also detectable at low levels including pathogenic bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Ricinus communis, and the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus terreus. Microbial allergens including bacterial endotoxins and fungal glucans were also quantified with immunological assays. These generally followed variations in biomass, and during some months were recorded at levels that may impact human health upon chronic exposure. Carbon dioxide levels were the only climatic or pollutant variable that correlated with allergen levels. Conversely changes in microbial assemblages were strongly correlated to several climatic variables including temperature, rainfall, air pressure and relative humidity, but not with the degree of urbanization or airborne pollutants. This study highlights the importance of including microbial assessments in future bio-surveillance of urban aerosols.published_or_final_version
Biological Sciences
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
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杜家榮 and Ka-wing To. "Environmental, cost and health benefits of district cooling." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2002. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4257657X.
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Satbhai, Kruuttika Milind. "Individual and Combined Effects of Petroleum Hydrocarbons Phenanthrene and Dibenzothiophene on Reproductive Behavior in the Amphipod Hyalella azteca." Thesis, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1585872.
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Predicting impact of oil spills on aquatic life requires a better understanding of effects on aquatic organisms, both for single hydrocarbons and for their interactions. In this study, the individual and combined effects of petroleum hydrocarbons phenanthrene (Phen) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) were assessed on the reproductive behavior of the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca. Following a 24-h exposure to single PAHs, or an equimolar mixture of Phen-DBT, mate-guarding behavior was assessed at the end of the exposure and during a subsequent 10 min behavioral observation period with the animals in clean water. The endpoints of the study during the behavior observation period were—time taken to initiate mate-guarding (TIMG), and proportion of time spent in amplexus (PTA). The study demonstrated that the exposure to Phen and DBT reduced the incidence of mate-guarding during the actual exposure period, but not during the observation period. However, whether or not pairs were involved in mate-guarding at the end of the exposure period did affect both TIMG and PTA during the observation period. Thus, the effects of Phen and DBT on amplexus status at the end of the exposure period indirectly affected TIMG and PTA during the observation period. The interaction between Phen and DBT with respect to their effects on mate-guarding varied among the mate-guarding measures. For the amplexus status at the end of the exposure period and for the effect on TIMG, the interaction did not deviate statistically from an additive effect. For PTA, the overall interaction was a synergistic one. This study's findings point out that assessments of hydrocarbon toxicity need to take into account that subtle reproductive behaviors (that may play an important role in population persistence) may be negatively affected. The results also show that the general assumption of additive effects among different PAHs may be an oversimplification.
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Huang, Kai Katie, and 黄恺. "The effects of walkability on air pollution and public health." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2011. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B46937213.
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Jablonski, Leanne M. "Reproductive response to elevated CO2 : the roles of vegetative carbon storage, nitrogen and seed traits." Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=34646.
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This study focused on the reproductive response to elevated CO2 of plants possessing below-ground storage. I tested the hypotheses that under elevated CO2: (1) Plants with greater non-foliar storage capacity win show more reproductive response and (2) The altered foliar physiology of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) use will cause increases in seed number and quality. Carbon dioxide treatments of High (650 muL L-1) and Ambient (360 muL L-1) were used in a controlled environment, simulated growing season, and in a natural pasture community. Hypothesis 1 was tested experimentally using four Raphanus varieties that differed in hypocotyl and leaf sizes. N fertilization and harvest times were used to obtain a range of root:shoot ratios. Enhancements in vegetative leaf area rather than the hypocotyl predicted reproductive responsiveness to CO 2. However, after three years of CO2 exposure in the pasture, hypocotyl-storing Taraxacum officinale responded strongly in vegetative biomass which correlated with inflorescence size and number. Fitness was enhanced four-fold, while the leaf-storing Plantago major produced more ramets and had only a two-fold fitness increase. Hypothesis 2 was tested by examining the C and N physiology underlying the vegetative organs and seeds of the pasture plants. Under elevated CO2, photosynthesis increased two-fold and senescence was delayed. Total plant C:N ratio did not differ, suggesting N acquisition increased. N similarly limited seed number in all cases suggesting an unchanged Physiology of N use in reproduction. While morphology constrained total biomass response, provisioning to seeds increased as shown by higher seed mass and number and decreased variability in number and mass. In all cases, leaf mass increase under high CO2 corresponded with fitness increase. Phenology constrained response to CO 2 as there was no plasticity in flowering day in Raphanus and Plantago, while there were flowering delays but greater seed maturation rate in Tar
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Siu, Ka-yan Sky, and 蕭加欣. "DDT as a malarial vector control method and its potential risks to human reproductive health and neonatal development." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2007. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B3972458X.
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Shoko, Yeukai Phoebe. "The screening of phyto-pesticides for potential adverse effects on human health." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_7861_1328620487.
Full textAbstract:
Pesticides are designed to control or eliminate pests such as insects, rodents, weeds,
bacteria, and fungi. They are used at a global scale for agricultural produce. Although
pesticides play a significant role in increasing food production and eliminating diseases,
exposure to pesticides may be harmful to non-target organisms. As a result concern over
safety and resistance to pesticides has increased and there is pressure to reduce use and
search for more environmentally and toxicologically safe and efficacious pesticides. Most
pesticides currently in use are synthetic
therefore an alternative to synthetic pesticides is
the use of naturally occurring products/ botanicals with pesticidal properties.
