The provision of safe water, sanitation and hygienic conditions is essential for protecting human health during all infectious disease outbreaks including COVID-19. SANEDI (South African National Energy and Development Institute) is partnering with the Department of Defence (DoD) for a Water Treatment Works project at the SANDF Air Force Base in Hoedspruit in the Maruleng … [Read more...]
Hand sanitisers: clearing up the confusion
It’s important to understand the difference between sanitising and disinfecting. Sanitising refers to cleaning one’s hands in order to reduce the number of potential pathogens that could be transmitted to others. Disinfecting refers to killing pathogens on surfaces, which may require chemicals harmful to humans, animals and the environment. Many manufacturers have … [Read more...]
Seven things you need to know about e-cigarettes
Office e-smokers, you’re still being uncool to your co-workers. The World Health Organisation breaks down what we know and what we don’t about vapes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently released a list of seven commonly asked questions about e-cigarettes, like whether or not they’re safer than traditional cigarettes and what they mean for your lungs and those around … [Read more...]
Mpumalanga a hotspot for deadly sulphur dioxide emissions
NASA satellites have found the Kriel area in Mpumalanga to be a global hotspot for deadly sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. A new study commissioned by Greenpeace India used NASA estimates of anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from hotspots around the world, based on data from the agency's satellites. The study found that Kriel in Mpumalanga, with its high … [Read more...]
Clean air a basic human right, not a luxury
This World Environment Day we face the reality that more than 9 out of 10 people globally are breathing unsafe air. “Clean air isn’t a luxury; it’s a basic human right. It’s not acceptable that so many people around the world are being forced to breathe polluted, toxic air. More and more people are having to deal with the terrible health impacts and they’ve had enough – … [Read more...]
WHO admits Monsanto’s glyphosate ‘probably’ causes cancer
The chemical industry's stronghold over many of the world's largest and most influential regulatory trendsetters appears to be waning after the World Health Organization (WHO), defying the propaganda endorsements of U.S. regulatory agencies, found that Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, which contains the weed-killing chemical glyphosate, "probably" causes cancer in animals and … [Read more...]
People and planet benefit from alternative transport
Rapid transit and safe cycling/walking networks are good for both health and climate – and climate experts should consider more systematically how these strategies can reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector, one of the world's major contributors to climate change, says a new WHO report. The new report, Health co-benefits of climate change mitigation - Transport sector … [Read more...]
