Nimal Prematilaka, the city’s public health chief, says the egrets at the Bankeyawatta Solid Waste Management Centre aid pest control by eating flies and maggots. It’s a far cry from the  UK, where the gulls that congregate at waste facilities are routinely scared off with hired birds of prey.

Perhaps more significantly, local children are now involved in waste management too. Balangoda Municipal Council has established small recyclable waste collection centres called Sampath Keendraya in 10 schools, which are operated by students, and a larger collection centre in the middle of the city called Sampath Piyasa, which it operates.

Thus far the council has collected 15 metric tons of recycled waste from each of the 10 centres and paid US$480 to students.

Mr Prematilaka says: ‘We started five centres in 2009 and in 2011 another five centres opened. We’ve trained 60 school students to conduct the programme.

‘It’s completely changed the behaviour of students in terms of solid waste disposal. It’s motivated them to protect resources and provided them extra income.’

Collectively, the municipal council, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Local Government and the provincial council’s Solid Waste Management Support Centre has spent over five million Sri Lankan rupees on the programme.

‘They want to solve the major problems of waste disposal,’ says Mr Prematilaka. ‘The aim is to form 3R – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – societies, and to create a city without waste.’

Since Uganda gained independence in 1962, the eastern town of Iganga has been dependent on higher authorities for money and in making important decisions.

For 40 years the town has been lobbying for the municipal status which would enable it to create its own budget and apply directly to central government for funding, instead of having to approach its district council to make its case.

Iganga has been twined with Daventry, a town in central England, for 15 years. In that time the two towns have worked together to develop public health infrastructure in Iganga, especially in solid waste management.

This has been critical to the Igangan local authority’s development. Muzamiru Bidondole, health assistant at Iganga Municipal Council, explains: ‘Our solid waste management system has greatly changed. Many urban authorities are now coming to Iganga to learn from us.

‘We now operate a roadside system codenamed door-to-door. People keep their waste in collection containers and have to wait for the tractors to come near their homes on a specific day for their area before they bring out their waste at the roadside to be picked up by the council tractors.

‘The town had earlier been denied municipal status by the ministry of local government, but after seeing this progress in July 2010, the ministry elevated Iganga town to that status, after over 40 years of lobbying, due to improvements in solid waste management.’

Mr Bidondole was appointed head of solid waste management after his stint in Daventry as the first ever Commonwealth Fellow of Public Health. These fellowships support mid-career professionals from developing Commonwealth countries to spend periods with a UK host working in their field.

Mr Bidondole worked at Daventry for three months. He says: ‘Giving scholarships to middle class workers was unheard of in Uganda, but my scholarship was timely as Iganga and myself benefited greatly.

‘I was to learn how things are done in the UK and see how practically I could apply what I’d learnt back in Iganga. Given that chance, I went back to my town and presented my report, which the council accepted.

‘The end result was that Iganga council assigned me to be in charge of solid waste management. This has helped us improve and now we’re a municipality, a level next to a city status, but above all we’re cleaner than we used to be and many are learning from us.’

Before Daventry’s involvement, the Igangan local authority trucks were worn out and always breaking down. The town council had to hire vehicles at great expense, with money it didn’t have.

Daventry District Council sent a secondhand, side-loading Bedford truck to Iganga in 1998. Together, council workers and volunteers from both Daventry and Iganga began daily house to house collections, some separation and simple composting. Staff had no protective clothing, so Daventry DC provided gumboots for bare feet.

In 2004, a second refuse truck, purchased by a charity that sprung out of the partnership, Daventry Friends of Iganga, was refurbished and sent to Iganga.

The Bedford gave up after 10 years, but tractors provided by the World Bank now tow waste collection trailers for the door to door service.

Colleagues in Iganga have formed their own NGO, as a twin to DFOI. Mr Bidondole says: ‘Aware that links develop and sometimes they have a time frame for sustainability, and to consolidate the achievements of the partnership between Daventry and Iganga, we formed a similar association called Iganga Friends of Daventry, because by then we were more than friends.

‘Many thanks go to Daventry DC and the DFOI for their support. Their role will never be forgotten.’

www.friendsofiganga.org

Mould, condensation, house dust mites and cold are major causes of ill health and disease across the world’s temperate and cold zones. The Passivhaus approach to low energy building offers a solution to poorly ventilated homes and their associated health problems.