Two plants indigenous to South African with pesticidal properties were chosen for this
study. Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (D. rhinocerotis) and Galenia africana (G. africana)
have potential antifungal properties thus, may have potential use on agricultural produce
as fungicides. Galenia africana and D. rhinocerotis extracts inhibit growth of B. cinerea
(a fungal pathogen) at concentrations greater than 31.25 mg/ml and 125mg/ml
respectively. A major consideration in approving pesticides for use is whether they pose
an unreasonable risk to humans and to the environment. Toxicity studies are required to
determine the safety of the plant extracts.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential toxicity of ethanol extracts of D.
rhinocerotis and G. africana, which is important when designing practices to reduce or
eliminate excess exposure to them. Natural plant products with pesticidal properties could
provide an alternative to synthetic pesticides and may thus effectively reduce resistance
levels.
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Wulff, Marianne. "Reproductive hazards in an industrial setting : an epidemiological assessment." Doctoral thesis, Umeå universitet, Epidemiologi och folkhälsovetenskap, 1996. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-7538.
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Background: As more women of childbearing age engage in the workforceand a lot of new chemicals are available, a growing interest of diagnosing andpreventing reproductive disorders due to occupational and environmentalexposure has occurred. The source location of this thesis is the Rönnskärcopper smelter which is situated in the north of Sweden, in the municipality of Skellefteå. Emissions from the smelter, which have diminished during theperiod 1975-1990 include sulphur dioxide and heavy metals, especially lead,arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury and zinc. Reproductive studies from the1970s in and around the smelter reported increased risks of spontaneousabortions, malformations and lower birth weight. The aim of this thesis wasto perform a broad and long-term epidemiological assessment of adversereproductive outcome in and around the smelter and to determine if theexposed population suffered from reproductive disturbances during the recentdecades. Subjects and methods: The study involve two main sources of data. Onewas a retrospective cohort formed through record linkage of populationregisters, the medical birth register (1961-90), the register of congenitalmalformations (1973-90) and the cancer register (1961-90). As another source,information on reproductive history, life-style and work related factors wasobtained from a questionnaire study in 1992. An exposed population wasdefined as smelter workers and their children, and also neighbours to thesmelter and their children. Results: In the register study, compared to the reference population, nooverall significant increased risk of malformations, childhood cancer, low birthweight or perinatal death was found in the exposed group. In thequestionnaire study, regarding infertility, no environmental effects were found.Also, no increased risk of a prolonged waiting time to pregnancy or increasedrisk of spontaneous abortions were associated with occupational or environmentalfactors. Conclusion: With the lack of a high statistical power in mind, due to smallsample sizes in some of the studies, the summary of our findings includingseveral outcomes, different epidemiological study designs and studies coveringa long period of time gives no evidence for any increased risk of reproductivehazards due to occupational or environmental exposure.digitalisering@umu
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Cheema, Mahmood A. (Mahmood Ahmad). "Environmental health, risk analysis and safety aspects of nuclear magnetic resonance and spectroscopy systems." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129503.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 1991.Title as it appears in the June, 1991 M.I.T. Graduate List: Geochemistry and petrogenesis of basalts from Broken Ridge and Naturaliste Plateau, S.E. Indian Ocean.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-48).
by Mahmood A. Cheema.
Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 1991.
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Galloway, Alison. "Long term effects of reproductive history on bone mineral content in women." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/184477.
Full textAbstract:
Bone loss among the elderly is of increasing concern to the medical community. In a study combining retrospective data on 438 women from southern Arizona and current bone mineral values determined at the one-third distal radius, the effects of premenopausal reproductive events on postmenopausal bone mineral are investigated. Among those women who reach menarche at an early age are some whose growth is not accompanied by normal height and long bone growth. These women tend to exhibit lower bone mineral density postmenopausally. In addition, the early accumulation of weight in excess of height and a later age at menarche appears to result in wider bones still observed postmenopausally. Pregnancy normally is accompanied by an acceleration of calcium accumulation in excess of the fetal demand. However, parity appears to have little significant impact on postmenopausal bone mineral status. However, women pregnant during their teens tend to accumulate a greater amount of bone than women who first become pregnant later. These benefits to the teenage mother can be lost during lactation, an impairment of the skeleton which may continue into the postmenopausal years. The skeleton appears to require a recovery period between pregnancy and lactation cycles. Inadequate recovery time, particularly when accompanied by advanced maternal age, may have adverse effects on postmenopausal bone mineral status.
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Speldewinde, Peter Christiaan. "Ecosystem health : the relationship between dryland salinity and human health." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0127.
