Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 47 in total

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  1. A priority list of environmental health issues for Malaysia
    Hashim JH, Hashim Z, Hod R, Jalaludin J, Mohamed N, Karuppannan S, et al.
    Rev Environ Health, 2023 Jun 27;38(2):349-359.
    PMID: 35468665 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2022-0030
    OBJECTIVES: Environmental risk factors contribute to 24% of the global burden of disease from all causes in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and to 23% of all global deaths. Malaysia being an advanced developing country, there is a need to prioritise environmental health issues to enable environmental health practitioners to focus on the most significant and urgent environmental health concerns.

    CONTENT: This project was undertaken by a Thematic Working Group on Environmental Health Experts (TWG 10) under the Malaysian National Environmental Health Action Plan. Sixteen pre-selected environmental health issues were presented to a two focus group discussions among 20 environmental health and related professionals who then scored each issue on its magnitude and severity scale.

    SUMMARY: The total of these scores generated a list of priority environmental health issues for Malaysia. Children environmental health came out as the environmental health issue of the highest priority.

    OUTLOOK: We hope that this list of priority environmental health issues will be used for prioritising academic and professional manpower training, research funding allocation and planning for intervention programmes by various stakeholders.

    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  2. Fulltext Research on Hygiene Based on Fieldwork and Experimental Studies
    Yajima I
    Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi, 2017;72(1):49-54.
    PMID: 28154361 DOI: 10.1265/jjh.72.49
    Several experimental studies on hygiene have recently been performed and fieldwork studies are also important and essential tools. However, the implementation of experimental studies is insufficient compared with that of fieldwork studies on hygiene. Here, we show our well-balanced implementation of both fieldwork and experimental studies of toxic-element-mediated diseases including skin cancer and hearing loss. Since the pollution of drinking well water by toxic elements induces various diseases including skin cancer, we performed both fieldwork and experimental studies to determine the levels of toxic elements and the mechanisms behind the development of toxic-element-related diseases and to develop a novel remediation system. Our fieldwork studies in several countries including Bangladesh, Vietnam and Malaysia demonstrated that drinking well water was polluted with high concentrations of several toxic elements including arsenic, barium, iron and manganese. Our experimental studies using the data from our fieldwork studies demonstrated that these toxic elements caused skin cancer and hearing loss. Further experimental studies resulted in the development of a novel remediation system that adsorbs toxic elements from polluted drinking water. A well-balanced implementation of both fieldwork and experimental studies is important for the prediction, prevention and therapy of toxic-element-mediated diseases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  3. Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on planetary health
    Whitmee S, Haines A, Beyrer C, Boltz F, Capon AG, de Souza Dias BF, et al.
    Lancet, 2015 Nov 14;386(10007):1973-2028.
    PMID: 26188744 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60901-1
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  4. Paper-based capacitive sensors for identification and quantification of chemicals at the point of care
    Hu J, Yew CT, Chen X, Feng S, Yang Q, Wang S, et al.
    Talanta, 2017 Apr 01;165:419-428.
    PMID: 28153277 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2016.12.086
    The identification and quantification of chemicals play a vital role in evaluation and surveillance of environmental health and safety. However, current techniques usually depend on costly equipment, professional staff, and/or essential infrastructure, limiting their accessibility. In this work, we develop paper-based capacitive sensors (PCSs) that allow simple, rapid identification and quantification of various chemicals from microliter size samples with the aid of a handheld multimeter. PCSs are low-cost parallel-plate capacitors (~$0.01 per sensor) assembled from layers of aluminum foil and filter paper via double-sided tape. The developed PCSs can identify different kinds of fluids (e.g., organic chemicals) and quantify diverse concentrations of substances (e.g., heavy metal ions) based on differences in dielectric properties, including capacitance, frequency spectrum, and dielectric loss tangent. The PCS-based method enables chemical identification and quantification to take place much cheaply, simply, and quickly at the point-of-care (POC), holding great promise for environmental monitoring in resource-limited settings.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health