Developed in Germany in the 1990s, Passivhaus is a quality assured standard and methodology for low energy building, based on well-researched building physics. There are now estimated to be over 20,000 Passivhaus buildings worldwide, as far afield as Ireland, the USA, China and Japan

As well as calling for stringent airtightness and energy efficiency, Passivhaus also has a strong focus on indoor air quality and comfort. By combining careful attention to the building fabric with mechanical ventilation using heat recovery systems, Passivhaus delivers comfortable, very low energy homes.

The Passivhaus approach calls for controlled ventilation, as opposed to the inadequate ‘uncontrolled ventilation’ currently available in many homes in northern Europe, America and Asia, southern America, New Zealand and other temperate and cold areas.

The key Passivhaus principles are super insulation, stringent levels of airtightness, minimisation of ‘thermal bridging’, optimisation of passive solar gain and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.

Excellent air quality inside buildings can only be achieved if ‘used’ air is regularly replaced by fresh air and air movement through the building is managed. In conventional housing, replacement of used air with fresh air is often inadequate and unreliable, leading to potential health problems including asthma and other respiratory problems.

Humidity can often rise to unacceptable levels, potentially leading to condensation and ultimately mould formation. Mould growth caused by condensation can exacerbate these problems. Chronic damp can cause problems in joints such as arthritis.

Other air impurities, for example dust, spores and chemicals released by modern furnishing and decorative materials, may build up in indoor air to high levels, exacerbating conditions such as asthma, or leading to the condition known as ‘sick building syndrome’ (SBS) which can manifest as sensory irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, neurotoxic or general health problems, skin irritation, nonspecific hypersensitivity reactions and odour and taste sensations.

A 1984 World Health Organization report into the syndrome suggested up to 30 per cent of new and remodeled buildings worldwide may be linked to symptoms of SBS. Also, CO₂ levels rise in localised areas, creating feelings of lethargy and ‘stuffiness.’

In northern Europe, many of us are accustomed to uncontrolled ventilation. Many buildings receive fresh air as ‘draughts,’ through gaps in the building fabric.

The downside of this is that ventilation fluctuates greatly and energy is lost from the building. There is discomfort from draughts and unwanted air movement, and condensation and mould in the building fabric can occur as warm air escapes through gaps.

In more airtight buildings with fewer gaps in the building fabric, opening windows and doors might be used to achieve air exchange, also known as ‘purge ventilation.’ However, studies have shown that opening windows even twice a day would not be sufficient in such cases.

In a modern, fairly airtight buildings, to achieve an adequate air quality one would have to open the windows wide for five to 10 minutes every three hours, even at night.

Background trickle ventilation is the key approach in current building regulations in the UK. This is a pretty hit and miss approach, even at the airtightness levels currently in these regulations, while at higher levels of airtightness it is generally recognised to be woefully inadequate.

To ensure excellent air quality for building occupants, Passivhaus design puts great emphasis on the need for controlled ventilation with regular, guaranteed and adequate air exchange. This is achieved through mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems, also known as comfort ventilation. The level of airtightness in Passivhaus buildings is such that gap air exchange or opening windows would be not be sufficient for good indoor air quality.

MVHR works by extracting the air from the polluted sources, for example the kitchen, bathroom, toilets and utility rooms, and supplying fresh air to ‘living’ rooms like bedrooms, sitting rooms and studies.

Extracted air is taken through a central heat exchanger so that heat from the extracted air helps heat the fresh air going into the house. The heat recovery element of MVHR is very important as it recovers heat from the exhaust air and transfers it back into the supply air without mixing the air flows.

Modern MVHR technology allows a heat recovery rate of between 75 and 92 per cent. This is possible due to counterflow heat exchangers and energy-efficient fans, so the recovered heat energy is eight to 15 times the electrical energy consumed.

An MVHR system provides a constant supply of fresh air, maintaining indoor air quality whilst being practically imperceptible. The Passivhaus standard specifies MVHR systems provide an air supply of around 30m³ per hour, per person.

MVHR systems are carefully designed and calibrated to ensure the moisture content of the air is neither too wet nor too dry for occupants. Critically for occupants’ health, it reduces indoor pollution, such as dust, pollen and diesel particulates, to safe levels by adding filtered fresh air, minimising impurities coming from the outside as well as the inside.

MVHR systems are suitable for both newbuild and existing buildings, and work best in buildings with high levels of airtightness and insulation.

As well as offering fantastic air quality for building inhabitants, Passivhaus homes use radically less energy than traditional housing stock. For example in the UK, it uses around 90 per cent less energy than a typical UK home, potentially making a significant contribution to reducing Britain’s CO₂ emissions.

With economies of scale, Passivhaus buildings can cost as little as five per cent more than a standard build. We believe that the Passivhaus approach and methodology needs to be urgently adopted for new homes & buildings and many refurbishment projects.