Full textAbstract:
Australia is experiencing widespread ecosystem degradation, including dryland salinity, erosion and vegetation loss. Approximately 1 million hectares (5.5%) of the south-west agricultural zone of Western Australia is affected by dryland salinity and is predicted to rise to 5.4 million hectares by 2050. Such degradation is associated with many environmental outcomes that may impact on human health, including a decrease in primary productivity, an increase in the number of invasive species, a decrease in the number of large trees, overall decrease in biodiversity, and an increase in dust production. The resulting degradation affects not only farm production but also farm values. This study examines the effects of such severe and widespread environmental degradation on the physical and mental health of residents. Western Australia has an extensive medical record database which links individual health records for all hospital admissions, cancer cases, births and deaths. For the 15 diseases examined in this project, the study area of the south west of Western Australia (excluding the capital city of Perth) contained 1,570,985 morbidity records and 27,627 mortality records for the 15 diseases examined in a population of approximately 460,000. Environmental data were obtained from the Western Australian Department of Agriculture?s soil and landscape mapping database. A spatial Bayesian framework was used to examine associations between these disease and environmental variables. The Bayesian model detected the confounding variables of socio-economic status and proportion of the population identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. With the inclusion of these confounders in the model, associations were found between environmental degradation (including dryland salinity) and several diseases with known environmentally-mediated triggers, including asthma, ischaemic heart disease, suicide and depression. However, once records of individuals who had been diagnosed with coexistent depression were removed from the analysis, the effect of dryland salinity was no longer statistically detectable for asthma, ischaemic heart disease or suicide, although the effects of socio-economic status and size of the Aboriginal population remained. The spatial component of this study showed an association between land degradation and human health. These results indicated that such processes are driving the degree of psychological ill-health in these populations, although it remains uncertain whether this 4 is secondary to overall coexisting rural poverty or some other environmental mechanism. To further investigate this complex issue an instrument designed to measure mental health problems in rural communities was developed. Components of the survey included possible triggers for mental health, including environmental factors. The interview was administered in a pilot study through a telephone survey of a small number of farmers in South-Western Australia. Using logistic regression a significant association between the mental health of male farmers and dryland salinity was detected. However, the sample size of the survey was too small to detect any statistically significant associations between dryland salinity and the mental health of women. The results of this study indicate that dryland salinity, as with other examples of ecosystem degradation, is associated with an increased burden of human disease.
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Nanwani, Shalini Suresh. "Environmental tobacco smoke and wellbeing." Thesis, Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2003. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31971209.
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Jordaan, Audrey Emmerentia. "The effects of the wild african potato (hypoxis hemerocallidea) supplementation on streptozotocin-induced diabetic wistar rats reproductive function." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2234.
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Thesis (MTech (Biomedical Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015.Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been reported to be one of the greatest global public health threats. Statistics of the fertility status of modern society has linked increased DM to a decrease in fertility rates. Hyperglycaemia is characteristic of DM that results in a disturbance of proteins, lipids and carbohydrate metabolism leading to an increase production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the case where ROS overwhelms antioxidant mechanisms, the body goes into state of oxidative stress (OS). OS plays a vital role in the progression of DM which leads to dysfunction and damage of various organs including that of the reproductive system. Os has shown to cause damage to the sperm membraneby oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s) as the sperm membrane are rich in PUFA’s. This damage contributes to reduced sperm motility, concentration, morphological abnormalities and the sperms ability to fuse with the ZP of the oocyte. DM has been observed to cause testicular degeneration by interrupting sertoli cell production and maintenance thus resulting in a disturbance of the normal functioning of the reproductive system. Experimental studies have targeted more natural sources for treating DM and its complications of the reproductive system. Plants and natural dietary substances have shown to have high antioxidant contents that combat DM induced oxidative stress. This study explored the effect the Hypoxis hemerocallidea (H. hemerocallidea) supplementation on testicular and epididymal tissue, sperm motility and reproductive hormones in male wistar rats. The experiment were conducted for 6 weeks and the rats (230-260 grams) were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=12 per group). Diabetes was induced in 3 of the 5 groups. The first group was the normal control group (A), second the diabetic control group (B), third was the diabetic group treated with 800mg/kg H. hemerocallidea (group C), fourth the diabetic group treated with 200mg/kg H. hemerocallidea (group D) and fifth the non-diabetic group supplemented with 800mg/kg H. hemerocallidea (group E). Blood glucose showed a significant increase in the diabetic group when compared to the normal control and treated groups. H. hemerocallidea showed improvement in sperm motility and sperm morphology more at 800mg/kg when compared to diabetic group and diabetic group treated with 200mg/kg. Body, testicular and epipidymal weights of diabetic control were significantly lower when compared to the other groups. Testicular and epididymal Malondialdehyde levels were decreased in normal control, diabetic groups treated with different doses of H. hemerocallidea and the non-diabetic group supplemented with H. hemerocallideaon comparing with the diabetic control group. Antioxidants such as Superoxide dismutase, Catalase and total Glutathione activity was observed to be dosage dependent in certin groups but most showed a significant increase when compared to the diabetic control group. The total antioxidant capacity was measured using Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP); increase was observed when normal control group and treated groups were compared to the diabetic group. Testosterone and estradiol levels were also increased when the normal control group and treated groups were compared to the diabetic control group. Based on our findings it can be concluded that H. hemerocallidea supplementation can potentially be used to counteract deleterious effects of DM on the male reproductive system.
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Sompani, Thozamile Matthews. "Delivery of environmental health services to Ducats informal settlement." Thesis, Cape Technikon, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/796.
