Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and its associated factors among traditional cloth weavers in Chencha district, Gamo zone, Ethiopia, an ergonomic study.

Musculoskeletal disorders at work are common in the majority of African countries. Weaving is very important in Ethiopia for the national economy and for enhancing the country's cultural values. However, the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in developing countries is significantly higher in common informal or small-scale enterprises such as weaving. Moreover, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in the weaving industry in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among traditional cloth weavers in Chencha district, Gamo zone, Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Chencha district from November 1 to December 30, 2021, using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 420 traditional cloth weavers working in individual households were interviewed. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed on variables with p-values less than 0.025 in the bivariate analysis. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders had been reported in the previous 12 months by approximately 97 (46.9%) of respondents. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders were reported by 76.1% of weavers in the shoulder region, 64.2% in the low back, 56.3% in the neck, and 0.2% in the upper back. Working for more than 10 years (AOR = 5.05, 95%CI: 1.23, 20.77), working with prolonged sitting (AOR = 4.77, 95%CI: 1.37, 16.62), and job dissatisfaction (AOR = 2.41, 95%CI: 1.04, 5.55) were among the determinants of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. As a result, ergonomically oriented weaving workstations are required because the majority of musculoskeletal disorders are caused by poorly designed workstations.

Effect of conventional and household water treatment technologies on the removal of pesticide residues in drinking water, Jimma town, Southwestern, Ethiopia.

Water resources have been contaminated by pesticides due to the different activities of human beings. Different studies documented that advanced water treatment systems can eliminate pesticides while conventional and household treatment technologies are not well studied. The main aim of the present study is to determine the effect of conventional and household water treatment technologies on the removal of pesticide residue in drinking water. Water samples were collected from the Gibe River (intake point), from each treatment process, and from the distribution system. To determine the effect of the household water treatment process (solar disinfection and boiling), pesticides were spiked into distilled water and then passed through solar disinfection (SODIS) and boiling. The extraction of samples was conducted by following a low-density-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure. The result of the study revealed that almost all studied pesticides except o´p-DDT were detected in water samples. Most pesticides that were detected in water samples from our study areas exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs), except for p,p'-DDE. The percent reduction of pesticide residue after post-chlorination by conventional water treatment ranges from 11.7% (from 70.83 µg/L to 62.54 µg/L) for p´p-DDD to 97.29% (5510.1µg/L to 149.5µg/L) for Dimethachlor, and the percent reduction of pesticide residue by SODIS and boiling ranges from 2.31% (o´p-DDT) to 54.45% (Cypermethrin) and 27.13% (γ-Chlordane) to 38.9% (p´p-DDE) respectively. This indicates that treatment technologies are important for the reduction of pesticides in water. Since studied pesticides are persistent and the resides were exceed MRL (have a health impact), monitoring of pesticides in treatment plant units is necessary and treatment technology improvement is important to allow further removal of pesticides.

Prevalence of low back pain and its associated factors among traditional cloth weavers in Gulele sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders particularly low back pain is significantly high among common informal or small-scale enterprises within developing countries like weaving. However, there is little information on risk factors for low back pain in the informal sector such as the weaving sector in the areas of Addis Ababa as well as in Ethiopia. Therefore this study was aimed to assess the magnitude of low back pain and its associated factors among traditional cloth weavers in the Gulele sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study with internal comparison was conducted from June 1, 2022, and August 30, 2022. A total of 660 traditional cloth weavers were included in the study by using a systematic random sampling method to select participants in each of cooperatives as well as individual households in 5 woredas in Gulele sub-city. The data was analyzed and managed using SPSS version 20. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to control potential confounding factors and to determine the association. Among 660 (100%) respondents, 330 (50%) of them experienced low back pain after starting weaving. Out of the respondents with low back pain through their job career, 291 (44.1%) of them experienced low back pain during the last 12 months. Working greater than 8 h per day (AOR = 4.60, 95%CI: 2.35, 8.87), working with frequent bending (AOR = 3.32, 95%CI: 1.49, 7.40), job stress (AOR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.18, 2.40) were among factors significantly associated with the occurrence of low back pain. This study has shown a high prevalence of low back pain among traditional cloth weavers which indicates the need for immediate public health action. However, very small improvements in the working condition, weaving tools design, working methods can potentially lead to large benefits.

