A set of human milk samples,consisting of pools from up to 50 mothers that delivered their first baby was assessed for the persistent organic pollutants(POPs)listed in the Stockholm Convention.It must be noted that on...A set of human milk samples,consisting of pools from up to 50 mothers that delivered their first baby was assessed for the persistent organic pollutants(POPs)listed in the Stockholm Convention.It must be noted that only samples that qualified for the criteria,as established in the global monitoring plan of the Stockholm Convention,following an initial protocol from the World Health Organization,were included.The data do not allow for an assessment of POP concentrations in breast milk with lactation period nor,in most cases and when not indicated otherwise,a comparison within the same country.The assessment does not rank the POPs as to the risk for breastfeeding.Rather the measurements provide a basis for countries to compare among POPs or with other countries.A regional preference for certain POPs could not be identified;thus,taking into account global food supply chains and local production elsewhere does not allow us to prioritize a country for a certain POP.Although the highest concentrations were always found for the sum of DDT,these samples were not prominent in multivariate statistical analyses.The best indicator for the scale of POPs in breast milk was the sampling year:the earlier a national pool was created,the higher and the wider spread were the concentrations:see the example of dioxin-like POPs and indicator PCB.For some POPs,the income of a country seems to indicate scale and POP compounds.The population density was not found to be a suitable predictor or discriminator.Since all POPs seemed to level off and some POPs were only measured after the entry-into-force of the Stockholm Convention in 2004,we do not have a strong indicator to determine POP concentrations in the 1980s or before.展开更多
Nowadays, rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology is increasingly adopted as a strategic pathway for reducing poverty in rural drought prone areas for enhancing agricultural productivity and boosting farm income. The ai...Nowadays, rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology is increasingly adopted as a strategic pathway for reducing poverty in rural drought prone areas for enhancing agricultural productivity and boosting farm income. The aim of this study is to assess the level of adoption and the impacts of RWH ponds on farm income in Ntarama sector of Bugesera District in Eastern Province of Rwanda. Fifteen farm ponds were visited and the level at which households adopted RWH ponds, their impact on farm income and performance in storing water were assessed. Interviews and questionnaires methods were used to farm ponds beneficiaries and the storage capacity of farm ponds was calculated to ensure that they meet irrigation water demand. Then, Microsoft excel was used as a data analysis tool. The results show that 42.5% of households have adopted RWH ponds and the adoption level of RWH ponds fails due to the lack of training about the role and use of RWH ponds before their implementation. Beside this the low level of public involvement during the site selection for ponds associated with social conflicts among water users was observed. However, it is further revealed that the use of RWH ponds positively impacts on agricultural income on 1/4 hectare per year by about 2,325,000 RWF (3100USD). The studied portion of area can bear 222 ponds of 120 m<sup>3</sup> each if all the rain is harvested throughout the year instead of being three ponds. Furthermore, we found that the quantity of rainwater harvested of 328.5 m<sup>3</sup> as a total of the 3 ponds was still too less to meet irrigation water demand. As negative impacts, the RWH technology can cause dangerous effects such as social conflicts, breeding site for mosquitoes, water related diseases, accidents and others with a level of severity of 32%, 24%, 20%, 16% and 8%, respectively. This happens when the RWH ponds are not properly managed.展开更多
文摘A set of human milk samples,consisting of pools from up to 50 mothers that delivered their first baby was assessed for the persistent organic pollutants(POPs)listed in the Stockholm Convention.It must be noted that only samples that qualified for the criteria,as established in the global monitoring plan of the Stockholm Convention,following an initial protocol from the World Health Organization,were included.The data do not allow for an assessment of POP concentrations in breast milk with lactation period nor,in most cases and when not indicated otherwise,a comparison within the same country.The assessment does not rank the POPs as to the risk for breastfeeding.Rather the measurements provide a basis for countries to compare among POPs or with other countries.A regional preference for certain POPs could not be identified;thus,taking into account global food supply chains and local production elsewhere does not allow us to prioritize a country for a certain POP.Although the highest concentrations were always found for the sum of DDT,these samples were not prominent in multivariate statistical analyses.The best indicator for the scale of POPs in breast milk was the sampling year:the earlier a national pool was created,the higher and the wider spread were the concentrations:see the example of dioxin-like POPs and indicator PCB.For some POPs,the income of a country seems to indicate scale and POP compounds.The population density was not found to be a suitable predictor or discriminator.Since all POPs seemed to level off and some POPs were only measured after the entry-into-force of the Stockholm Convention in 2004,we do not have a strong indicator to determine POP concentrations in the 1980s or before.
文摘Nowadays, rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology is increasingly adopted as a strategic pathway for reducing poverty in rural drought prone areas for enhancing agricultural productivity and boosting farm income. The aim of this study is to assess the level of adoption and the impacts of RWH ponds on farm income in Ntarama sector of Bugesera District in Eastern Province of Rwanda. Fifteen farm ponds were visited and the level at which households adopted RWH ponds, their impact on farm income and performance in storing water were assessed. Interviews and questionnaires methods were used to farm ponds beneficiaries and the storage capacity of farm ponds was calculated to ensure that they meet irrigation water demand. Then, Microsoft excel was used as a data analysis tool. The results show that 42.5% of households have adopted RWH ponds and the adoption level of RWH ponds fails due to the lack of training about the role and use of RWH ponds before their implementation. Beside this the low level of public involvement during the site selection for ponds associated with social conflicts among water users was observed. However, it is further revealed that the use of RWH ponds positively impacts on agricultural income on 1/4 hectare per year by about 2,325,000 RWF (3100USD). The studied portion of area can bear 222 ponds of 120 m<sup>3</sup> each if all the rain is harvested throughout the year instead of being three ponds. Furthermore, we found that the quantity of rainwater harvested of 328.5 m<sup>3</sup> as a total of the 3 ponds was still too less to meet irrigation water demand. As negative impacts, the RWH technology can cause dangerous effects such as social conflicts, breeding site for mosquitoes, water related diseases, accidents and others with a level of severity of 32%, 24%, 20%, 16% and 8%, respectively. This happens when the RWH ponds are not properly managed.
