Category Archives: Health

Impact of COVID-19 on Slums and Informal Settlements

By | | ,
4 Comments

An estimated one billion people across the globe live in slums or informal settlements. As much of the world is already braced and battling with coronavirus crisis, there are others perplexed as to how this one billion people can possibly deal with the current pandemic. The general recommendations to global population are to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, if sick to self-isolate, and when out and about to practice social distancing of keeping 2 meters away from other persons. Three simple directives or are they? How feasible are these recommendations for people living in informal … Continue reading →

Is Lockdown a Viable Option to Control the Coronavirus in Africa?

By | | ,
3 Comments

The African nations have had plenty of recent infectious disease outbreaks such as HIV and Ebola to learn ways of tackling an epidemic. Therefore, they might be better equipped in mental fortitude to handle the current coronavirus crisis. One significant factor that the African people are aware of is that the communities must be actively involved in responding to the virus outbreak. Some nuggets of truth already learnt from previous experience with infectious diseases is that the outbreaks can be released differently in different communities and environments. This is in part due to the social conditions of the people concerned. … Continue reading →

The Impact of School Closure on Marginalized Children

By | | , ,
2 Comments

We are seeing schools close as a protective measure of reducing the potential exposure to the coronavirus across the globe. This is due to the fact that schools could be a major source of transmission from one child to another child within a classroom, from one classroom to the whole school, to within the families and the greater community. And all at a very speedy rate of transmission of Covid-19. The action of closing schools is an acceptable move in the more developed sectors of the global community as children tend to all have access to the internet, and in … Continue reading →

نصائح لتحسين نوعية الهواء داخل المباني

By | | , ,
1 Comment

يعتبر تلوث  الهواء الداخلي  واحد من أهم المخاطر البيئية على الصحة العامة في جميع أنحاء العالم ,نظرا لتزايد  عدد من الأمراض المرتبطة  بنوعية  الهواء  داخل  المبنى . وقد وجدت الدراسات أن تركيز الملوثات في الأماكن المغلقة الداخلية  أعلى بكثير مما هي عليه في البيئة الخارجية ، تتراوح  الزيادة  من  مرتين إلي خمس مرات ، وأحيانا مائة مرة أعلى من مستوي  الملوثات في الهواءالطلق. وبما  ان معظم الناس يقضون  80٪ إلى 90٪ من حياتهم في الأماكن المغلقة ، فان  نوعية الهواء الداخلي له اأثر جوهري على الصحة العامة. انخفاض جودة الهواء في الأماكن المغلقة يمكن أن يؤثرعلى نوعية الحيا ة  لشاغل … Continue reading →

Water Pollution Worries in the Developing World

By | | , ,
36 Comments

Water pollution has become a major concern worldwide, especially in developing countries where around 3.2 million children die each year as a result of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation. Access to adequate wastewater treatment facilities in the developing countries is very limited. For example, only 209 of India’s 3,119 towns and cities—less than one in ten—have even partial sewage systems and treatment facilities. As a result water bodies in developing nations are often used as open sewers for human waste products and garbage, which is evident at the Ganges River in India which receives over 1.3 billion liters of domestic waste, … Continue reading →

فيروس كورونا: فرصة لإعادة النظر

By | | , ,
2 Comments

لطالما اعتقدتُ أنّ ما من شيءٍ يحدثُ دون أن يحمل في طياته رسالة ما، إما أن تكون عامة لفئات كثيرة،  أو خاصة لأشخاصٍ معنيين بها، لعقودٍ طويلةٍ بقي الإنسانُ يؤدّي أعماله ومهامه بكفاءةٍ عالية، لكن هل فعلًا كان يبلي بلاءً حسنا في نهاية المطاف؟ بالرجوعِ للأثرِ البيئيّ لمختلفِ الممارسات التنمويّة في مختلفِ القطاعات نجدُ انتهاكًا كبيرًا للبيئة بوتيرة متسارعة، وعلى مر السنوات تكدّست كميات كبيرة من الملوّثات في بيئاتنا بكل مكوناتها، إضافة إلى استمرارنا غير المبرر في ظلّ هذا التطور الهائل الذي وصلنا إليه نكون قد وقّعنا وثيقة دمار كوكبنا بشكلٍ علنيّ وفي وقتٍ قريب جدًّا خاصة بعد التغيّر المناخيّ … Continue reading →