Chayley Collis works for UK Passivhaus specialist supplier Green Building Store. She previously worked as a researcher and writer for Ethical Consumer magazine.

passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en

www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk

Context:

Public funding for reducing the number of dwellings with raised humidity levels due to low maintenance standards or to designer construction faults should be continued. More stringent building codes that minimise dampness rising in ground floors and basements should be considered.

Throughout the building industry (from legislative controls to design and construction), more emphasis should be placed on the means of providing adequate ventilation through suitable technology and improved window design. For new and refurbished dwellings, thermal comfort and airtightness must not be achieved at the expense of adequate ventilation.

From Public health significance of urban pests, WHO Regional Office for Europe 2008

Evidence that house dust mite allergens cause asthma is stronger than for any other inhaled allergen. Research has found children exposed to high levels of dust mite allergens at home during first year were more likely to develop sensitisation and that those exposed to the highest levels were most likely to develop asthma.

Changes in building practices have resulted in houses with less natural ventilation. This has led to an increase in indoor air humidity and a more stable climate for supporting dust mite growth. Increased use of carpets has also contributed to the increase in dust mites.

From Urban pests and their public health significance: A CIEH summary, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health 2008

Growing up in poor housing conditions has an undeniable impact on children’s health. The evidence is particularly strong on the effect of cold, damp and mould. Cold temperatures lower resistance to respiratory infections; damp conditions are favourable to bacteria and viruses; and mould and fungi produce allergens that can lead to asthma and other respiratory problems.

Damp and mould impact more strongly on children than adults. Reviews of the evidence in the UK and other countries have concluded that children living in damp, mouldy homes are between one and a half and three times more prone to coughing and wheezing – symptoms of asthma and other respiratory conditions – than children in dry homes. Such symptoms can lead to sleep loss, restrictions on children’s daily activities and absence from school, all of which have long-term implications for a child’s personal development.

From Chance of a lifetime: the impact of bad housing on children’s lives, Shelter 2006

Tharagampatty, Tamil Nadu, India

At this barber’s shop, free condoms are part of the service. Local Gandhian charity Inba Seva Sangam provides condoms though 23 barbers as part of its HIV and AIDS awareness programme in this rural corner of Tamil Nadu.

Programme manager John Bosco explains: ‘We identified barbers’ shops as an ideal place to spread safe sex messages. They’re popular places for men to socialise.’

Ten barbers in Tharagampatty are taking part, along with ten in Karur and three in other nearby villages. ISS also visits schools, organises self-help groups and stages cultural evenings which bring the community together to enjoy arts and entertainment while discussing HIV and AIDS. ‘It’s not a serious time, there are no hard words,’ says Mr Bosco. ‘Even if all the villagers don’t come, they all hear about it.’

Its work compliments mainstream healthcare provision in the area. Mylampatty PHC, which serves 32,000 local residents, has 123 HIV cases, including 70 cases of full blown AIDS. Seven children are affected.

The PHC’s Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre covers common problems like dermatitis, fever, cough and cold, along with typhoid, dengue, swine flu and HIV. ICTCs offer social as well as medical support, providing talking therapy, outreach and a direct link to social services. The Indian government and its National AIDS Control Organisation have helped grow the number of ICTCs from 62 in 1997 to 5,135 in 2009. By 2009, ICTCs had tested 13.4 million people for HIV nationally, an increase from 4 million in 2006.

ISS, which was established by Belgian Mother Leo Provo in 1968, administrates two orphanages, which accommodate AIDS orphans along with other vulnerable children. It also runs a fostering scheme, a school and a range of social, education, environment and public health programmes. It is supported by private donations and organisations including Swedish NGO Sofia, Karur Municipal Council and the Tamil Nadu state government.

nacoonline.org

inbasevasangam.org

The 60th Annual education symposium of the California Environmental Health Association took place in Ventura Beach in April. A varied programme saw excellent attendance with over 456 attendees. The requirement for continuing education credits may well have had something to do with this.

Keynote speakers each morning fired delegates up for the day. Dr Chuck Wall inspired with stories of ‘irrational acts of kindness’ in typically amusing and self-deprecating style. Jason MacDonald left his native Canada to enjoy the balmier weather of California. He described his African experiences in ‘Notes from the roof of the world.’

The packed programme included climate change, pool safety, lead in housing, drinking water and food hygiene.

The social networking was also well-organised and busy. A harbour cruise, Hollywood themed banquet and Mexican buffet were the more formal manifestations of this. But the bar, coffee shop and courtyards were filled with people discussing all manner of things to do with environmental and public health, from Africa to Ecuador, Alaska to Mexico.

