| 1. |
- Armah, Frederick Ato, et al.
(författare)
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Analyzing the Relationship between Objective-Subjective Health Status and Public Perception of Climate Change as a Human Health Risk in Coastal Tanzania
- 2015
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 21:7, s. 1936-1959
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change is considered as the biggest threat to human health in the 21st century. Sub-Saharan Africa, which is the most-at-risk region of the world, is estimated to have a disproportionately large share of the burden of climate change-induced environmental and human health risks. To develop effective adaptations to protect public health, it is essential to consider how individuals perceive and understand the risks, and how they might be willing to change their behaviors in response to them. Using a cross-sectional survey of 1253 individuals in coastal Tanzania we analyzed the relationship between subjective health status (self-reported health) and objective health status on the one hand and perceived health risks of climate change. Generally, higher subjective health status was associated with lower scores on perceived health risks of climate change. Concerning objective health status, the results were varied. Individuals who affirmed that they had been previously diagnosed with hepatitis, skin conditions, or tuberculosis had lower scores on perceived health risks of climate change, unlike their counterparts who affirmed that they had been previously diagnosed with malaria in the past 12 months or had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. These relationships persist even when biosocial and sociocultural attributes are taken into consideration. The results underscore the complex ways in which objective and subjective health interact with both biosocial and sociocultural factors to shape perceived health risks of climate change.
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| 2. |
- de Sá Salomão, André Luís, et al.
(författare)
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Estrogenicity and Genotoxicity Detection in Different Contaminated Waters
- 2015
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 21:7, s. 1793-1809
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT: Owing that Oreochromis niloticus is resistant to different aquatic environments,four contaminated sites were selected: decentralized engineered ecosystem(DEE) and conventional wastewater treatment plants(WWTP); urban lagoon; and gasoline-contaminated marshland. Endocrine disruption was assessed by alkali-labile phosphate(ALP) quantification,genotoxicity by micronuclei frequency,and morphological changes by hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indexes. The ALP baseline of non-exposed O. niloticus males was low,compared with other fish species in the literature. Endocrine disruption was observed in fish exposed to raw wastewater of WWTP and DEE,discharge point of channeled river in the urban lagoon,and water from gasoline-contaminated marshland. After treatment in the DEE,the endocrine disruption effect was removed. The micronuclei frequency corroborated with the ALP results in most cases and proved to be a useful tool to assess genotoxicity in fish. The exposure time of 15 days was not enough to provoke morphological effects in most samples. However,in all gasoline-contaminated samples,the fishes showed an increase in the hepatosomatic index followed by a decrease in the gonadosomatic index. The tested biomarkers showed feasibility,sensibility,reproducibility,and were complementary in the assessment of chronic ecotoxicity; therefore,we recommend them to compose a suitable protocol for aquatic monitoring programs.
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| 3. |
- Ekane, Nelson, et al.
(författare)
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Risk and benefit judgment of excreta as fertilizer in agriculture: An exploratory investigation in Rwanda and Uganda
- 2016
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 22:3, s. 639-666
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This research explores the use of psychometric techniques to improve understanding of psychological mechanisms underlying judgment of excreta as fertilizer in agriculture including other excreta related activities. Participants consisted of environmental health students, smallholder farmers and traders in rural and urban Rwanda and Uganda. The finding reveals an inverse relationship between risk and benefit judgments. This relationship holds for the three groups of participants with significant risk-benefit correlations of p<.0001. This finding is consistent with other studies showing that affect plays a key role in risk perception, judgment and decision making.Building on this finding, we conclude that individuals with high risk and low benefit judgment for excreta related practices would eschew them or emphasize strict standards. Individuals with a high benefit and low risk judgment would engage in excreta management practices regardless of the actual risks involved. This finding is relevant for risk communication and risk management as it indicates that individuals do not rely only on risk management information they receive concerning excreta and related risks but also depend to an extent on their feelings about these substances when making judgments and decisions regarding the purpose for using excreta as fertilizer and the level of exposure they can tolerate and manage.
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| 4. |
- Molander, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Science in Risk Assessment and Policy (SciRAP) : An Online Resource for Evaluating and Reporting In Vivo (Eco)Toxicity Studies
- 2015
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 21:3, s. 753-762
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- (Eco)toxicity studies conducted according to internationally standardized test guidelines are often considered reliable by default and preferred as key evidence in regulatory risk assessment. At the same time regulatory agencies emphasize the use of all relevant (eco)toxicity data in the risk assessment process, including non-standard studies. However, there is a need to facilitate the use of such studies in regulatory risk assessment. Therefore, we propose a framework that facilitates a systematic and transparent evaluation of the reliability and relevance of (eco)toxicity in vivo studies for health and environmental risk assessment. The framework includes specific criteria to guide study evaluation, as well as a color-coding tool developed to aid the application of these criteria. In addition we provide guidance intended for researchers on how to report non-standard studies to ensure that they meet regulatory requirements. The intention of the evaluating and reporting criteria is to increase the usability of all relevant data that may fill information gaps in chemical risk assessments. The framework is publically available online, free of charge, at the Science in Risk Assessment and Policy (SciRAP) website: [GRAPHICS] . The aim of this article is to present the framework and resources available at the SciRAP website.
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| 5. |
- Olofsson, Jennie, et al.
(författare)
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Electronic waste—a modern form of risk? : On the consequences of the delay between the increasing generation of electronic waste and regulations to manage this increase
- 2017
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 23:6, s. 1272-1284
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article addresses the relation between the current proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) goods and services and the development of different kinds of risk assessments and policy documents. The ambition is to shed light on a, hithertho, less-discussed aspect of the development of risk assessments and policy documents, namely the time span between the development of new technologies and the development of regulatory frameworks. The concept of risk and danger can be seen as a potential means through which we can start to think about the consequences of the delay between the increased generation of electronic waste (e-waste) and the regulations to manage this increase. By using e-waste as a case study, this article provides the basis for a more general understanding of the relation between the development of new technologies and the development of regulatory frameworks. While it might be difficult to pin down the effects that this delay had/has for the subsequent development of ICTs, this article highlights the importance of taking into account not only how and by whom risk assessments and policy documents are developed, but also when they are developed in relation to the technologies that they serve to regulate.
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