  5. River sediment metal and nutrient variations along an urban-agriculture gradient in an arid austral landscape: implications for environmental health
    Dalu T, Wasserman RJ, Wu Q, Froneman WP, Weyl OLF
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jan;25(3):2842-2852.
    PMID: 29143261 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0728-1
    The effect of metals on environmental health is well documented and monitoring these and other pollutants is considered an important part of environmental management. Developing countries are yet to fully appreciate the direct impacts of pollution on aquatic ecosystems and as such, information on pollution dynamics is scant. Here, we assessed the temporal and spatial dynamics of stream sediment metal and nutrient concentrations using contaminant indices (e.g. enrichment factors, pollution load and toxic risk indices) in an arid temperate environment over the wet and dry seasons. The mean sediment nutrient, organic matter and metal concentration were highest during the dry season, with high values being observed for the urban environment. Sediment contaminant assessment scores indicated that during the wet season, the sediment quality was acceptable, but not so during the dry season. The dry season had low to moderate levels of enrichment for metals B, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, K and Zn. Overall, applying the sediment pollution load index highlighted poor quality river sediment along the length of the river. Toxic risk index indicated that most sites posed no toxic risk. The results of this study highlighted that river discharge plays a major role in structuring temporal differences in sediment quality. It was also evident that infrastructure degradation was likely contributing to the observed state of the river quality. The study contributes to our understanding of pollution dynamics in arid temperate landscapes where vast temporal differences in base flow characterise the riverscape. Such information is further useful for contrasting sediment pollution dynamics in aquatic environments with other climatic regions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health
  6. Socio-economic development, environmental and health perspectives in Malaysia
    DeWitt GF, Sekarajasekaran A, Wan KC
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1979 Dec;10(4):572-8.
    PMID: 538507
    With Malaysia independence in 1957, development in the country changed from system maintenance to development planning. Environmental and health perspectives are discussed in relation to current development as reflected in the Second Malaysia Plan 1971--1975 and the Third Malaysia Plan 1976--1980.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  7. Environmental impact on human health in Malaysia
    DeWitt GF, Sekarajasekaran A, Wan KC
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1979 Dec;10(4):581-6.
    PMID: 538509
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  8. Fulltext Justice Is the Missing Link in One Health: Results of a Mixed Methods Study in an Urban City State
    Lysaght T, Capps B, Bailey M, Bickford D, Coker R, Lederman Z, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(1):e0170967.
    PMID: 28129409 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170967
    BACKGROUND: One Health (OH) is an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to human and animal health that aims to break down conventional research and policy 'silos'. OH has been used to develop strategies for zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID). However, the ethical case for OH as an alternative to more traditional public health approaches is largely absent from the discourse. To study the ethics of OH, we examined perceptions of the human health and ecological priorities for the management of zoonotic EID in the Southeast Asia country of Singapore.

    METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods study using a modified Delphi technique with a panel of 32 opinion leaders and 11 semi-structured interviews with a sub-set of those experts in Singapore. Panellists rated concepts of OH and priorities for zoonotic EID preparedness planning using a series of scenarios developed through the study. Interview data were examined qualitatively using thematic analysis.

    FINDINGS: We found that panellists agreed that OH is a cross-disciplinary collaboration among the veterinary, medical, and ecological sciences, as well as relevant government agencies encompassing animal, human, and environmental health. Although human health was often framed as the most important priority in zoonotic EID planning, our qualitative analysis suggested that consideration of non-human animal health and welfare was also important for an effective and ethical response. The panellists also suggested that effective pandemic planning demands regional leadership and investment from wealthier countries to better enable international cooperation.

    CONCLUSION: We argue that EID planning under an OH approach would benefit greatly from an ethical ecological framework that accounts for justice in human, animal, and environmental health.