Western Exterminator, a pest control company, were even dispensing edible salt and vinegar flavoured fried crickets.

Doug Turner, a stalwart of CEHA, was attending his 48th consecutive AES. His 49th opportunity will be in April 2012 in Sacramento.

Kulithalai, a growing town of 32,000 people, sits beside the Kaveri river, a green oasis on Tamil Nadu’s dusty plains. Pilgrims travel miles to visit its Ayyarmalai and Kadambaneswar temples, and shoppers arrive to buy fresh jasmine and beetle leaves.

Famous for its lush banana groves, the town is laced with irrigation channels and drains. They serve the farms that stretch southwards from the river and help flush human waste away from the urban area.

But as settlements built up around Kulithalai, the amount of waste in the environment increased – a problem all too common throughout India.

Until recently there was no effective rubbish collection in the municipality. Litter strewn on roads and in fields blocked water channels, leading to spiralling environmental problems.

Vijay Anand of local NGO ExNoRa explains: ‘People were throwing garbage on the ground. It clogged the drains and the water stagnated. Once it stagnated, lots of mosquitoes started breeding. People were getting bitten. It was a huge problem.

‘Before, the channels were running properly, but they became contaminated with solid and liquid waste. Kulithalai used to be famous for bananas. Suddenly it was famous for mosquitoes.’

The chairman of Kulithalai Municipal Council, Thiru A Amuthavel, wanted to deal with the root cause of the problem. He approached ExNoRa, which is active in solid waste management elsewhere in southern India, and requested it take on a municipal contract.

The charity refused. Its policy, it said, was to build local capacity, helping urban bodies like the council manage these issues themselves.

Instead the council employed ExNoRa staff as consultants, and together they assessed the town’s systems and problems and started to identify appropriate solutions.

For ExNoRa, Kulithalai was an ideal opportunity to work with established bodies: ‘We have to target the right people,’ says programme co-ordinator Vijay Anand. ‘We must deal with people who can decide. If the right person is convinced, we give him a lot of exposure to different things and this exposure gives him confidence.

‘It’s a model learning experience for us. Mr Amuthavel is a practical person, but others have to be interested. The council comprises 24 people. We had a meeting for them, and offered them the same insights.’

Mr Amuthavel, a commerce graduate, became Tamil Nadu’s youngest ever municipal chairman in 2006, aged 29. Now, at the age of 33, he continues to represent ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as chair of Kulithalai Municipality.

‘I want to clean up politics, and the environment,’ he says. ‘If you have political will, you can.’

Independently, and with ExNoRa’s support, he studied solid waste management and public health, often focusing on biological solutions. He shared his conclusions with his fellow councillors and they agreed to invest municipal funds in a radical two-year solid waste management programme, and to renew funding if the programme proved a success.

In 2009 Kulithalai began a new chapter. Municipal staff removed all litter bins from the streets and began collecting rubbish from each household, daily.

‘We don’t give an opportunity for people to throw garbage on the road,’ says Mr Amuthvelu.

They contacted residents in batches to show them the benefits of the new system and teach them how to segregate rubbish. They went into schools and spoke to students and teachers, and met with traders, doctors and other health workers, discussing with them how solid waste management could help prevent illness.

The 28 municipal staff who implement the programme were renamed ‘street beautifiers,’ given a pay rise and offered financial incentives for segregating useful material. ‘We trained them, convinced them and gave them dreams,’ says Mr Amuthavel. ‘In some quarters it was controversial.’

Kulithalai street beautifiers are traditionally from the Adi Andhra scheduled tribe, which originates from Andhra Pradesh. The team sees improving solid waste management as an opportunity to improve working conditions and respect for this scheduled caste, members of which were once considered ‘untouchable.’

The team appointed local women to monitor waste collection. These ‘link volunteers’ score each household according to how well they segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. Their records show that less than 20 per cent of residents sort their rubbish effectively; not an unexpected starting point for a town new to source-segregation.

National Service Scheme (NSS) students help educate residents, using data collected by link volunteers to identify homes that need extra help.

Segregated waste is deposited at collection points. Here street beautifiers separate plastic, paper and other recyclables and bag them.

Cows consume some biodegradable waste, and recyclables are taken to the municipal office to be weighed, recorded, and sorted into saleable and non-saleable material. Saleable material is baled, stored and sold to a scrap merchant.