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Thesis (MTech (Environmental Health))--Cape Technikon, 2003This study provides information on the provision of environmental health services to informal housing settlements by local authorities. A standard for Environmental Health Service delivery according to Government policies and legislation has been provided. Actual environmental health services delivered to Ducats informal settlement at the time (1992), have been compared to the services that should have been delivered by law. Baseline data have been compiled by means of questionnaires, in order to assist the different levels of government in addressing the housing and environmental health needs of the Ducat community. The nature of Environmental Health and the history of informal housing, more specific that of the Ducat informal housing settlement, have been determined. Limited environmental health services were rendered to informal housing settlements occupying land illegally during 1992. These environmental health services were limited to basic sanitation, water supply and refuse removal. Only pit latrines or bucket latrines were required as a means of sanitation, tanks for water supply and skips for the disposal of waste. Amatola Regional Services Council however rendered all the environmental health services required. Other environmental health aspects such as pest control, communicable disease control, air pollution control, radiation, occupational health issues, temperature extremes, lighting, ventilation, noise, social environment, food and meat hygiene were not required. This study has provided a set of Government policies and legislation, which should be considered in rendering environmental health services for housing in future. Uncertainty of the past decade, about rendering of Environmental Health services to people occupying land illegally, still persists. The Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998 requires the rendering of Environmental Health services by local authorities, but it does not state whether these services should be rendered to people occupying land illegally as well. Since this has been the biggest restriction in providing environmental health services in the past, it is recommended that Government address this uncertainty.
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Xing, Guanhua. "Human exposure and health risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls at two major electronic-waste recycling sites in China." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2008. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/994.
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Ho, King-yan, and 何景欣. "Ecological and human health risks associated with organotin contamination in the marine environment of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/208427.
Full textAbstract:
Organotin compounds (OTs), in particular tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT), have caused widespread adverse effects on marine organisms ever since their wide application as biocides in 1960s. For instance, TBT can induce the abnormal development of imposex in marine gastropods, and inhibit development and growth in oysters. A mandatory global ban on the use of OT-based antifouling systems, therefore, has been enacted by the International Maritime Organization to minimize their environmental impacts since September 2008. As a result, it is anticipated to see a reduction of OT contamination in the marine environment around the world. This study, therefore, primarily aims to test the hypothesis that there is a reduction of both OT contamination and its associated adverse impact to a common biomonitor, the rock shell Reishia clavigera along the coast in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China through a series of field-based investigations.
Before the field study, a method was successfully developed to simultaneously quantify the concentrations of six common OTs (i.e., mono-BT, di-BT and TBT; mono-PT, di-PT and TPT) in molluscan tissues using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These six compounds coexist in marine environments. They are highly toxic to marine organisms and are able to induce imposex in gastropods like R. clavigera.
First, a territory-wide survey on tissue concentrations of the OTs and imposex status in R. clavigera collected from 28 coastal sites of Hong Kong was conducted in 2010. The results indicated that all female R. clavigera suffered from imposex, and all rock shells contained high TPT concentrations. A probabilistic ecological risk assessment revealed that 17.6% of R. clavigera across all sites were at risk due to exposure to TPT, whereas the risk associated with TBT was relatively low. The same species collected from Dapeng Bay and Daya Bay, Shenzhen also exhibited high tissue concentrations of TPT. Second, R. clavigera transplanted from relatively clean sites to polluted sites for six months showed increases in both imposex status and tissue concentration of OTs, confirming the association between OT contamination and imposex development. Third, a 25-month population dynamics study of R. clavigera showed a limited recruitment of the species in the polluted sites.
To verify if the observed OT contamination was widespread to other marine species in Hong Kong waters, a survey on the tissue concentrations of OTs in 11 local seafood species was conducted. Among them, the tongue sole Paraplagusia blochii had the highest tissue concentration of total OTs, with TPT as the most abundant residue. Potential health risk for consuming this benthic fish species was identified as both hazard quotient of TPT and hazard index exceeded unity.
The overall results demonstrate that the coastal marine environments in this region are still heavily contaminated with OTs especially TPT, and there is no obvious sign of recovery of R. clavigera populations. Hopefully, with further scientific investigations, both Hong Kong and China governments will take appropriate management actions to control the use and release of these priority pollutants with a view to safeguarding the marine ecosystem and human health in this region.HKU 3 Minute Thesis Award, 2nd Runner-up (2013)
published_or_final_version
Biological Sciences
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
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Wu, Yu-Tzu. "Living environment and mental health in later life." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.709341.
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Liang, Peng. "The effects of mariculture on mercury distribution, speciation and transformation in the aquatic system around Hong Kong coastlines." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2011. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1291.
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Pryer, Jane Allison. "Socio-economic and environmental aspects of undernutrition and ill-health in an urban slum in Bangladesh." Thesis, University of London, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.296768.
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Moore, Adam. "An Empirical Study of Particulate Matter Exposure for Transit Users at Bus Stop Shelters." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/870.