    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health/ethics
  9. Environmental heat-related health symptoms among community in a tropical city
    Aghamohammadi N, Fong CS, Idrus MHM, Ramakreshnan L, Sulaiman NM
    Sci Total Environ, 2021 Aug 15;782:146611.
    PMID: 33838362 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146611
    Due to the changing climate, more frequent and prolonged heatwaves are expected to have a catastrophic consequence on urban human settlement. In tropical cities such as Kuala Lumpur (KL), the quality of the urban environment is made worse by urban heat island (UHI) phenomena due to poor urban planning practices. The prolonged exposure to urban heat is hypothesized to influence human health and well-being, especially in tropical urban areas with high population density. Therefore, a study was conducted to understand the association of urban heat stress with physical, psychosomatic and psychological (PPP) health symptoms within a tropical urban setting. Continuous urban microclimate monitoring is conducted using an automated weather station to define the level of heat stress in the study area expressed as Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). A cross-sectional approach is used to identify heat-related health symptoms experienced by the urban population. Through exploratory factor analysis, a total of 38 PPP health symptoms are reduced into 8 heat-related health clusters which are sensory organ pain, heat-related illnesses, cardiopulmonary, pain, fatigue, anxiety, somatization, and depression-related symptoms. Heat stress was found to significantly affect psychosomatic pain (p = 0.016) as well as psychological anxiety (p = 0.022) and somatization (p = 0.041) related symptoms. Other health clusters were not significantly associated with heat stress. More studies are needed to unravel the influence of confounding factors and the long-term impact of urban heat on the health and well-being of the urban population in a tropical city.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  10. Fulltext The importance of data in developing environmental health guidelines – an IMU perspective
    Stephen Ambu
    International e-Journal of Science, Medicine & Education, 2013;7(11):47-50.
    MyJurnal
    The global environment is in a dynamic flux due to rapid development. As a result of this, new
    diseases are emerging and old diseases are re-emerging in many parts of the world. Therefore there is a constant need for appropriate data for formulation of effective policies to mitigate the adverse effects of environmental degradation on human health. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 is a milestone that sets the direction for good environmental management initiatives and the success
    of this depends on good data. Malaysia currently has the Environmental Quality Act 1974 in place to
    control environment related problems. However good guidelines must be developed to keep the initiatives for good environmental management on course, for this we need good data. The Centre for Environmental and Population Health at IMU, coordinates research activities in specific thrust areas in an endeavour to produce important data that is required for developing appropriate guidelines for environmental health.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health
  11. The Case for Public Financing of Environmental Common Goods for Health
    Lo S, Gaudin S, Corvalan C, Earle AJ, Hanssen O, Prüss-Ustun A, et al.
    Health Syst Reform, 2019;5(4):366-381.
    PMID: 31860403 DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2019.1669948
    Safeguarding the continued existence of humanity requires building societies that cause minimal disruptions of the essential planetary systems that support life. While major successes have been achieved in improving health in recent decades, threats from the environment may undermine these gains, particularly among vulnerable populations and communities. In this article, we review the rationale for governments to invest in environmental Common Goods for Health (CGH) and identify functions that qualify as such, including interventions to improve air quality, develop sustainable food systems, preserve biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage carbon sinks. Exploratory empirical analyses reveal that public spending on environmental goods does not crowd out public spending on health. Additionally, we find that improved governance is associated with better performance in environmental health outcomes, while the degrees of people's participation in the political system together with voice and accountability are positively associated with performance in ambient air quality and biodiversity/habitat. We provide a list of functions that should be prioritized by governments across different sectors, and present preliminary costing of environmental CGH. As shown by the costing estimates presented here, these actions need not be especially expensive. Indeed, they are potentially cost-saving. The paper concludes with case examples of national governments that have successfully prioritized and financed environmental CGH. Because societal preferences may vary across time, government leaders seeking to protect the health of future generations must look beyond electoral cycles to enact policies that protect the environment and finance environmental CGH.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health/economics; Environmental Health/standards
  12. Environmental health aspects of metropolitan planning and development
    Sodhy LS
    Med J Malaya, 1971 Jun;25(4):250-2.
    PMID: 4261294
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  13. Fulltext Investigating the effectiveness of nanotechnologies in environmental health with an emphasis on environmental health journals
    Aghalari Z, Dahms HU, Sillanpää M
    Life Sci Soc Policy, 2021 Sep 13;17(1):8.
    PMID: 34511108 DOI: 10.1186/s40504-021-00116-8
    OBJECTIVE: The use of nanotechnologies is important to reduce environmental health problems in Iran, so the present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of nanotechnologies in environmental health. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study for 11-year periods (2008-2018) on all articles published in three specialized journals of environmental health with emphasis on the use of nanotechnologies in various fields of environmental health (water, air, sewage, waste, food, radiation, etc).