The remaining biodegradable waste is diverted to compost, which is sold for Rs.3,000/- per tonne. At Kulithalai’s compost yard, the municipality is experimenting with different methods of vermicomposting, along with tree planting.

After nine months of daily collections and vigorous campaigning, the water in Kulithalai started flowing again. Waste management had become cost-effective, thanks to income from sales of compost and recyclables. Segregation, recycling and vermicomposting had replaced dumping and burning.

Streets and drains are now free of litter, and Kulithalai Municipal Council is providing solid waste services in compliance with the Indian government’s Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000.

‘It’s not a project, it’s a programme,’ says Mr Anand. ‘It’s open-ended, there’s no timeline.

‘Behaviour change should go with infrastructure development, and residents should be informed in a way that they understand. We’ve established good systems.’

Building on their partnership, the team has diversified into liquid waste management. The council has retained ExNoRa programme staff as solid waste consultants, and included liquid waste in their brief.

They began by studying sanitary systems using sanitation mapping software, with support from municipal funds

Their research showed that Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Solutions(DEWATS), as developed by the Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) and others, could solve many of the town’s problems. This technical approach aims to provide state-of-the-art-technology at affordable prices, using locally available materials. Applications are low-maintenance, as most important parts of the system work without technical energy inputs.

Kulithalai is currently at the pilot stage in implementing DEWATS. The partnership has established a range of low-cost waste water treatment systems and is welcoming new and creative solutions.

One simple demonstration project provides 42 houses with a collection pipe, diverting sewage from an open 1.5 metre-wide irrigation canal. The150 metre-long pipe collects waste water, which flows into a ‘root zone,’ an area of constructed wetlands.

Mr Amathavel paid for the pipeline with his personal funds, to the tune of Rs.22,000/-. He admits that, as well as helping clean up the environment, it provides welcome political mileage.

At his home, he is demonstrating another DEWATS system, employing microbial technology in a series of chambers attached to his toilet. Again he is using his own funds.

The programme also provides opportunities for commercial and non-profit organisations to invest in the town which, Mr Amuthavel says, encourages new ideas and spreads the cost of programme development.

For example, international voluntary organisation the Auroville Centre for Scientific Research is designing a vortex system on low lying land in Kulithalai. It employs microbial technology in waste water, which flows quickly through a series of not only functional, but architecturally attractive, chambers.

‘We have plenty of water,’ says Mr Anand. ‘We have enough resources. It’s how we use them. India’s problem is mismanagement of resources. On average, 21 per cent of sewage is treated, and 79 per cent is getting into water.’

In Kulithalai, the emphasis is on appropriate technology. The partnership’s approach characterises city sanitation as a big cake consisting of lots of small problems.

By combining waste collection, recycling, pipes and drains, constructed wetlands, vortex systems, microbial additives and other technologies, the team believes it can solve all Kulithalai’s waste and sanitation problems, one by one.

ExNoRa is now working with Pudukottai, Sirkali, Rasipuram, Thanjavur and Perambalur councils, with the aim of replicating the Kulithalai model.

‘If you bring the building blocks together you can see the whole picture,’ says Mr Anand. ‘For every problem there’s a solution. Our job is to make people aware of their options and encourage them solve their own problems.

‘Practical leadership with the power and will to do it is important. Pilots help people believe it’s possible and then they start co-operating. A holistic approach takes into account wider issues.’

Mr Amuthavel adds: ‘India needs more young politicians who think progressively for the benefit of the people. These solutions are replicable and adaptable. Kulithalai’s approach can give people the confidence to implement appropriate solutions in their areas.’

‘The NGO approach is wrong,’ says Mr Anand. ‘We work with the government. It may be a little slow initially but they can do it effectively because they have massive reach. If we join hands with the government and synergise our efforts we can reach 100 million people.’

municipality.tn.gov.in/kulithalai

exnora.org

exnora.in

cddindia.org

borda-net.org

India’s drive to increase food exports is being impeded by pesticide residues unacceptable in importing countries. Meanwhile, produce on the domestic market is frequently contaminated with residues exceeding less stringent limits.

In 2010, the European Union rejected three okra consignments from India due to high levels of Monocrotophos, Acephate and Triazaphos. All three of these pesticides can cause headaches, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and cardiac problems. Their EU Maximum Residue Limit is 0.03mg/kg, but tests revealed levels of 0.13mg/kg.

India’s MRL for Monocrotophos is considerably higher at 0.2mg/kg, but it is recommended only for use on cotton crops, as it is toxic to birds and humans. Neverthless, levels detected in food for sale on the domestic market are far higher than for exports.