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Congested traffic corridors in dense urban areas are key contributors to the degradation of urban air quality. While waiting at bus stops, transit patrons may be exposed to greater amounts of vehicle-based pollution, including particulate matter, due to their proximity to the roadway. Current guidelines for the location and design of bus stops do not take into account air quality or exposure considerations. This thesis provides a unique contribution to roadside air quality studies and presents an innovative method for the consideration of bus shelter placement. Exposure to roadside pollutants is estimated for transit riders waiting at three-sided bus stop shelters that either: 1) face roadway traffic, or 2) face away from roadway traffic. Shelters were instrumented with particulate matter monitoring equipment, sonic anemometers for wind speed and direction, and vehicle counters capable of categorizing vehicles by length. Temperature and relative humidity were gathered from a nearby monitoring station. Data were collected for two different days at three shelters during both the morning and afternoon peak periods for a total of eleven data periods. Bus shelter orientation is found to significantly affect concentration of four sizes of particulate matter: ultrafine particles, PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. Shelters with an opening oriented towards the roadway were observed to have significantly higher concentrations inside the shelter than outside the shelter. In contrast, shelters oriented away from the roadway were observed to have significantly lower concentrations inside the shelter than outside the shelter. The differences in average particulate matter concentrations are statistically significant across all four sizes of particulate matter studied. Additional correlation and linear regression investigation reveals interactions between particulate concentrations and built environment characteristics, vehicle flow, and weather conditions. Temperature and relative humidity played a large role in the diurnal variation of average concentration levels. In all instances, particulate concentrations were greater during the morning period, often substantially so. Particulate concentrations are shown to vary based on both wind speed and direction. Vehicle flow is correlated with particulate levels, though significance is not consistent. Lagged vehicle flow is demonstrated to be more consistently significant. Regression analysis suggests weather factors such as wind, temperature, and relative humidity explain roughly 70% of particulate variation, while vehicle flow explains less than 6%.
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Morgan, Marisa L. "Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and Reproductive Toxicity in Women." FIU Digital Commons, 2014. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1586.
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The overall objective of the research presented in this dissertation was to assess exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates, and bisphenol A (BPA) in the general population and evaluate their associations with adverse reproductive health effects, including cancers, in women. Given the proven contribution of unopposed estrogens to the risk for endometrial neoplasia or breast cancer, renewed health concerns have aroused about estrogen mimicking EDCs found in food, personal care products or as environmental contaminants. Our meta-analysis showed that exposure to estrogen mimicking PCBs increased summary risk of breast cancer and endometriosis. We further evaluated the relationship between endometriosis and breast cancer, and EDCs using a bioinformatics method. Our bioinformatics approach was able to identify genes with the potential to be involved in interaction with PCB, phthalates and BPA that may be important to the development of breast cancer and endometriosis. Therefore, we hypothesized that exposure to EDCs such as PCBs, phthalates, and BPA, results in adverse reproductive health effects in women. Using subject data and biomarkers available from the Center for Disease Controls National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database we conducted a cross-sectional study of EDCs in relation to self-reported history of endometriosis, uterine leiomyomas, breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer. Significantly higher body burdens of PCBs were found in women diagnosed with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer compared to women without cancer. PCB 138 was significantly associated with breast cancer, cervical cancer, and uterine cancer, while PCBs 74 and 118 were significantly associated with ovarian cancer. The sum of dioxin-like PCBs were significantly associated with ovarian cancer (OR of 2.02, 95% CI: 1.06-3.85) and the sum of non-dioxin-like PCBs were significantly associated with uterine cancer (OR of 1.12, 95%CI: 1.03-1.23). Significantly higher body burdens of PCBs were also found in women diagnosed with endometriosis and uterine leiomyomas. Documenting the exposure to EDCs among the general U.S. population, and identifying agents associated with reproductive toxicity have the potential to fill research gaps and facilitate our understanding of the complex role environmental chemicals play in producing toxicity in reproductive organs.
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Baldridge, Jeffrey T. (Jeffrey Turner). "Psychoneurological Responses Associated with Chemicals in Serum of Environmentally Ill Patients." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1989. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc500607/.
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The purpose of the present study was to determine the degree of relationship between neurotoxic chemicals in the blood of chemically sensitive patients and psychoneurological functioning. Blood samples were drawn from 30 patients being treated for environmental illness. All patients were administered a standardized intermediate psychoneurological examination. Results indicate a significant positive relationship between psychoneurological (cognitive neurobehavioral) functioning and the number of and total parts per billion of certain environmental toxins (solvents) in the blood of the subjects. The symptoms most commonly exhibited included deficits in short-term memory, problems with coordination and motor sequencing, somatosensory deficits, and cognitive dysfunction.
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Lockart, Esther. "Memory Patterns: Differentiated between Environmental Sensitive Patients and Psychiatric Patients." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1993. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278534/.
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The purpose of the present study was to ascertain if environmentally sensitive patients would demonstrate different memory deficit patterns than psychiatric patients on objectively measurable memory tasks. One-hundred sixteen patients were surveyed; 56 environmentally sensitive patients were compared to 60 psychiatric patients. All subjects were administered a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised screen, the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised and the Harrell-Butler Comprehensive Neurocognitive Screen after history of head injury was ruled out. Results indicate a significantly different pattern of memory dysfunction between the environmental patients and the psychiatric patients, indicating two different etiologies. A screening device derived from the coefficients from a Canonical Analysis is proposed to distinguish between the two populations in the absence of blood serum levels of environmental toxins or poisons. The detrimental effects of misdiagnosis and the beneficial effects of accurate diagnosis of environmental illness are discussed.
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Gislason, Maya K. "Health and the environment : a critical enquiry of the construction and contestation of ecological health." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2012. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/39727/.