    RESULTS: In this study, 774 articles related to 114 issues of 3 specialized environmental health journals were reviewed. A review of 774 articles showed that 80 articles (10.3%) were published in the field of nanotechnologies. Out of 80 articles published in the field of nanotechnology, 66 articles (82.5%) were published on the subject of water, 9 articles (11.3%) on wastewater and 5 articles (6.2%) on air pollution. Subject review of articles showed that articles using carbon nanotubes to remove natural organic pollutants, surfactants, hydroxybenzenes, phenol, dimethyl phthalates, use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, iron-magnesium nanoparticles for wastewater treatment, Silver nanoparticles were used to remove air pollution. The results showed that published articles on nanotechnology in the field of environmental health were few.

    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health
  14. Fulltext Influencing factors for household water quality improvement in reducing diarrhoea in resource-limited areas
    Zin T, Mudin KD, Myint T, Naing DKS, Sein T, Shamsul BS
    WHO South East Asia J Public Health, 2013 Jan-Mar;2(1):6-11.
    PMID: 28612817 DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.115828
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Water and sanitation are major public health issues exacerbated by rapid population growth, limited resources, disasters and environmental depletion. This study was undertaken to study the influencing factors for household water quality improvement for reducing diarrhoea in resource-limited areas.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from articles and reviews from relevant randomized controlled trials, new articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WELL Resource Centre For Water, Sanitation And Environmental Health.

    DISCUSSION: Water quality on diarrhoea prevention could be affected by contamination during storage, collection and even at point-of-use. Point-of-use water treatment (household-based) is the most cost-effective method for prevention of diarrhoea. Chemical disinfection, filtration, thermal disinfection, solar disinfection and flocculation and disinfection are five most promising household water treatment methodologies for resource-limited areas.

