The effect of first aid training on objective safety behaviour in Australian small business construction firms

A 24 week experiment was conducted to determine the effect of first aid training on the occupational health and safety behaviour of participants in small business construction firms in Australia. A purposeful sample of 22 small business construction industry participants was identified. A simplified multiple baseline across workplace settings experimental design was used to introduce first aid training to workplace settings on a staggered basis. Objective measurement of occupational health and safety behaviour was conducted, by a researcher directly observing the workplace, before and after participants received first aid training. Individual performance was measured using a 14-item ‘individual safety measure’ (ISM) and global safety performance was measured using a 21-item ‘global site safety measure’ (GSSM). Pre-training and post-training performance scores for each category of safety performance were analysed using paired samples t-tests. The results were mixed. Performance improved in three of the four categories of safety performance measured by both the GSSM and ISM. The statistical significance of these improvements varied between performance categories. The results suggest that first aid training has a positive effect on occupational health and safety behaviour in Australian construction industry small businesses in the categories of personal protective equipment and housekeeping.     

Potential health risks of arsenic,antimony and mercury in the Takab geothermal field,NW Iran

This study investigates the bioavailability, water–soil to plant transfer and health risks of arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) and mercury (Hg) in the Takab geothermal field north-west of Iran. Water used for irrigation, surface soils from agricultural lands and cultivated plants were collected from three polluted sites and analysed for As, Sb and Hg to assess associated health risks. As content in irrigation water ranges from 23.4 to 986.4?μg/L, whereas total As content in the surface soil is in the range of 16.3–492?mg/kg^?1. The results agree with other reports that metal (loid) concentrations in leaves are usually much higher than in grain. Most investigated plant species showed a significant correlation between As, Sb and Hg contents in their aerial parts and that available in the soil (r?=?0.82, p?=?0.012; r?=?0.84, p?=?0.004; r?=?0.79, p?=?0.011). Factors influencing the bioavailability of metal (loids) and their occurrences in plants are soil pH, cation exchange capacity, phosphate, calcite and organic matter content, soil texture and interaction between target elements. Available As in analysed soils is relatively low, implying that phosphate, as well as Fe-oxy-hydroxides and calcite are effective in absorbing As. But, sequential extraction analysis indicates that iron oxy-hydroxide surface can bind both As and Sb, with As being more strongly bound. The calculated bioaccumulation factor based on total metal (loids) and available metal (loids) in soil indicates that alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sage (Saliva syriaca L.) are effective accumulators of As, Sb and Hg. The health risk index of the studied plants ranged from 0.0003 to 5.71, with the maximum being in wheat (Triticun aestivum L.), an alarming sign for human health. It is suggested that health risks from long-term consumption of wheat and other As-rich foodstuffs must be managed by monitoring contamination in the water–soil–plant pathway.     

China's Concealed Crisis

Architectural historian and author Edward Denison and architect and researcher Guang Yu Ren lift the lid on the complex and urgent matter of China's ageing population. The impending crisis is not only a matter of numbers – a third of China's population are projected to be over 60 by 2050 – but also one of shifting social responsibility. Whereas the care of ageing relatives has traditionally been the individual family's responsibility – filial obligation being written into the constitution – urban migration and economic development and the legacy of the One Child Policy are disrupting this, creating a greater need for state and private housing provision for the elderly.     

Radon measurement studies in workplace buildings of the Rawalpindi region and Islamabad Capital area, Pakistan

A survey concerning measurement of the indoor radon levels has been carried out in 105 workplaces of the Rawalpindi region and Islamabad Capital Territory using CR-39 based radon detectors. The main objective of this study was to assess the health hazard due to the indoor radon. CR-39 based NRPB type detectors were installed in offices/rooms located on first floors, ground floors and basements and were exposed to indoor radon for six months. The measured indoor radon concentration in the buildings surveyed ranged from 12 ± 5 to 293 ± 19 Bq m⁻³ with an overall mean value of 64 ± 32 Bq m⁻³. The highest mean radon concentration (113 ± 48 Bq m⁻³) was observed in the offices located in basements of the Rawalpindi city. The overall average annual effective dose in the studied workplaces was estimated to be 0.61 ± 0.30 mSv. The mean annual effective doses in basements, ground floor and first floor were found to be 0.87 ± 0.34 mSv, 0.55 ± 0.28 mSv, and 0.47 ± 0.29 mSv, respectively. These values are less than the action level recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection.     

梁滩河生态系统健康评价研究

通过收集梁滩河流域的生态、经济和社会状况资料,并利用遥感解译技术,分析影响河流生态系统健康的因素,采用指标体系分析法和专家咨询法,确立梁滩河生态系统健康评价指标体系和评价标准,计算得出评价指标权重,并对河流生态健康状况进行了评价。结果表明:梁滩河上、中、下游生态系统分别处于"亚健康"、"不健康"和"亚健康"级别。该研究结论将为重庆市正在开展的梁滩河保护规划和治理工作提供科学依据。     

高密度城市设计中的健康策略及重要研究问题

高密度已经成为当今城市发展的 普遍趋势,其同样为城市发展和城市设计工 作带来诸多挑战,健康问题是便是其中最主 要的问题之一。本文针对当今高密度城市环 境下面临的公众健康问题,通过对大量文献 的总结提出了五项高密度城市设计策略：提 高功能混合度、鼓励可持续的交通模式、优 化建筑物布局和形态、提供高品质的公共空 间、增加接触自然的机会。并通过一个简明 的框架阐明了这五项设计策略对公众健康的 影响机制,评判了五项设计策略在高密度城 市中所面临的现实情况,以及应该着重关注 的方面。最后,在此基础上提出一系列有待 研究的重要问题。     

中国古典文人园林养生思想与造园的相关性初探

研究古典园林的意义在于与古为 新,在“养生”日益受到重视的当今,探索养 生思想与造园的关系是以其现实价值进行 古典园林研究的一种途径。通过资料分析 与比较研究,重点阐述两者在四方面具有相 关性,即养生思想与造园主体同源,养生思 想与造园发展脉络相合,养生是造园目的之 一,养生思想影响园林要素营造。从文人园 林养生思想与造园的相关性角度,对古典园 林于“养生”的现实意义提供研究基础。     

我国大气污染的健康效应、主要成分及其检测方法

大气污染是目前我国面临的主要环境问题之一,已引起各界的广泛关注。我国城市大气呈现多污染源叠加的复合型污染特征,其导致的健康效应也更为复杂和严重,而我国关于大气污染细粒子来源、形成机制及其健康影响的研究尚无法满足控制和预防的需求。本文评述了大气污染的健康影响,并简要描述了我国大气污染主要污染物构成,最后对当前大气污染研究常用的检测方法进行了总结。     

保健食品中11种西地那非类药物的检测

本文拟研究和建立保健食品中非法添加西地那非类药物的检测方法。样品经乙腈提取后,采用液相色谱串联四极杆质谱仪(LC/MS-MS),在Q1扫描模式下,通过对色谱条件、质谱条件的优化初步判定样品中是否含有非法添加化合物,对样品中存在的疑似目标化合物进行产物离子扫描,监测子离子。通过上述实验,与对照品的Q1、Q2质谱图比较,建立了高效、准确定性检测保健食品中非法添加西地那非类药物的方法。同时通过液相色谱定量测定,其方法检测限均在1μg/ml以下。