The Food Safety and Standards Agency of India’s report, Summary of Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level, released last November, reported Okra from Gujarat had residues of 0.305mg/kg, and levels in okra from Haryana were 1.046mg/kg, over five times the MRL.

Eurofins laboratory, Hamburg, tested Indian basmati and non-basmati rice and found Cabenenzum and Isoprothiolane at three times the European Commission MRL of 0.01mg/kg. Exports of Indian basmati rice alone are worth around $300m per year.

Indian rice exporters complained that the MRL had been reduced, but they were given five years’ notice before the change just over a year ago.

The Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s drive to increase grape exports from 37,000 to 44,000 tonnes is being hampered by differing MRLs in exporting countries.

The export season for Indian grapes is short, at only six to seven weeks. Last year, exports to the EU were threatened by a deadlock caused by Chlormequat, just one of 98 pesticides for which grape consignments to the EU are tested.

Germany and the Netherlands upheld stringent standards and did not clear imports. In May, containers of grapes rejected by the Netherlands, one of the largest buyers of Indian grapes, were left rotting at Rotterdam port. The UK and Sweden allowed import of Indian grapes by introducing their own MRL.

Use of Chlormequat is not permitted in the EU, but the European Food Safety Association helped importers by stating that Indian grapes with Chlormequat residues were unlikely to pose a health risk at concentrations below 1.06mg/kg. It did, however, raise the concern that children eating a large amount of such grapes in a short period might suffer acute symptoms, including vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and headache. A child weighing 16.15kg needed to eat just 211.5g of grapes to be at risk, it said. No warning was issued in the UK.

In August 2010, to ensure traceability of table grapes exported to the EU, India’s Agricultural and Processed Products Export Development Authority launched GrapeNet. This web-based software enables importers to view inspection reports, including pesticide residue analyses.

Unfortunately, India’s domestic market is not subjected to such vigilance. Summary of Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level lists samples from 13 states across India in 2008 and 2009 which tested above MRLs set by India’s 1954 Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

The FSSAI report, which was produced by the Government of India Department of Agriculture and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, details how four out of 25 pesticides banned in India for use, manufacture, import and export were found in produce for sale on the domestic market.

Aldrin, it says, was detected in brinjal, cauliflower, tomato, okra, banana, apple, wheat and milk. Chlordane, which is banned in 47 countries, was found in apples, bananas and cabbage.

Chlorfenvinfos was detected in bitter gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, rice and wheat. Heptachlor was detected in brinjal, okra, tomatoes, rice, milk and butter.

These four substances are among the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) identified by the Stockholm Convention as the ‘dirty dozen.’ They remain in tact for long periods and accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and people.

Testing Indian food has also revealed pesticides subject to restricted use. DDT is not supposed to be used on vegetable crops, but was found in tomatoes in Uttar Pradesh at over 100 times the MRL.

Fenpropathrin is not recommended for use on tea plants, but was detected in Assam tea at more than twice the CODEX MRL of 2ppm.

And India’s people consume pesticides which are legal in their country but banned elsewhere. Lindane is banned in Finland, Indonesia, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Lucia and Sweden because its toxicity affects acute and chronic health problems. It has been linked to breast cancer and blood disorders. In India, traces of Lindane have been found in poultry and tomatoes.

Cypermethrin is legal in India but has been banned in sheep dip in the UK since 2006. The Indian MRL for Cypermethrin is 0.2mg/kg, but it was detected in pork in Mumbai at 15 times this level.

Repeated detection of high levels of pesticide residues is undermining confidence in India’s food exports, and there is a growing outcry from India’s own people over failure to meet lower standards set for the home market.

http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/summary-monitoring-pesticide-residues-national-level

http://www.fruitnet.com/content.aspx?cid=6604

apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/Archive/GrapeNet

When we think of hygiene, we think of getting rid of microbes. Hygiene equals absence of microbes or ‘germs.’ This is reinforced by advertisements for cleaning agents and pest control inputs in journals and cinema, on hoardings and on TV. However, their application is limited, and cleaning and pest-control agents often add to environmental pollution.

There is a historical background and logic to this prevailing attitude. And there is a way out of the conventional approach.

As recently as the mid-nineteenth century, conscientious physicians in Europe were obliged to warn their patients against all forms of surgery. More patients died from surgery, due to infections caused by the doctor, than from the disease for which they underwent it.

Modern surgery could only take off when disinfectants were discovered, by Semmelweis and by Lister, and when Lister introduced phenol (carbolic acid) into mainstream medicine. The discovery of microbe-killing substances, or biocides, was a breakthrough for surgery and medicine.