    CONCLUSION: Promoting household water treatment is most essential for preventing diarrhoeal disease. In addition, the water should be of acceptable taste, appropriate for emergency and non-emergency use.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health
  15. Environmental sanitation and pollution in Malaysia
    Sekaran AS
    Med J Malaysia, 1974 Dec;29(2):97-102.
    PMID: 4282408
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  16. Physical changes of the environment and health effects with special reference to water pollution and sanitation in Malaysia
    Sekarajasekaran IA
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1979 Dec;10(4):634-49.
    PMID: 538513
    Development of a human community are not without changes in its environment. Such changes result in either beneficial or adverse effects on human health. In Malaysia, in the wake of the New Economic Policy aimed at the redressing of the poor population and income distribution, development of the nation has brought about various changes in the environment. Some of these changes have elevated basic public health problems, while others, particularly new agricultural practices and industrialisation programmes with urbanisation trends, have brought a new set of problems due to water pollution and sanitation. Various measures are being taken to protect and to improve the environment so that progress can be realised with minimum adverse effects. This also calls for assistance from international sources, in terms of expertise, training and funds.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health*
  17. Forest fires, air pollution, and mortality in southeast Asia
    Sastry N
    Demography, 2002 Feb;39(1):1-23.
    PMID: 11852832
    I assess the population health effects in Malaysia of air pollution from a widespread series of fires that occurred in Indonesia between April and November of 1997. I describe how the fires occurred and why the associated air pollution was so widespread and long lasting. The main objective is to uncover any mortality effects and to assess how large and important they were. I also investigate whether the mortality effects were persistent or whether they represented a short-term, mortality-harvesting effect. The results show that the smoke haze from the fires had a deleterious effect on the health of the population in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health
  18. Fulltext Ergonomics in industrially developing countries: a literature review
    Huck-Soo L, Richardson S
    J Hum Ergol (Tokyo), 2012 Dec;41(1-2):1-16.
    PMID: 25665194 DOI: 10.11183/jhe.41.1
    The two final decades of the 20th century saw a significant increase in ergonomics activity (and resulting publications) in industrially developing countries (IDCs). However, a few ergonomics papers from Singapore, for example, were published in 1969 and 1970. This paper reviews developments in ergonomics in industrially developing countries from 1969 relying heavily on published papers although their quality varies considerably. Some criticism of these papers is offered. Most were concerned with the use of work tools, workstation operations, material handling and working environments especially in tropical climates. The similar problems encountered in a variety of countries are discussed, and the importance of low-cost solutions stressed. This study presents an overview of er gonomics research in IDCs. It concentrates on ASEAN countries whilst recognising the valuable work done in other areas.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health/organization & administration*
  19. Fulltext An overview of health forecasting
    Soyiri IN, Reidpath DD
    Environ Health Prev Med, 2013 Jan;18(1):1-9.
    PMID: 22949173 DOI: 10.1007/s12199-012-0294-6
    Health forecasting is a novel area of forecasting, and a valuable tool for predicting future health events or situations such as demands for health services and healthcare needs. It facilitates preventive medicine and health care intervention strategies, by pre-informing health service providers to take appropriate mitigating actions to minimize risks and manage demand. Health forecasting requires reliable data, information and appropriate analytical tools for the prediction of specific health conditions or situations. There is no single approach to health forecasting, and so various methods have often been adopted to forecast aggregate or specific health conditions. Meanwhile, there are no defined health forecasting horizons (time frames) to match the choices of health forecasting methods/approaches that are often applied. The key principles of health forecasting have not also been adequately described to guide the process. This paper provides a brief introduction and theoretical analysis of health forecasting. It describes the key issues that are important for health forecasting, including: definitions, principles of health forecasting, and the properties of health data, which influence the choices of health forecasting methods. Other matters related to the value of health forecasting, and the general challenges associated with developing and using health forecasting services are discussed. This overview is a stimulus for further discussions on standardizing health forecasting approaches and methods that will facilitate health care and health services delivery.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health/methods*
  20. Fulltext An Evidence-Based Review of Impacts, Strategies and Tools to Mitigate Urban Heat Islands
    Leal Filho W, Echevarria Icaza L, Emanche VO, Quasem Al-Amin A
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2017 12 19;14(12).
    PMID: 29257100 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14121600
    The impacts of climate changes on cities, which are home to over half of the world's population, are already being felt. In many cases, the intensive speed with which urban centres have been growing means that little attention has been paid to the role played by climatic factors in maintaining quality of life. Among the negative consequences of rapid city growth is the expansion of the problems posed by urban heat islands (UHIs), defined as areas in a city that are much warmer than other sites, especially in comparison with rural areas. This paper analyses the consistency of the UHI-related literature in three stages: first it outlines its characteristics and impacts in a wide variety of cities around the world, which poses pressures to public health in many different countries. Then it introduces strategies which may be employed in order to reduce its effects, and finally it analyses available tools to systematize the initial high level assessment of the phenomenon for multidisciplinary teams involved in the urban planning process. The analysis of literature on the characteristics, impacts, strategies and digital tools to assess on the UHI, reveals the wide variety of parameters, methods, tools and strategies analysed and suggested in the different studies, which does not always allow to compare or standardize the diagnosis or solutions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Health/methods*
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