Assessment of the environmental health knowledge, attitudes and practices in Ramaiiah and Al-Bireh District Palestine

We assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of some aspects of environmental health among residents of Ramaiiah and AI-Bireh district, Palestine. We found that few residents had attended sessions of awareness in environmental health but 83.6% were willing to participate in such events to raise public awareness. Most residents [91.2%] were aware of the relationship between water and human health, but only 39.7% reported that they or their families cleaned their water tanks more than once a year. Only 76.3% of the respondents reported that they always washed their hands before eating and only 67.0% reported that they checked the safety of food before eating. Only 33.7% felt reassured when they ate in restaurants. This was due to lack of cleanliness of the restaurants, staff and utensils, and the uncertainty regarding the source of the food

[Medical waste management in healthcare centres in the occupied Palestinian territory]

Medical waste management in primary and secondary healthcare centres in the occupied Palestinian territory was assessed. The overall monthly quantity of solid healthcare waste was estimated to be 512.6 tons. Only 10.8% of the centres completely segregated the different kinds of healthcare waste and only 15.7% treated their medical waste. In the centres that treated waste, open burning was the main method of treatment. The results indicate that Palestinians are exposed to health and environmental risks because of improper disposal of medical waste and steps are needed to improve the situation through the establishment and enforcement of laws, provision of the necessary infrastructure for proper waste management and training of healthcare workers and cleaners

Restaurant environment and its possible effects on food safety: case study of restaurants in Palestinian Ramallah-Bireh district

This study examines the infrastructure of restaurants, in addition to some other related factors that affect the food safety in Ramallah-Bireh District in Palestine, taking into consideration the effect of restaurant location in villages and towns, refugee camps, and cities. It was found that more than the half of the restaurants have a small area that ranges between 4 to 50 square meters; more than two thirds of these restaurants are unlicensed; 81.7% do not have a special storage area; the main sanitary facilities for the kitchen were not available in many of them; and 21.8% do not have toilets. It was found that 65.5% of the restaurants lack cleanliness for different reasons. Nearly 14% of the restaurants are damp, which was mostly noticed on the walls of kitchens. All these indicators could have negative impacts on the safety of foods, and should be taken into consideration for improving the infrastructure and food safety of these restaurants

[Causes of drinking-water contamination in rain-fed cisterns in three villages in Ramallah and Al-Bireh District, Palestine]

We studied the biological characteristics of drinking-water in three villages in Ramallah and al-Bireh district, by testing the total coliforms. Water samples were collected from rain-fed cisterns between October and November 2001. The results show that 87% of tested samples of drinking-water were highly contaminated and in need of coagulation, filtration and disinfection based on the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking-water, and 10.5% had low contamination and were in need of treatment by disinfection only. Only 2.5% of the tested samples were not contaminated and were suitable for drinking without treatment. The main cause of drinking-water contamination was the presence of cesspits, wastewater and solid waste dumping sites near the cisterns