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A crucial contemporary public health issue is the construction and contestation of the relevance of the natural world to human health. Taking a critical approach, this thesis examines how the natural environment as a health determinant is positioned in relation to the 'social' within social epidemiological studies of health, illness and disease. Using conceptual and empirical forms of enquiry, this study shows how current constructions of natural environmental health drivers contour public health practice in the UK and that by challenging the limits of existing structures, innovative responses emerge, which can generate new frameworks for health policy and practice. Having identified a lacuna in research on the 'natural' environment in medical sociology, this inductive qualitative research project brings into conversation the findings from extensive desk and field research. Specially, a study of the elaboration of environmental health discourses within the UK public health policy arena and disciplinary wide discourse analyses of key academic journals are read together to describe the discursive practices shaping environmental public health work in the UK. Linking theory to practice, data from in-depth interviews with sixty health professionals working on health and the environment in the UK and internationally are used to investigate how public health practitioners produce the environment within their work remits. The research breaks ground for further social scientific studies of health and the environment and in particular substantiates the call for an extended notion of the 'environment' using ecological principles. Methodologically, the interdisciplinary reach of this research draws attention to the tensions that arise when working across the medical, natural and social sciences. Practical and philosophical questions about the challenge of expanding the sociological imagination in the contemporary moment are also considered. Empirically, to medical sociology the 'EcoBioPsychoSocial' framework is offered as a tool for studying health at the nexus between the 'social' and the 'natural environment.' Finally, the ways informal public health institutions are serving as 'invisible' forces impeding the uptake of prevention oriented environmental health policies are findings offered to the health policy arena.
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Adam, Hassan Ali. "A solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography method for estimating the concentrations of chlorpyrifos, endosulphan-alpha, edosulphan-beta and endosulphan sulphate in water." Thesis, Peninsula Technikon, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/899.
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Thesis (MTech (Chemical Engineering))--Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, 2003The monitoring of pesticide contamination in surface and groundwater is an essential aspect of an assessment of the potential environmental and health impacts of widespread pesticide use. Previous research in three Western Cape farming areas found consistent (37% to 69% of samples) pesticide contamination of rural water sources. However, despite the need, monitoring of pesticides in water is not done due to lack of analytical capacity and the cost of analysis in South Africa. The Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) sampling method has been developed over the last decade as a replacement for solvent-based analyte extraction procedures. The method utilizes a short, thin, solid rod of fused silica coated with an absorbent polymer. The fibre is exposed to the pesticide contaminated water sample under vigorous agitation. The pesticide is absorbed into the polymer coating; the mass absorbed depends on the partition coefficient of the pesticide between the sample phase and the polymeric coating, the exposure time and factors such as agitation rate, the diffusivity of the analyte in water and the polymeric coating, and the volume and thickness of the coating. After absorption, the fibre is directly inserted into the Gas Chromatograph (GC) injection port for analysis. For extraction from a stirred solution a fibre will have a boundary region where the solution moves slowly near the fibre surface and faster further away until the analyte is practically perfectly mixed in the bulk solution by convection. The boundary region may be modelled as a layer of stationary solution surrounded by perfectly mixed solution.
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Boardman, Jason David. "The social determinants of health race, resources, and neighborhoods in the Detroit tri-county area /." Access restricted to users with UT Austin EID Full text (PDF) from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International, 2002. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/fullcit?p3077407.
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Yu, Chik Kin. "Environmental fingerprints and biological effects of dioxins, with reference to the electronic waste recycling site at Guiyu." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2008. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/927.
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Fincher, Cynthia Ellen. "Mental Status, Intellectual, and Mood States Associated with Environmental Illness Patients." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1991. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc500843/.
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The purpose of the present study was to begin development of a psychological profile for environmentally ill patients. Existing psychiatric labels are unable to encompass these patients. Test scores were drawn from a pool of 89 patients whose environmental exposures were verified by the presence of toxins in the blood serum. A Mental Status Exam, a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised screen, and the Profile of Mood States were administered. Results indicate a primary pattern which is significantly different from test norms consisting of fatigue, reduced mental functioning, and a lack of psychotic or personality disorder indicators. The reported symptoms of environmentally ill patients were objectively verified by current psychological test instruments. The need for a new diagnostic category for people who have been poisoned by environmental toxins is discussed.
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Chen, Zhong. "Cutting fluid aerosol generation and dissipation in machining process : analysis for environmental consciousness." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/17929.
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陳卓然 and Cheuk-yin Shaun Chan. "A public health perspective on air pollution: planning for zero emissions public transport in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4167943X.
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Eizagguirre-Garcia, Domingo. "Industrial toxic waste and health : a practical case study." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 1996. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/710/.