When a surgeon could kill all micro-organisms on the patch of skin through which his knife was to enter the patient’s body, surgery was rendered hygienically safe. Only then, in the late 1870’s, could modern surgery start its rapid and glorious course from operations on appendix, hernia, gall-bladder and stomach, to open heart surgery, organ transplants, limb replacements and endoscopic, minimally invasive surgery.

However, it is unwise and unhealthy to regard annihilation of all microbes on the body surface as a step towards physical health and hygiene. It is harmful to make this the basis for household hygiene, and it is ecologically disastrous to pursue it in the environment.

In the same way agriculture has become a major polluter, ‘hygiene’ contributes heavily to the burden on the environment. Not only do we discharge excessive amounts of liquid and solid waste into soil and water, making rivers and lakes open sewers unfit for fishing, household, agricultural and recreational use, we also undermine nature’s mechanisms for self-purification and revival by killing the organisms responsible for recycling elements.

Microbes are pretty much everywhere on this globe. They are several kilometres inside the earth, in rocks and volcanoes and in thermal vents in the deep sea.

Unicellular organisms were the first forms of life, 3.8 billion years ago. They were the precursors to higher organisms, and helped make the globe’s atmosphere fit for higher life forms. They protect our skin, our bodily orifices and our digestion. They are responsible for the development of our immune system, manufacture of vitamins and uptake of nutrients and calories from food.

While our bodies contain maybe a trillion cells, it has been estimated that there are hundreds of trillions of microbes in our gut.

Although Louis Pasteur discovered that the organisms of yeast were responsible for the formation of alcohol, microbiology originally progressed through the discovery of diseasecausing germs.

Modern microbiologists know that, in comparison to the total number of microbial species – unidentified and identified – the number of pathogens is negligible. Humans have to live with and amongst microbes, and efforts to eliminate them are based on misconceptions of biology and health.

There is another approach to hygiene besides biocidal warfare, and one of the alternatives available is EM technology, a brand developed in Japan for use in agriculture and beyond.

EM, Effective Microorganisms, is a liquid culture with three genera of microorganisms; lactobacilli (as found in yoghurt and Sauerkraut), yeast (as used to make bread, beer and wine) and photosynthetic or phototrophic bacteria (as in some pickles and cheeses). All occur widely in nature on all continents.

These organisms have not been modified by genetic engineering. They are easy to handle and cause no harm even if accidentally ingested. In India, where I live, EM is easily affordable.

The father of EM technology is Prof Teruo Higa, an agriculturist from Okinawa, Japan. He discovered that some symbiotic aerobic and anaerobic organisms jointly exhibit stronger and more interesting properties than the individual organisms on their own. He went public with his product in Japan in 1982, and launched it internationally in 1989. EM is now manufactured in about 50 countries and used in about 150.

EM was initially developed for the agricultural sector. Its users claim it improves the quantity and quality of crops, affecting their taste, scent, colour intensity and longevity. Early users also reported its power to counteract ‘rot, stink and rust.’ If EM can control the fouling of organic debris, it can control associated pest nuisance, including flies and cockroaches, and the spread of pathogens.

It became obvious that EM could be utilised for composting and solid waste management, and for sewage and effluent treatment. And if EM is antioxidant or anticorrosive, it can also find use in medical and technical contexts.

Thus EM is used in agriculture and horticulture, in animal husbandry and aquaculture, in composting and solid waste management, in sewage and effluent treatment, in environmental rehabilitation of wastelands and of eutrophicated water bodies, and in management of hygiene.

EM is available as EM1 or so-called EM stock solution. This contains the microbes in a dormant state, as spores, and has a shelf life of twelve months. It needs to be activated or extended by mixing one part EM1 with one part molasses and twenty parts of water.

This mixture needs to be placed in an airtight container of food-grade plastic and kept undisturbed in a shaded place of stable temperature to ferment for between five and 14 days. Because of gas development during fermentation, metal or glass containers cannot be used. The pressure building up in the container needs to be released once a day.

When the pH has dropped to below 4, activated EM solution (AEM) is ready for use. AEM should be used within one month.

In agriculture, AEM is diluted in the range of 1:500 to 1:1,000, in wastewater treatment from 1:500 to 1:several thousands. In my experience, wherever its use has benefits, EM proves cost-efficient.

The hygienic need of our bodies and surroundings is not sterility, but cleanliness, and freedom from unpleasant odours and aggressively virulent microbes. It makes no sense to try to establish aseptic conditions on a floor – including a hospital floor – as every foot or shoe walking over brings millions of organisms.

