Category Archives: environment

North Carolina’s Factory Farms Produce 15,000 Olympic Pools Worth of Waste Each Year | Civil Eats

Elsie Herring stays indoors on the days the industrial hog farm next door sprays manure from a lagoon-like holding pit across the field that ends eight feet from her kitchen window. Because a filthy mist coats her property if the wind is blowing from the west, Herring has learned to avoid activities like sitting on her porch, grilling outside, hanging laundry on the line, opening windows, and drinking water from the well. Herring lives in Duplin County, North Carolina, on a plot of land her family has owned for more than a century. Located in the eastern part of the state, Duplin contains more than 18.5 million confined animals, including 2.3 million hogs. In Herring’s part of the state, pigs outnumber people almost 40 to one. “You can smell the odor inside,” 67-year-old Herring says. “The feces, the ammonia—all that stuff—we have to breathe it in, because we have to breathe.” On top of physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, excessive coughing, watery eyes, and the urge to vomit, area residents often experience anxiety and depression from the sense of helplessness they feel and the lack of relief from the stench, Herring says. Last week, environmental groups including the Waterkeeper Alliance, Environmental Working Group, and North Carolina Riverkeeper organizations addressed what they see as “yawning gaps in the North Carolina state agricultural regulatory system” by releasing a collection of maps and data on the 6,500 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)—and their accompanying waste lagoons—in the Tarheel State.

Source: North Carolina’s Factory Farms Produce 15,000 Olympic Pools Worth of Waste Each Year | Civil Eats

Researchers welcome discovery of rare helium gas in Tanzania | News | DW.COM | “Spin, hot air, destroy the earth for profit.”

Researchers say the discovery of as much as 54 billion cubic feet of the gas in southern Tanzania could satisfy total world demand for almost seven years at current rates.

Source: Researchers welcome discovery of rare helium gas in Tanzania | News | DW.COM | 28.06.2016

Studies find prior dengue worsens Zika but hint at vaccine potential | CIDRAP

A pair of studies today probing the complex antibody reactions between Zika and dengue infection have both bad news and good news: that earlier dengue infection can worsen Zika infections, but a certain antibody against dengue can also neutralize Zika virus, raising the possibility of a vaccine target.

Source: Studies find prior dengue worsens Zika but hint at vaccine potential | CIDRAP

Blood center testing shows rapid Zika rise in Puerto Rico | CIDRAP

In what may be the most accurate real-time picture of Zika activity in Puerto Rico, a sensitive test for screening blood donations shows rapidly rising levels that could result in thousands of infections in pregnant women, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned today. At a media briefing, CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, said high levels of Zika activity in the US territory could result in dozens to hundreds of babies born with microcephaly. Puerto Rico has been using a highly sensitive investigational test since Apr 3 to screen local blood collections. Frieden said that though it’s not a stand-in for a serologic survey and doesn’t reflect a random sample, “it gives us a window to see what’s happening with infection rates.” Illnesses probably haven’t peaked yet, and disease activity—in view of dengue and chikungunya patterns—may last through summer and into the fall.

Source: Blood center testing shows rapid Zika rise in Puerto Rico | CIDRAP

Zika complications seen in 6 US pregnancies so far | CIDRAP

In an update today. the CDC reported more local Zika infections in US territories and more travel-related cases in US states. Affected territories reported 135 more illnesses last week, raising the total number of local cases to 1,436. One fewer related Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) was reported in the territories, dropping that number to 6. In US states, 64 more travel-related Zika cases were reported, along with the recent lab-acquired case in Pennsylvania, putting the overall total at 756. The number of sexually transmitted Zika cases remained the same, at 11, and 1 more GBS cases was reported in US states, lifting that total to 3.

Source: Zika complications seen in 6 US pregnancies so far | CIDRAP

Update: Outbreak of yellow fever

WHO estimates that 508 million people are living in 31 African countries at risk for transmission of yellow fever. Therefore, the large outbreak of yellow fever in Angola is of concern with regard to the risk of introduction of the virus through viraemic travellers to countries at risk of transmission, especially in neighbouring countries. In DRC, the confirmation of the autochthonous circulation in the capital is a major concern as Kinshasa is highly populated, representing a risk of extension to Brazzaville, the capital of Congo, that is located across the Congo river.   ECDC published a rapid risk assessment on 25 March 2016 and an update on 30 May. The Aedes aegypti mosquito, a competent vector for yellow fever, is not present in continental Europe but is present on the island of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal.   Proof of vaccination is required for all travellers aged nine months and above entering Angola and DRC. WHO recommends vaccination for all travellers older than 9 months of age in areas where there is evidence of persistent or periodic yellow fever virus transmission. European citizens travelling to, or residing in, Angola should be vaccinated against yellow fever as per their national health authorities’ recommendations. The vaccine should be administered at least 10 days before travelling.   Yellow fever in an urban setting is considered a public health emergency that may result in a large number of cases. Vaccination is the single most important and effective measure for preventing yellow fever. Therefore, additional cases in unvaccinated populations related to this urban outbreak should be expected, until a sufficient proportion of the susceptible population is immunised. The outbreak in Angola, DRC and Uganda is not yet under control and is currently expanding to additional provinces, challenging the ongoing mass vaccination campaign with a potential vaccine shortage in the coming months. The control of the outbreak in the three countries is needed in order to prevent further spread in the region and beyond.

