Assessment of the current practices of e-waste management in Alexandria, Egypt [Case study: waste from personal computers]

E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. Decision- and policy-makers in Egypt have not yet tackled the issue of e-waste management. Recently, this management has been recognized as a serious issue due to numerous environmental concerns such as a] e-waste quantity generated at an alarming rate, b] pollution of air and groundwater, c] resource consumption, d] health and environmental hazards associated with informal e-waste recycling, and e] illegal trans-boundary movement of this e-waste. This study was carried out in Alexandria aiming at assessing the current practices adopted in the management of one type of e-waste, that is waste resulting from obsolete personal computers [PC-waste]. To achieve this aim, information was collected from 40 PC-waste stakeholders. Furthermore, Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure [TCLP] was performed on 10 discarded Printed Wire Boards [PWBs] to determine whether they should be considered as hazardous waste or not. Results of the study revealed that 55% of PC-waste were reused especially in PC repairing and refurbishing centers, that the major means of disposing PC-waste was by selling it to scrap dealers [50% of the respondents], followed by throwing it with municipal solid waste [MSW] [35% of the respondents], and finally by applying a "Producer Take-Back" system especially for large e-waste generators [15% of the respondents]. PC-waste was collected by scrap dealers using trucks or donkey carts. Informal recycling was taking place to reclaim steel, plastic and aluminum. Fortunately, no intense material recovery from PC-waste was encountered in Alexandria. All the remaining fractions from PC-waste were found to be thrown with MSW to be directed to the landfill. As for the PWBs, they were found to exhibit toxicity due to high lead levels and therefore, they should be considered hazardous waste D008. Finally, the study concluded the complete absence of any legislation or infrastructure to deal with e-waste management, and recommended a framework for an action plan to be taken by policy-makers in Egypt

Light and electron microscopic study of the effect of low estroger level on the heart of adult female rats

Oestrogen has first been employed as a contraceptive either alone or combined with other hormone during the female reproductive life. It is known that its blood level decreases with age, when its withdrawal causes health problems. The morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases and other health problems increase at the time this steroid is declining, hence hormonal replacement is recommended. Induction of low blood oestrogen level is attained through the administration of the non-steroidal antioestrogenic compound tamoxifen citrate [0.2 mg/100 gm b.w.]. Oestrogen compensation was achieved by the oestrogenic compound oestradiol benzoate [0.6 mg/100 gm b.w.], all administered subcutaneously three times weekly for 12 weeks. Forty adult female rats were divided into four groups often animals, they received saline solution [control], antioestrogen alone, oestrogen and its antagonist and oestrogen alone. The cardiac tissues were dissected out at the end of the experimental period, processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for light microscopy. Parallel tissue specimens were processed for E.M. study. The results have revealed many changes after the antioestrogen administration. Specifically, interstitial edema, splitting, destruction and necrosis of the myocardial fibers and cellular infiltration have been detected. At E.M. level, there have been marked destruction of myocardial filaments, cytoplasmic degeneration and swollen and destructed mitochondria. It was apparent that when oestrogen was administered with its antagonist, had reduced the untoward effects which were demonstrated in the cardiac tissues when exposed to the antioestrogen alone, although hemorrhagic areas, vascular congestion and endothelial cytoplasmic vaculations have been detected. Meantime, oestrogen alone did show mild adverse effect. This would explain the cardioprotectivity inherent in oestrogen whenever no contraindication for its employment is eminent

Hazards of azithromycin administration on liver and kidney: "a biochemical and histopathological study"

In this study five equal groups of adult male albino rats were examined histopathologically for liver and kidney. Serum blood levels of SGOT and SGPT enzymes, as well as urea and creatinine were also estimated. The 1st group was a control, the 2nd and 3rd were given azithtontycin in therapetitic dose for three days [the 2nd was sacrificed on the 3rd day and the 3rd on the 10th day]. The 4th and 5th groups were given double therapeutic dose [as in treatment of chlamydia for three days [the progressive degenerative cellular chlamydia] for three days [the 4th was sacrificed on the 3rd day and the 5th on the 10th day]. Liver showed a progressive degenerative cellular damage, areas of necrosis cytoplasmic and cellular infiltration with the increase of dose and time. Transaminases [SCOT and SGPT] also gave a paralled significant rise in relation to control in the 3rd, 4th and 5th groups and non-significant rise in the 2nd group. The results were attributed to direct drug effect on ribosomal function and/or metabolites that have high concentration in liver [the main site of azithroniycin metabolism] and bile [main site of release] and for a period up to 8 days after the last dose and the slow rue of elimination. Kidney tissue also showed progressive degenerative changes [as in liver in relation to increased dose and time] in form of tubular degeneration [more in distal tubule, cellular infiltration, ill defined cells of proximal tubules, congestion shrinkage of glomeruli and widening of Bowman's Capsule. Serum blood urea and creatinine gave a significant rise in relation to control in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th groups [except for non-significant rise of urea in the 2nd one]. These change were related the drug and/or metabolites [where 6% of changed drug passes via urine] and the long period elimination [up 14 days] and the high drug tissue concentration. It is concluded that azithromycin administration has a dangerous effect on liver and kidney tissues and their function. It is advised to minimize the dose as much as we can, and frequent liver and renal function tests after therapy are highly recommended to be sure of the return to normal state. The use of azithromycin in cases of impaired liver or renal functions must be very cautiously

Insecticidal properties of some isolates from duranta repens L

From Duranta repens, a toxic plant to Spodoptera littoralis, Bsetosterol 24S-ethylcholestatriŠnol, the flavones apigenin and its 7-o-glucuronide, scutellarein and its mono acid diglucuronides have been isolated. The susceptibility of Culex pipiens adults and larvae and Musca domestica have been determined and all the substances were found to possess insecticidal properties. The toxicity of acacetin diglucuronide and ergosterol are included for comparison. However, larvae of Spodoptera littoralis were unaffected except by a mixture of the 7 compounds