Thursday, April 9, 2009
Water quality in South Asia Scientists solve puzzle of arsenic-poisoning
A team of scientists led by Stanford University soil scientist Scott Fendorf says bacteria cause the absorption of high levels of natural arsenic into groundwater in South Asia from the natural arsenic flowing down from the Himalayan mountains. The results are published in the latest issue of the journal Nature. The World Health Organization has blamed the arsenic for high rates of cancer in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
In a news report on March 24 by Stanford News Service, Fendorf has solved the puzzle of how and why the natural arsenic was somehow working its way into the groundwater more than 100 feet below the surface, instead of remaining chemically trapped in the river sediments.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
In a news report on March 24 by Stanford News Service, Fendorf has solved the puzzle of how and why the natural arsenic was somehow working its way into the groundwater more than 100 feet below the surface, instead of remaining chemically trapped in the river sediments.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: anaerobic environment, Bangladesh, groundwater, high rates of cancer, himalayan mountains, india, Myanmar, natural arsenic, river sediments, south asia scientists, water quality, WHO
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuberculosis killed 1.7 million globally in 2006, World Health Organization says
The rate of tuberculosis incidence fell slightly worldwide for a second straight year in 2006, but there were still 9.2 million new cases and the disease killed 1.7 million people, the UN health agency said a few months back.
The rate decline of 0.6 percent in 2006 compared to 2005 was so modest that the increase in the world's population meant there were actually more TB cases globally, the World Health Organization said in its annual report on tuberculosis.
And WHO officials cited worrisome trends suggesting that recent progress was stalling, while saying more money is needed to fight TB, which trails only AIDS as the world's leading killer among infectious diseases.
By region, Africa had the highest TB rates while Asia had the most cases. By nation, India had the most cases, followed by China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria, according to the report based on data from 202 countries and territories.
"We're really in a very uncertain situation, so I don't feel happy at all, actually, that it is really getting controlled," Dr. Mario Raviglione, who heads WHO efforts against TB, told reporters in a conference call.
"The major concern is that there is a slowdown here, rather than an acceleration, in TB control efforts," Raviglione said.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
The rate decline of 0.6 percent in 2006 compared to 2005 was so modest that the increase in the world's population meant there were actually more TB cases globally, the World Health Organization said in its annual report on tuberculosis.
And WHO officials cited worrisome trends suggesting that recent progress was stalling, while saying more money is needed to fight TB, which trails only AIDS as the world's leading killer among infectious diseases.
By region, Africa had the highest TB rates while Asia had the most cases. By nation, India had the most cases, followed by China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria, according to the report based on data from 202 countries and territories.
"We're really in a very uncertain situation, so I don't feel happy at all, actually, that it is really getting controlled," Dr. Mario Raviglione, who heads WHO efforts against TB, told reporters in a conference call.
"The major concern is that there is a slowdown here, rather than an acceleration, in TB control efforts," Raviglione said.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Asia, China, efforts, highest TB rates, Indonesia, infectious diseases, people, ple, South Africa, tuberculosis, WHO
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