Post-Coronavirus World: Human Development Re-defined

By | | , ,
7 Comments

The coronavirus pandemic has rejuvenated human traits and values from various angles. Self-care, life balance, personal development, helping others, and considering the environment are just a few of many values and principles that are boiling down these days. Let’s take environmental values as an example with the several statements issued lately about the potential impact of COVID-19 on some of the hot green issues of today, Climate Change and Biodiversity. A few questions come to mind – though I don’t claim to know the answers for: is COVID-19 becoming the nature’s savior from air pollution and GHG emissions? Have we … Continue reading →

Bottled Water vs Tap Water: Environmental, Economic and Health Implications

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Abstract Global bottled water consumption has increased significantly over the last two decades, exceeding 350 billion liters annually. Bottled water is often perceived as safer and of higher quality than municipal tap water. However, recent scientific research challenges this perception. Studies have revealed the widespread presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in bottled water, while life-cycle analyses demonstrate that bottled water production generates substantially higher carbon emissions compared with tap water distribution systems. This study provides a comprehensive comparison of bottled water and tap water in terms of water quality, environmental impact, and economic cost. The analysis suggests that under properly … Continue reading →

3 Apps for Students to Maintain Well-Being in College

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Nothing is more important for a student than taking care of their mental health. With a big pile of homework, terrifying exams, and a lot of other responsibilities, life for a student can get overwhelming. As a college student, you need support, and one of the ways to get it is to download an application, which is an easy task to do. However, searching for the apps yourself can give you even more stress. First, you need the exact names and then time to test the application and figure out if it’s a good solution. Luckily, other people have already … Continue reading →

Practical Home Improvements for Healthier and Cleaner Indoor Spaces

By | | ,
Leave a comment

When you’re trying to maintain a healthy home, the details matter. If you have cracks, gaps, or other small openings in your home, they are an invitation for dust, dirt, and animals to take up residence indoors. You’ll start to notice this problem through diminished air quality and dust build-up. Fortunately, making some key changes can translate to a healthier environment. Read on as we explore practical home improvement for cleaner indoor spaces. Replace Old Window Seals Your windows face a lot of wear and tear from the outdoor elements. And when you’re constantly opening and closing them in the … Continue reading →

بصمة خضراء… رحلة البلاستيك الخفي

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

نستخدم الأكواب والأواني البلاستيكية في كل مكان: في العمل، في المناسبات، وحتى مع فنجان القهوة السريع الذي نأخذه على عجل. نستخدمها لدقائق، وربما لثوانٍ، ثم نُلقي بها جانبًا… وكأنها اختفت من الوجود. لا نفكر أين ذهبت، ولا ماذا سيحدث لها بعد ذلك. المهم أننا انتهينا منها. لكن الحقيقة مختلفة تمامًا؛ فهي لا تختفي. بل تبدأ رحلتها الحقيقية بعد أن نرميها. هذا البلاستيك يحتاج إلى مئات السنين ليتحلل. وخلال هذه السنوات الطويلة، لا يبقى خامدًا أو محايدًا، بل يتحول إلى عبء ثقيل على البيئة. يلوّث البرّ والبحر، ويقضي على مخلوقات لا ذنب لها سوى أنها شاركتنا المكان. طيور تبتلع قطعًا بلاستيكية … Continue reading →

The Effects of Waste on Palestinians’ Health And Environment

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

The State of Palestine faces multiple environmental challenges, most of them linked to waste management. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted in 2020 that “47% of all waste, including hazardous waste, is disposed of in unsanitary dump sites”. The figures shared by the  Heinrich Böll Foundation in Plastic Atlas focused on municipal solid waste and underlined that 65% of the waste is disposed of in landfills and 32% in illegal dumping sites. Just 3% of the rubbish is recycled or reused. The sociopolitical and economic context of the country dominated by the occupation makes even bigger the global challenge … Continue reading →