Health Impact

In Kathmandu Valley among the other environment pollutions, air pollution is one of them. Valley is vulnerable due to its topography, which restricts the wind movement and allows pollutants to remain within the valley and the anthropocentric reasons. Brick kilns are the major source of air pollution along with other sources. These are not only deteriorating air quality and it is also degrading the health of the people living near the kilns. This research is base on both primary and secondary data sources to know about brick kilns pollution impacts on human health and environment around brick kilns zones, and to find out for minimize the air pollution do brick kilns adopt new technologies. For this research, primary data were collected from Nalin Chock of Bhaktapur district because many brick kilns were situated there and secondary data sources were provided the information about brick kilns production of different toxic pollutant components for air pollution and human hazards. Respo...

Background: Toys are part of a children’s daily life depending on age and use pattern. Currently, toys found in market are made colourful with addition of life threatened chemicals that retard the physical, mental and intellectual development of children. It became an urgency to test and regulate chemical presence in Children Toys in Nepal and protect the children from poisonous chemical. The purpose of paper is to find the
concentration of heavy metals in children toys and campaign for safe play.

Materials and Methods: 100 toys were purchased from nationwide markets like Footpath, Street vendors, Educational enterprises, Departmental Stores, etc. Concentration of heavy metal in toys was determined with the help of X-Ray Fluorescence at a laboratory of Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology, Government of Nepal.

Results: CEPHED 2013 study showed presence of Bromine in 40% toys ranging from 3.6 ppm to 3923 ppm, Lead in 28% of toys ranging from 12.4 ppm to 8305.8 ppm, Chromium in 14% of toys ranging from 9.6 ppm to 2052.2 ppm and Cadmium in 9% of toys ranging from 10 ppm to 433.3 ppm. Study showed the lack of awareness level in consumer regarding the presence of chemicals in toys and related certification during
import, distribution and use of toys at household as well as in institutional level. Study revealed absence of relevant standard and guidelines along with mandated government bodies to regulate chemicals in children products.

Conclusion: Presence of toxic chemical toys illustrates sale of unsafe toys in market putting the children’s health in risk. Study depicts the need of immediate attention and market intervention from citizen as well as concerned government bodies. Study recommends enacting policy, act, standard, labelling and certification system to regulate chemicals in children products, regularly monitor development process and develop chemical safety roadmap of the country.

Acknowledgements :This study would not have been possible without the support and guidance of Center for Public Health and Environment Development (CEPHED) and financial resource of Eco-Peace Leadership Program (EPLC), Yuhan-Kimberly University, South Korea. I would like to thank all the personnel's at Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal (FHAN) and Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology,
Ministry of Industry, Government of Nepal (NBSM, MOI, GON) for the laboratory. Heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Juna Giri, and Ms. Puna Bhaila, program officers of CEPHED for their hard effort during questionnaire survey, toys purchase, coding and the coordination process throughout the study.

Reference
Thapa M. & Sah RC.Study of Heavy Metal in Children’s Toy and Campaign for Safe Play in Nepal.

Copyright © 2014 Anthony C. Okoye et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Li-cense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In accordance of the Creative Commons Attribution License all Copyrights © 2014 are reserved for SCIRP and the owner of the intel-lectual property Anthony C. Okoye et al. All Copyright © 2014 are guarded by law and by SCIRP as a guardian. Some physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters were analyzed for in the water samples of four different ponds located in Awka town both prior and after the rain to ascertain the impact of flood in these ponds and to establish whether the pollution was significant. Four samples were collected from each pond both before the rain and after making it a total of thirty-two samples. Twenty-seven parameters were analyzed for in each of the samples. The result revealed that twelve parameters exceed...

Abstract: In Kathmandu Valley among the other environment pollutions, air pollution is one of them. Valley is vulnerable due to its topography, which restricts the wind movement and allows pollutants to remain within the valley and the anthropocentric reasons. Brick kilns are the major source of air pollution along with other sources. These are not only deteriorating air quality and it is also degrading the health of the people living near the kilns. This research is base on both primary and secondary data sources to know about brick kilns pollution impacts on human health and environment around brick kilns zones, and to find out for minimize the air pollution do brick kilns adopt new technologies. For this research, primary data were collected from Nalin Chock of Bhaktapur district because many brick kilns were situated there and secondary data sources were provided the information about brick kilns production of different toxic pollutant components for air pollution and human haza...