Integrated Methods for Household Greywater Treatment: Modified Biofiltration and Phytoremediation.

Most countries around the world have experienced water scarcity in recent decades as fresh water consumption has increased. However, untreated wastewater is routinely discharged into the environment, particularly in developing countries, where it causes widespread environmental and public health problems. The majority of wastewater treatment method publications are heavily focused on high-income country applications and, in most cases, cannot be transferred to low and middle-income countries. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the performance efficiency of pilot-scale physicochemical and biological treatment methods for the treatment of household greywater in Jimma, Ethiopia. During the experiment, grab samples of greywater were taken from the combined treatment system's influent and effluent every 7 days for 5 weeks and analyzed within 24-48 hours. Temperature, DO, EC, turbidity, TDS, and pH were measured on-site, while BOD, COD, TSS, TP, TN PO4 -3-P, NO3-N, NH4-N, Cl-, and FC were determined in the laboratory. During the five-week pilot-scale combined treatment system monitoring period, the combined experimental and control system's mean percentage reduction efficiencies were as follows: turbidity (97.2%, 92%), TSS (99.2%, 97.2%), BOD5 (94%, 57.4%), COD (91.6%, 54.7%), chloride (61%, 35%), TN (68.24, 42.7%), TP (71.6%, 38.7%), and FC (90%, 71.1%), respectively. Similarly, the combined experimental and control systems reduced PO4 -3-P (12.5 ± 3 mg/L), NO3-N (4.5 ± 3 mg/L), and NH4-N (10.19 ± 2.6 mg/L) to PO4 -3-P (3.5 ± 2.6 mg/L, 7.5 ± 1.6 mg/L), NO3-N (0.8 ± 0.5, 3.6 ± 2.3 mg/L), and NH4-N (7 ± 2.9 mg/L, 15.9 ± 3.9 mg/L), respectively. From the biofiltration and horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland combined systems, the experimental combined technology emerged as the best performing greywater treatment system, exhibiting remarkably higher pollutant removal efficiencies. In conclusion, the combined biofiltration and horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland treatment system can be the technology of choice in low-income countries, particularly those with tropical climates.

Pesticide Residues and Effect of Household Processing in Commonly Consumed Vegetables in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.

The long-term and indiscriminate use of pesticides has resulted in serious health effects. Aside from that, developing countries do not have any monitoring systems in place to prevent the consumption of high levels of pesticides in foods. Therefore, this study aimed to determine pesticide residues and the effect of processing in commonly consumed vegetables in the southwestern part of Ethiopia. In total, 12 samples of 1 kg of each type of vegetable were collected from selected markets. Moreover, as a solution to pesticide residue problems in vegetables, the effect of different processing methods such as washing, peeling, boiling, and their cumulative effect was studied. In the analytical procedure, the modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction with florisil as a cleanup sorbent was used and the identification of pesticides was done by using gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The parent p,p'-DDT was detected at a concentration of 0.015 mg/kg in potato samples from the Serbo market and a concentration of 0.516, 0.232, 0.174, and 1.512 mg/kg in Merkato, Kochi, Serbo, and Shebe onion samples, respectively. P`p-DDT is detected at a high concentration compared to its metabolites (p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD), which is an indication of recent use. DDT and its metabolites, other organochlorines (lindane, γ-chlordane, dimethachlor, and heptachlor), and pyrethroids (cypermethrin and deltamethrin) exceeded the recommended limits by FAO and WHO in multiple samples of potato, onion, and cabbage. The processing result showed that washing, boiling, and the combination of the two revealed a 100% reduction in o,p'-DDT, and p,p'-DDT pesticides detected in cabbage. In conclusion, multiple residues were detected in the three vegetables studied, indicating that pesticides were applied intensively. Pesticide levels were reduced by home processing procedures, which is important for consumer safety.