Adverse Health Effects of Mercury Use on Illegal Gold Miners: A Study in Garasi, Eritrea
Milkias Haile,
Omer Hussein,
Yohana Haile
Issue:
Volume 5, Issue 2, April 2017
Pages:
16-21
Received:
24 February 2017
Accepted:
25 March 2017
Published:
13 April 2017
Abstract: In recent years, an increase in the activities of illegal gold mining was seen in many provinces of Eritrea. One of such provinces is Garasi where this case study was done to determine its adverse effects on health of miners. This study was based on survey using questionnaire with personal interview of illegal miners at the site of their work. Using snowball sampling method, a total number of 50 miners were interviewed out of which two were females. The age of illegal miners was ranged from 11 to > 50 years with work experience of 5 to 8 years. Majority of the miners claimed that they use mercury in the process of amalgamation. Miners experienced many health complications i.e., cough, chest pain, weakness, stress, insomnia, excessive salivation etc. after exposure to mercury. For some miners it was found that the mercury exposure was as many as 20 times per year. Chronic exposure to mercury increases adverse effects to health, in this study two miners who had an experience of 12 years showed the associated symptoms of chronic exposure. Out of 50 illegal miners, 41 visited outreach health facility to seek relief from the symptoms in which 53.6 % reported that they did not get any relief from their symptoms. The most common diagnosis and treatment among the illegal miners was pneumonia. In conclusion the effects of this poisoning may increase with the coming years; this activity is relatively at its infancy stage, with an increase in the associated damage in human health, animal life and the environment. Health sectors need to launch awareness campaigns aimed at educating miners about the dangers of mercury to health. And to seek alternative methods before the damage to health and other environmental damage escalates.
Abstract: In recent years, an increase in the activities of illegal gold mining was seen in many provinces of Eritrea. One of such provinces is Garasi where this case study was done to determine its adverse effects on health of miners. This study was based on survey using questionnaire with personal interview of illegal miners at the site of their work. Usin...
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Burning Characteristics of N-Heptane Pool Fire in a Controlled Dynamic Pressure Environment
Quan-yi Liu,
Yuan-hua He,
Rui Yang,
Hui Zhang
Issue:
Volume 5, Issue 2, April 2017
Pages:
22-30
Received:
7 March 2017
Accepted:
25 March 2017
Published:
19 April 2017
Abstract: Cabin fires during in-flight and fires in high altitude airport have attracted a lot of attention. The previous fire tests at high altitudes were all conducted under very limited number of static pressure levels. It is important to design a controlled oxygen and pressure environment and conduct experiments to study the fire behaviors at different depressurization rates. A low-pressure chamber with oxygen and pressure control of 2×3×4.65m3 in volume is developed and built to simulate high-altitude environment. Pool fire experiments using 20-cm and 30-cm-diameter pans are performed at three different depressurization rates, e.g. 5.46kPa/min, 10.92kPa/min, and 19.68kPa/min. The parameters measured include burning rate, flame temperature, radiative heat flux, and heat release rate, et al. The results from fire experiments under different depressurization rates demonstrate the difference and impacts of dynamic pressure environment on liquid fire behaviors and helpful for fire prevention during the flight of the aircraft.
Abstract: Cabin fires during in-flight and fires in high altitude airport have attracted a lot of attention. The previous fire tests at high altitudes were all conducted under very limited number of static pressure levels. It is important to design a controlled oxygen and pressure environment and conduct experiments to study the fire behaviors at different d...
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The Stoichiometry of Binding of ATP and Its Derivatives to a Recombinant Selenophosphate Synthetase E197D Catalytically Inactive Mutant C17S
Yuliya V. Preobrazhenskaya,
Anna I. Sten'ko,
Vladimir Yu. Lugovtsev,
Andrej G. Moiseenok,
Olga M. Kuratchik,
Konstantin A. Mandrik,
Alexander I. Voskoboev
Issue:
Volume 5, Issue 2, April 2017
Pages:
31-34
Received:
30 December 2014
Accepted:
26 February 2015
Published:
24 April 2017
Abstract: Selenophosphate synthetase (SPS) catalyses formation of the universal donor of selenium equivalents in a living cell. It performs the selenophosphate formation from ATP and selenide in ATP-dependent manner. We have checked a catalytically inactive mutant C17S of bacterial SPS from E.coli, E197D, for ATP hydrolysis and ATP-binding. The ratio obtained for ATP-binding is 9.52 nM ATP: 7.0 nmol enzyme, however, the fraction of the protein applied to the size-exclusive column TSK 2000 under reaction conditions was homogenious. It is likely under the ATP-binding conditions C17S mutant of SPS represents a monomer. A sequence alignment of bacterial mutant C17S from strain K12 with a human SEPHSI shows it exhibits of 31% homology. It is supposingly SPSI is a functional and structural analogue of C17S and has a similar biological activity.
Abstract: Selenophosphate synthetase (SPS) catalyses formation of the universal donor of selenium equivalents in a living cell. It performs the selenophosphate formation from ATP and selenide in ATP-dependent manner. We have checked a catalytically inactive mutant C17S of bacterial SPS from E.coli, E197D, for ATP hydrolysis and ATP-binding. The ratio obtaine...
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