It is indeed an effect of aggressive hospital hygiene that the most virulent microbes have developed resistance against all antibiotics and disinfectants and now threaten the life of in-patients more than any microbe outside hospital surroundings.

If we are ready to accept an ecofriendly approach to hygiene, beneficial microbes may be used to replace most cleaning agents. Instead of killing all lifeforms, they establish themselves against pathogens and create an environment in which pathogens are not fostered.

One must first dispense with all biocidal hygiene agents, including disinfectants and chlorine. Initially some people will miss the scents added to these conventional agents.

EM applied on toilets and in bathrooms dispels unpleasant odors within seconds. It is effective on floors, walls, shelves and cupboards. It controls the development of fungus and mouldy odours, and eliminates fly nuisance and cockroaches, which can act as vectors of pathogens.

AEM solution is diluted in the range 1:50 to 1:200 for floor surfaces. After about two weeks, tiled surfaces appear shiny. However, surfaces that are damaged by acids such as vinegar, for example certain soft stones, will also suffer from undiluted, highly acidic AEM.

Use a household sprayer to apply undiluted AEM in toilets and urinals, preferably late at night, and leave it overnight without flushing. Wash all surfaces, for example toilet bowls, urinals, sinks, floors and walls, with diluted AEM as frequently as it was done with other cleaning agents. For stain removal use detergent or soap, then use AEM in the last wash.

Both the World Health Organization and the Indian government promote ecosan (ecological sanitation) toilets. Microbes can be used in these systems to help ensure effective composting of human waste.

The technology has two major advantages over sewerage-based systems; it reduces the need for water and produces useful, sanitised compost.

Recent surveys have estimated there are about 150 ecosan toilets in Germany and around 20,000 in India.

Long-term use of the right microbes has beneficial side effects. Wastewater gets inoculated, reducing the burden on any treatment plant and the environment and facilitating re-use of wastewater.

Microbes can help close natural ecological loops, transforming liquid and solid wastes into resources and facilitating quick, easy re-use of treated and processed waste materials on site.

With microbial technology, hygiene, composting, farming, gardening and wastewater treatment become ecofriendly practices.

Dr Lucas Dengel trained in medicine at the University of Mainz, Germany. He has 20 years experience in public hygiene, focusing on environmental and public health. He has co-ordinated Unicef programs addressing water management in Tamil Nadu schools and produced educational materials about sanitation and water management. He founded AuroAnnam in 2000, to promote and demonstrate organic farming. In 2007 he founded EcoPro, a business promoting EM technology and ecological approaches to agriculture and management of wastes and biological resources.

> www.emrojapan.com

> www.ecopro.in

2010 was the charity’s first active year, and in its first months its secretariat began the process of registering FHR with the UK Charity Commission.

The FHR website went live in January 2010, creating a place where environmental and public health professionals worldwide can network online. As well as Friends ezine, which is available through the site, it offers a chance to raise questions, discuss and develop ideas and offer advice and assistance.

Also in January, FHR established the Register – its database of environmental and public health professionals willing to work on development projects and in disaster and emergency situations, at home or in cultures other than their own. An impressive 160 professionals have signed up so far, and the number continues to grow.

In Spring 2010, FHR’s first exchange worker, Canadian EHO Jason MacDonald, visited Twaha Mubarak and his colleagues at Mkuranga, near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In May 2010, FHR partnered up with peoples-uni.org, a provider of low cost public health education worldwide. Immediately the two organisations embarked on two joint projects, offering a bursary to a public health professional in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and developing an online environmental health module, which will soon become part of the Peoples-uni curriculum.

Resource pages were added to the site in August, offering country-specific information, including public health statistics and details of relevant courses, public sector organisations and NGOs. FHR is asking colleagues to help update the pages that cover the places they live and work. To volunteer contact Friends editor Marie-Claire Kidd at hiyamc@googlemail.com.

In 2011 the charity will focus on creating opportunities for the growing number of professionals on the FHR Register.

Secretary Stewart Petrie says: ‘During 2011 we hope to organise three events for those on the Register. These will involve elements of training, discussion and networking. We hope these will take place in southern Ireland, Canada and east Africa.’

The charity will work with new partners to organise a port health conference in Africa, as requested by sub-Saharan African colleagues, and it hopes to see its first container laboratory in the field this year (see Friends 2).

Another key aim is to involve more professionals in using and informing Friends ezine and the FHR website, and to offer more bursaries, at least five, in 2011.

FHR has yet to find a suitable candidate for the bursary offered to a professional in Haiti. For more information on bursaries or any other FHR activity email info@friend-of-the-human-race.org