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The objective of this thesis is to develop a standard, simple methodology for the assessment of health in areas near sources of pollution. This methodology should make use of readily available data and computing facilities. A literature review on previous studies on the subject was carried out in order to draw from existing experience. A total of twenty-five studies on health near sources of pollution were reviewed. These studies were carried out between 1982 and 1991, most of them in Britain, two in France. The types of pollution sources studied ranged from waste dumps to incinerators, to nuclear power stations. Each study was described, stressing on their respective backgrounds, building on geographical (study) areas, data, analysis and results. Brief synopses of the studies were next grouped, according to those using conventional epidemiological methods and more innovative ones. Finally, it was concluded from the review that the methodology intended should be descriptive, making use of routinely collected data, with a study area based on small geographical divisions (small areas) and taking into account socio-economic differences over its study area. In the absence of accurate data on pollution levels, and from the previous experience of one of the studies reviewed, circular study areas centred on the source of pollution and subdivided into rings were used, with distance of each ring to the centre as a proxy indicator of levels of pollution. The new methodology was found valid and the objective of the study was met. It compared favourably with previously reviewed methodologies. The methodology is intended to be used as a descriptive, exploratory tool, whose findings may warrant further analytic studies, which the method is not designed to, and can not, replace. The use of routinely collected data greatly facilitated the study, although caveats for future studies exist on them. Distance as a surrogate for exposure is seen as a simplistic approach, but in the absence of reliable exposure data it is a useful one. Standardization by Deprivation category has also been found useful to account for factors for which little data exist.
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Mahmood, Marliyyah Abdullahi. "The interaction of pollution, meteorology and bioaerosols : implications on human health." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2018. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/8101/.
Full textAbstract:
The global incidence of allergic reaction has been rising for years, especially within westernised urban areas. There is evidence that the interaction between pollen grains, environmental pollution and meteorological change is increasing the allergenicity of the pollen grain and consequently, increasing the misery of hay fever sufferers. Laboratory experiments have shown that the interaction of pollen with atmospheric oxidants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide NO₂ can alter protein molecules that are present within the pollen grains via post-translational modification of the protein. Within the laboratory, birch pollen was exposed to atmospherically relevant exposures of gas phase NO₂ and ozone under a range of environmentally relevant conditions (temperature and relative humidity RH). The effects of the exposures on the biochemistry of the pollen grains were probed using proteomic approach. The morphological changes of unexposed and exposed pollen samples to RH, rainwater and NO₂, where observed under fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscope. The discoveries suggest that interaction between gas pollutants and pollen do exist and cause protein specific modifications; nitration. Detailed analysis of London Ambulance data compared to London temperature data is presented. The relationships established will allow for prediction of likely changes in ambulance demand (and illness types) that will be caused by seasonal temperature changes, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, due to climate change, in the future. The study applied statistical analyses to examine short-term associations between birch pollen count with allergic related illnesses recorded in the London Ambulance data, temperature and NO₂.
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Rochford, Tim, and tim rochford@otago ac nz. "Te korero wai : Maori and Pakeha views on water despoliation and health." University of Otago. Wellington School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 2004. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070502.145537.
Full textAbstract:
Having reviewed an example of environmental degradation (the effect of gold mining related activities on the acquatic ecosystems in Te Tai Poutini) from varying Maori and Pakeha perspectives I have developed a framework to find combine these perspectives into a working analytical tool kit.
The tool kit is intended to better define the problems to ensure that they take into account the widely differing views of Maori and Pakeha and is able to promote solutions that will be appropriate and safe for both Maori and Pakeha.
I have sought to collect and present a comprehensive analysis of both perspectives. I have focussed more heavily however on the Maori paradigms as they are less well reported in the literature on environmental health and less influence on the way we seek to protect people from the negative effects of environmental degradation.
This is despite the fact that as Maori are more likely to be exposed to environmental damage in that they are on average poorer and therefore have less choice about where they may live and are more likely to eat foods taken directly from the environment.
I will also show that the damage to the Arahura is far more than physical and will show the concern of kaumatua and their psychological anguish they have felt over the damage to this most tapu river.
For this reason I have chosen to present this thesis, in the form of a powhiri model. This model allows me to present different aspects of the problem from a Maori perspective including the views of kaumatua as well as recorded traditions.
I have then followed these sections with a response from a Pakeha perspective. This includes reviewing the different underlying world, view as well as some attempt to review the damage in Pakeha terms by reviewing the literature and undertaking some tests to establish procedures for a more comprehensive testing of the enviroment that surrounds the Arahura.
The thesis will conclude with a section summarising both strands of information and attempt to develop a framework for a health tool kit - he kete hauora. This kete will utilise Whare Tapa Wha as a way of placing the information in a context that can be presented in a reasonably coherent form.
Finally I will make a number of recommendations that I called a place mat - he whariki. These recommendations are presented in a framework from Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This reflects the primacy of the Treaty when considering the ways in which Maori are to be protected by the Crown.
These recommendations seek to respond to the principle barriers that are currently preventing local Maori from achieving a full sense of well being but, if implemented, these recommendations will ensure the protection of the health of all peoples of Te Tai Poutini.
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Melan, Kathleen. "Prise en charge de la santé reproductive de la femme jeune en parcours de soins oncothérapeutiques aux Antilles françaises : aspects épidémiologique pour la structuration d'une filière inter-régionale." Thesis, Antilles, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019ANTI0389.