Source: News – Epidemiological update: Outbreak of yellow…

Avian Flu Diary: Hong Kong’s Bird Flu Dilemma

Yuen Kwok-yung said, the most effective prevention method is banning sale of live poultry markets, reducing the risk of virus infection, Singapore, and Taiwan, and Japan and other neighboring countries and regions, has been implementing centralized slaughtering, and Taiwan, and Japan have mobile apps for people to order chicken, people just a phone order, delivered directly by the farm fresh chicken slaughter. The evidence that closing live-bird markets reduces the spread of the H7N9 virus (at least for now) is solid (see The Lancet: Poultry Market Closure Effect On H7N9 Transmission), making it the obvious first step in breaking the chain of transmission. The problem is, purchasing live market birds is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, as it reassures the buyer that the bird is both fresh and healthy.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: Hong Kong’s Bird Flu Dilemma

VDU’s blog: More microcephaly to come..?

Meanwhile, it would be great if Brazil published its national numbers in a weekly report – along with confirmed numbers. The promise of the “Boletins Epidemiológicos de Dengue, Chikungunya e Zika” has not been realised with only two reports over the past 10 epidemiological weeks and no specific listing of laboratory confirmed numbers.[6]

Source: VDU’s blog: More microcephaly to come..?

Rio 2016: Studies find ‘super bacteria’ in Olympic venues, top tourist beaches – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Scientists have found dangerous drug-resistant “super bacteria” off beaches in Rio de Janeiro that will host Olympic swimming events and in a lagoon where rowing and canoe athletes will compete when the Games start early August. Key points: Super bacteria found in five of Rio’s beaches, in the Olympic Lagoon, and in a river Federal police are investigating whether Rio’s water utility Cedae is committing environmental crimes Bacteria lie dormant but attack when a healthy person falls ill for another reason The findings from two unpublished academic studies concern Rio’s most popular spots for tourists, and heighten concerns that the city’s sewage-infested waterways are unsafe.

Source: Rio 2016: Studies find ‘super bacteria’ in Olympic venues, top tourist beaches – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Can Farm-to-Table Tortillas Help Sustain Mexico’s Corn Heritage? | Civil Eats

Mexico, particularly the southern state of Oaxaca, is known as the birthplace of corn. “Mexico has been producing corn for 12,000 years,” Gaviria says. The country has as many as 59 landraces, or locally adapted, traditional varieties of corn, according to Martha Willcox, Maize Landrace Improvement Coordinator at CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center), who has helped Gaviria with his project. “Maize is the culture in Mexico,” she says. “Everyone eats maize every day, and there are 2000 culinary applications.” Within those 59 landraces, Gaviria says there are “tons of varieties” of corn, including many colors such as white, blue, red, and yellow. “There is a huge amount of diversity in the landraces,” Willcox says. Masienda sources its corn from Oaxaca, whose corn varieties are among the most rare and diverse in Mexico. Gaviria buys the corn from the region’s smallholder farmers who have been growing these corn varieties for generations. “These farmers are custodians of a very precious commodity,” says Alan Tank, former assistant vice president of the National Corn Growers Association and an adviser to Masienda. “The value it represents to them and to the world is nothing short of phenomenal.” As an Iowa farmer, Tank appreciates the value of Mexico’s corn heritage. “Being part of family farm, I understand the need for biodiversity and preserving it,” he says. Provides Needed Income to Farmers The average size of the smallholder farms range from about 2 to 12 acres. Oaxaca’s farmers are poor with 62 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Masienda’s purchase of the farmers’ excess corn—most of the corn they need for food—provides the farmers with income they would not otherwise receive. “We are providing a fair price to the farmers for growing the corn and having a big impact on rural communities there,” Gaviria says. “It’s a way to provide markets with good prices for farmers who have continued to grow these landraces,” Willcox says. This year Masienda is working with 1200 farmers after starting with 100 in 2014. Willcox and CIMMYT helped Gaviria identify the best corn varieties, connect with the farmers, source the corn, and pay the farmers. Masienda imports 10 to 15 different landraces. According to the company’s website, this is the first time in history these corn varieties have been available outside of the remote, indigenous communities of Oaxaca. Masienda supplies corn to about 100 restaurants, mostly in the U.S. with a few in Canada. One of those restaurants is Taquiza in Miami, Florida. Owner and chef Steve Santana uses blue and white bolita corn varieties to make masa flour, which is then made into tortillas and chips. Santana is enthusiastic about Masienda’s corn. “Visually it’s really cool looking, and the flavor is unmatched,” he says. Santana could buy much cheaper U.S. domestic corn but he prefers the heirloom varieties. “I like knowing that farmers are getting treated well throughout the supply chain,” he says. “We are preserving a little history; this is pure food in its natural state.”

Source: Can Farm-to-Table Tortillas Help Sustain Mexico’s Corn Heritage? | Civil Eats