There’s a hero inside all of us. And that’s not just a platitude about unrealised potential but a reality as far as tissue donation is concerned. Tissue donation refers to the generous donation of human tissue, which includes bone and other products created from human tissue, bestowed after death. According to Bone SA, a registered non-profit organisation concerned with … [Read more...]
SA’s health and wellbeing are at stake
On July 22, 2020 Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams gazetted a new policy on the development of communications networks in South Africa. The motivation for promoting 5G electronic communications networks ‘was for the creation of a digital economy and society’, she said at the time. Activists have criticized the draft policy, that will … [Read more...]
Asbestos exposure: an environmental carcinogen
Before the 1970s, asbestos was a widely used home and manufacturing additive for its heat and fireproof resistant properties. Due to this, asbestos fibers can be found in buildings and products alike, and although it is banned in the UK, there have been lasting detrimental and cancerous effects through first, second, and third-wave exposure. In the U.S., this carcinogen is … [Read more...]
Joburg townships pay the price for SA’s gold mining legacy
This week, as South Africa adjusts to the eased of restrictions of lockdown Level 1, more people are likely to travel domestically again, many heading to SA’s economic hub for business. According to Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s Makoma Lekalakala, “Many South Africans do not know that Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, is also the most radioactive city on the … [Read more...]
Will the UK House of Lords protect rural residents from toxic pesticides?
Despite the fact that we are in the midst of the biggest public health crisis for a century with the Covid-19 pandemic - and all the mass deaths and horrifying devastation it is causing - the UK government is forging ahead trying to force through various crucial pieces of legislation. One of those pieces of legislation is the Agriculture Bill which was debated and voted on … [Read more...]
Research reveals mammograms may do more harm than good
Millions of women are wrongly diagnosed with ‘breast cancer’ concluded the National Cancer Institute (NCI) commission last year, thanks to over-diagnosis via mammograms. This is because what is known as ‘early stage cancers’ such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) should not be regarded as cancers, but benign or indolent growths. In an attempt to quantify the benefits and … [Read more...]
Autism study shows links to pesticides and other toxic chemicals
The cause of autism is still unknown, but we are definitely closer to figuring it out. A new study published in the journalPLOS Computational Biology, from researchers at the University of Chicago revealed that autism and intellectual disability (ID) rates are linked with exposure to harmful environmental factors during congenital development. “Essentially what happens is … [Read more...]
Spray drift in Eastern Cape: fifty shades of green
During the week people outside of our community realized that the SAPS were spraying cannabis crops using helicopters. Marijuana, dagga, weed, pot, ganja, Mary Jane, call it what you want but the ‘green grass’ were suddenly not so green anymore. The entire incident managed to achieve what weed allegedly didn’t do – it energized and aggravated everyone all at once. This is … [Read more...]
Rock Star Party to raise funds for little cancer fighters
Inspired by Somerset baby Reece’s battle with cancer, the Somerset 1 dynamic Facebook group is dedicating their first birthday party, the Rock Star Party, to raise funds for the Little Fighters Cancer Trust (LFCT) on Saturday, 13 December at the Nameless Pub. The group, started by Stephen Leppan, prides itself on the spectacular events it holds to raise funds for charity. … [Read more...]
Eskom’s chokehold on air and power
Eskom’s recent announcement of its September 2013 interim results show that the utility’s profit margins fell slightly to R12.2 billion, but the major news was the resignation of CEO, Brian Dames. It seems like a change in leadership for the utility is an incredible opportunity for a change in direction towards renewable energy, because the reality for both the utility and … [Read more...]
Lessons learned from Wangari Maathai
In this beautifully animated clip from Dirt! The Movie, Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai tells an inspiring tale of doing the best you can under seemingly interminable odds. Wangari tells the story of a hummingbird who saves a forest from being destroyed while other animals stand to the side, overwhelmed by the size of the problem. “I have always believed that, no … [Read more...]
Agent Orange in South Africa?
The GMO decision making body of South Africa has given the green light for importation of maize that has been sprayed with dangerous chemicals. Studies have shown these chemicals to cause cancer, birth defects, neurological damage and interference with reproductive function. Unlike in the US, South Africans would be consuming this maize, putting the health of the entire … [Read more...]
Fukushima’s effects will linger
The world is still reeling from the shock of the terrible triple disasters of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake 13 kilometers off the Oshika coastline near Sendai, the resultant tsunami and then the nuclear near-melt-down that hit Japan in the past week. What exactly happened at the Fukushima nuclear reactor, we were wondering. The Green Times attended a talk at the University of … [Read more...]