Full textAbstract:
En oncologie, les avancées diagnostiques et thérapeutiques ont permis une amélioration significative des taux de survie au prix d’une altération de la santé reproductive des patients due à la gonadotoxicité des traitements. L’attention accordée à la qualité de vie durant et après le cancer est devenue un enjeu majeur de la prise en charge et inclue particulièrement les problématiques liées aux troubles de la sexualité et de la fertilité notamment chez les jeunes femmes. Des stratégies de préservation de la santé reproductive avant initiation des traitements doivent désormais faire partie intégrante de la prise en charge multidisciplinaire du cancer de la femme.L’évaluation épidémiologique et clinique de ces stratégies est indispensable pour améliorer l’offre de soins. Pourtant, le recours à ces stratégies n’avait pas encore été évalué aux Antilles Françaises.Ce projet de thèse, s’appuyant sur quatre études, a tenté de répondre à cette problématique en réalisant un état des lieux des besoins et du recours en préservation de la santé reproductive féminine en contexte de cancer aux Antilles Françaises (Martinique, Guadeloupe). Les différentes parties de ce travail ont été valorisées par des publications scientifiques présentées dans ce manuscrit.Une première étude s’est intéressée aux parcours de soins et réseaux de préservation de la santé reproductive dans le monde. Cette étude a permis de définir le paysage international des modèles organisationnels et la chaîne de coordination de la préservation de la santé reproductive dans le monde pour les patientes atteintes d’un cancer. Elle apporte des arguments afin de réduire les disparités dans l’accès aux soins des jeunes femmes survivant à un cancer dans le monde. Une seconde étude s’est intéressée à explorer l’épidémiologie des cancers de la femme et a permis de proposer une estimation de la population concernée par une préservation de la fertilité aux Antilles Françaises.La troisième étude a permis de réaliser un bilan des pratiques de préservation de la santé reproductive aux Antilles Françaises par l’analyse de l’expérience du CECOS-Caraïbe en matière de préservation de la fertilité féminine puis par la réalisation d’une enquête de pratique menée auprès des médecins impliqués dans la prise en charge oncologique des femmes jeunes aux Antilles Françaises.Enfin, le dernier volet a exploré la prise en charge des cancers associés à la grossesse en Martinique. Cette étude a mis en évidence le véritable challenge thérapeutique que représentent ces cancers rares en contexte insulaire, nécessitant un travail collaboratif régional et interrégional. L’analyse de nos résultats a permis de montrer que l’organisation des soins en préservation de la santé reproductive aux Antilles Françaises reste à structurer et à améliorer sur plusieurs points : l’accès aux soins, l’information des patientes, l’identification de référents en oncofertilité, la formation des professionnels, l’interaction entre les centres d’assistance médicale à la procréation et les services d’oncologie. Pour répondre à ces besoins, des solutions innovantes sont possibles afin de mettre en réseau les différents acteurs. Le projet de Réseau Intercaribbéen Cancer et Santé Reproductive est un projet d’e-santé visant à structurer le parcours de soins des patientes jeunes atteintes de cancer et résidant en Martinique et en Guadeloupe, en construisant un parcours de coopération interrégionale pouvant faire face aux contraintes territoriales. Il s’agit également de porter des projets de recherche sur la thématique de la préservation de la santé reproductive dans nos régions dans le but d’améliorer la qualité de vie des jeunes survivantes résidant aux Antilles FrançaisesIn oncology, diagnostic and therapeutic advances have allowed a significant improvement in survival rates at the cost of an alteration of the reproductive health of patients due to the gonadotoxicity of the treatments. The attention given to the quality of life during and after cancer has become a major issue of care and particularly includes issues related to sexual and fertility disorders, especially among young women. Strategies for preserving reproductive health before treatment initiation must now be an integral part of the multidisciplinary management of women's cancer. The epidemiological and clinical evaluation of these strategies is essential to improve the supply of care. However, the use of these strategies had not yet been evaluated in the French West Indies.This thesis project, based on four studies, tried to resolve this issue by realizing an inventory of recourse and needs in the preservation of female reproductive health in a context of cancer in the French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe). The different parts of this work have been promoted through scientific publications presented in this manuscript.A first study looked at care pathways and networks for the preservation of reproductive health in the world. This study has defined the international landscape of organizational models and the chain of coordination for the preservation of reproductive health around the world for cancer patients. It brings arguments to reduce disparities in access to care for young women survivors of cancer around the world. A second study focused on exploring the epidemiology of women's cancers and proposed an estimate of the population concerned by fertility preservation in the French West Indies. The third study is dedicated to a review of the practices of preservation of reproductive health in the French West Indies by highlighting the experience of CECOS-Caraïbe in the preservation of female fertility and by the realization a practice survey conducted among doctors involved in the oncological management of young women in the French West Indies. Finally, the last part explored the management of cancers associated with pregnancy in the French West Indies. This study has highlighted the real therapeutic challenge represented by these rare cancers, requiring regional and interregional collaborative work.The analysis of our results made it possible to show that the organization of care in the preservation of fertility in the French West Indies remains to be structured and improved on several points: access to care, information of the patients, the identification of oncofertility referrals, training of professionals, interaction between the centers of medical assistance to procreation and oncology services.To meet these needs, innovative solutions are possible in order to network the different actors. The project Intercaribbean Network Cancer and Reproductive Health is an e-health project aimed at structuring the path of care of young cancer patients residing in Martinique and Guadeloupe, to build an inter-regional cooperation course that can cope with the constraints territorial. It also involves carrying out research projects on the theme of the preservation of reproductive health in our regions with the aim of improving the quality of life of young survivors living in the French West Indies