ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The link between various air pollutants and hospitalization for epilepsy has come under scrutiny. We have proposed that exposure to air pollution and specifically the pervasive agricultural air pollutant and greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N2O), may provoke susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders. Evidence supports a role of N2O exposure in reducing epileptiform seizure activity, while withdrawal from the drug has been shown to induce seizure-like activity. Therefore, we show here that the statewide use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers (the most recognized causal contributor to environmental N2O burden) is significantly negatively associated with hospitalization for epilepsy in all three pre-specified hospitalization categories, even after multiple pollutant comparison correction (p<.007), while the other identified pollutants were not consistently statistically significantly associated with hospitalization for epilepsy. We discuss potential neurological mechanisms underpinning this association between air pollutants associated with farm use of anthropogenic nitrogen fertilizers and hospitalization for epilepsy.
RESUMO A ligação entre vários poluentes do ar e a hospitalização por epilepsia tem sido examinada. Propusemos que a exposição à poluição do ar, especificamente ao poluente atmosférico generalizado e ao gás de efeito estufa, o óxido nitroso (N2O), poderiam fomentar a susceptibilidade a distúrbios do desenvolvimento neurológico. A evidência apoia o papel da exposição ao N2O na redução da atividade convulsiva epileptiforme, enquanto mostra que a retirada do fármaco induz atividade pseudo-convulsiva. Portanto, mostramos aqui que o uso a nível estatal de fertilizantes nitrogenados antropogênicos (o agente causal mais reconhecido para a carga ambiental de N2O) está significativa e negativamente associado à hospitalização por epilepsia nas três categorias de hospitalização pré-especificadas, mesmo após a correção de comparação de poluentes múltiplos (p <0,007 ), enquanto os outros poluentes identificados não foram consistentemente associados de forma estatística com a hospitalização por epilepsia. Discutimos possíveis mecanismos neurológicos subjacentes a esta associação entre poluentes atmosféricos associados ao uso agrícola de fertilizantes nitrogenados antropogênicos, e hospitalização por epilepsia.
Subject(s)
Humans , Agricultural Workers' Diseases/chemically induced , Air Pollutants/adverse effects , Air Pollutants/toxicity , Epilepsy/chemically induced , Fertilizers/toxicity , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Poisson Distribution , Agricultural Workers' Diseases/epidemiology , Air Pollutants/classification , Air Pollution/statistics & numerical data , Epilepsy/epidemiology , Nitrous Oxide/toxicityABSTRACT
The influence of salinity on the response of the estuarine teleost, Tilapia guineensis fingerlings to acute toxic effects of inorganic nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) (15: 15: 15) fertilizer was investigated using semi-static bioassay. The toxicity of NPK fertilizer was found to increase significantly with increase in the salinity level from 0.05 %. to 32.4 %o. The 96 hr LC50 value at salinity of 32.4 %o was 0.11 mg/l and was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the toxicity values at any other salinity level of media evaluated. The implication of the findings is that pollution control standards and/or safe limits for brackish water ecosystem should consider variations in salinity regimes for greater relevance and reliability.
Subject(s)
Animals , Aquaculture , Fertilizers/toxicity , Nitrogen/toxicity , Phosphorus/toxicity , Potassium/toxicity , Seawater/chemistry , Sodium Chloride/pharmacology , Tilapia/growth & developmentABSTRACT
Tea in Darjeeling foothills and terai are grown conventionally, with application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as organically without these inputs. Ground level arthropod community was collected from the above two types of tea plots using pitfall traps. Catches from these environments showed variation in the arthropod faunal structure with numerically and taxonomically greater abundance in the organic than that of the conventional plot. Coleopterans were more diverse with largest number of families and Recognizable Taxonomic Units (or morphospecies) in the organic tea plot. The diversity and similarity indices for coleopterans were comparable, in organic and conventional tea plots at species and family levels. The close relationship of the indices suggested that diversity study at family level could be used as surrogate for species level diversity; thus alleviating the laborious and expertise job of taxonomic identification of arthropod species. Faunal diversity study at ground level gave the clue that soil of the organic plantation was healthier than that of the conventional tea plot.
Subject(s)
Agriculture , Animals , Arthropods/drug effects , Biodiversity , Fertilizers/toxicity , India , Insecticides/toxicity , Seasons , TeaABSTRACT
Com o crescimento da produçäo agrícola no Brasil e o aumento do uso de fertilizantes orgânicos espera-se, caso näo sejam adotadas medidas preventivas, o aparecimento de dermatoses nos trabalhadores expostos. O uso da amônia líquida como fertilizante propicia riscos muito graves para o trabalhador, e por isso, normas rígidas no uso dessa substância devem ser adotadas. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo alertar a comunidade para riscoss oculares e de dermatoses evitáveis, nessa enorme populaçäo obreira e sem formaçäo técnica especializada. Sugestöes e medidas preventivas säo enfocadas, visando orientar o pessoal que manipula esses produtos