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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have become widespread pollutants and now represent a global contamination problem. The presence of POPs in human serum and adipose tissues have raised public concern regarding their possible role as important etiologic agents in the development of human cancer. This paper aims to investigate the extent of environmental contamination with pesticides and their association with women's risk of breast cancer.

Various stages of carcinogenesis (initiation, promotion, progression), causes and risk factors associated with breast cancer are delineated. A possible mechanism of xenoestrogen and its association with breast cancer incidences in women is included. Recommendations for reducing breast cancer risks in women are also given.

Epidemiological studies have revealed that persistent pesticide residues in human serum and adipose tissues may increase women's risk of breast cancer. Women are at a greater risk than men of pesticide exposure. The association between organochlorine compounds and breast cancer is a controversial issue and there exists an exigency to execute extensive worldwide epidemiological studies under identical conditions of detected compounds, blood sampling procedures and analytical techniques to achieve conclusive results.

Women's risk of breast cancer associated with pesticide residues could be subjugated by avoiding prolonged occupational exposures, adopting precautionary measures, and changing lifestyle and dietary habits.

The paper shows that restrictions on the application of POPs and the avoidance of prolonged occupational exposure would result in lower concentrations of POP in blood, serum and adipose tissue, thus minimising women's risk of breast cancer.

Much to the relief of everyone, the general election has come and gone and with it the boring television drivel; the result a foregone conclusion. The Labour/Trade Union movement with a severe beating, the worst for half a century, a disaster they have certainly been asking for. Taking a line from the backwoods wisdom of Abraham Lincoln — “You can't fool all the people all the time!” Now, all that most people desire is not to live easy — life is never that and by the nature of things, it cannot be — but to have a reasonably settled, peaceful existence, to work out what they would consider to be their destiny; to be spared the attentions of the planners, the plotters, provocateurs, down to the wilful spoilers and wreckers. They have a right to expect Government protection. We cannot help recalling the memory of a brilliant Saturday, but one of the darkest days of the War, when the earth beneath our feet trembled at the destructive might of fleets of massive bombers overhead, the small silvery Messerschmits weaving above them. Believing all to be lost, we heaped curses on successive Governments which had wrangled over rearmament, especially the “Butter before Guns” brigade, who at the word conscription almost had apoplexy, and left its people exposed to destruction. Now, as then, the question is “Have they learned anything?” With all the countless millions Government costs, its people have the right to claim something for their money, not the least of which is the right to industrial and domestic peace.

Reviews some of the chemistry and environmental hazards associated with chlorine and bromine compounds when used as water disinfectants in many industrial processes. Lays emphasis on the oxidation of bromide by chlorine to bromate, a suspected genotoxin. A risk assessment of the predicted presence is detailed. In view of the formation of haloforms and other noxious substances derived from chlorine, some of the advantages of the use of chlorine dioxide are detailed. Proposes recommendations for water regulators to consider the inclusion of bromine‐containing substances, and in particular bromate, in forthcoming legislation.

A proposal for the addition of yeast in routine and clinical diets for optimal nutrition of human beings was made on the premiss of its salubrious effects in laboratory and farm animals. The strong points in favour of the supplement are its ancient use in brewery and bakery production for human consumption, its cultural acceptability and freedom from pathogenicity, allergenicity, toxicity or carcinogenicity. Recommendations for clinical trials with humans were made to confirm a list of tentative advantages obtained in trials with animals.

This study aims to better understand the morphological characteristics of single particle and the health risk characteristics of heavy metals in PM_2.5 in different functional areas of Handan City.

High resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the aerosol samples collected from different functional areas of Handan City. The morphology and size distribution of the particles collected on hazy and clear days were compared. The health risk evaluation model was applied to evaluate the hazardous effects of particles on human health in different functional areas on hazy days.

The results show that the particulate matter in different functional areas is dominated by spherical particles in different weather conditions. In particular, the proportion of spherical particles exceeds 70% on the haze day, and the percentage of soot aggregates increases significantly on the clear day. The percentage of each type of particle in the teaching and living areas varied less under different weather conditions. Except for the industrial area, the size distribution of each type of particle in haze samples is larger than that on the clear day. Spherical particles contribute more to the small particle size segment. Soot aggregate and other shaped particles contribute more to the large size segment. The mass concentrations of hazardous elements (HEs) in PM_2.5 in different functional areas on consecutive haze pollution days were illustrated as industrial area > traffic area > living area > teaching area. Compared with the other functional areas, the teaching area had the lowest noncarcinogenic risk of HEs. The lifetime carcinogenic risk values of Cr and As elements in each functional area have exceeded residents’ threshold levels and are at high risk of carcinogenicity. Among the four functional areas, the industrial area has the highest carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks. But the effects of HEs on human health in the other functional areas should also be taken seriously and continuously controlled.

The significance of the study is to further understand the morphological characteristics of single particles and the health risks of heavy metals in different functional areas of Handan City. the authors hope to provide a reference for other coal-burning industrial cities to develop plans to improve air quality and human respiratory health.

The presence of heavy metals in milk causes many acute and chronic physiological dysfunctions in human organs. The present study aims to investigate the heavy metals in cow's and buffalo's milk of two major cities, Karachi and Gujranwala, Pakistan to estimate metal intake by humans from this source.

In total, 48 milk samples from 2 cities were drawn from animals' udder to avoid contamination. Each sample was digested with nitric acid at 105 ^oC (degree Celsius) on a pre-heated electric hot plate to investigate the metals by atomic absorption spectroscopy (flame type). Air-acetylene technique analyzed chromium, cadmium and lead, and the hydride method analyzed arsenic in the milk samples.

The results revealed the highest mean lead concentration (19.65 ± 43.86 ppb) in the milk samples, followed by chromium (2.10 ± 2.33 ppb) and arsenic (0.48 ± 0.73 ppb). Cadmium was not detected in any sample, assuming cadmium's occurrence was below the detection level. The concentrations of all the metals in the samples of the two cities do not differ statistically. Lead concentrations in the buffalo's milk were higher than in cow's milk (p < 0.05). However, the concentrations of arsenic and chromium between buffalo's and cow's milk do not differ statistically. The present study reveals a lower level of metals in the milk than those conducted elsewhere. The mean concentrations of all the metals met the World Health Organization's (WHO) safety guidelines (1993).

Although cadmium causes toxicity in the human body, cadmium could not be measured because cadmium's concentration was below the detection level, which is 1 ppb.

This study will help reduce the toxic metals in our environment, and the sources of heavy metals, particularly from the industrial sector could be identified. The feed and water consumed by the milking animals could be carefully used for feeding them.

This study will help reduce the diseases and malfunction of human organs and organ systems since these heavy metals cause toxicity and carcinogenicity in humans. Arsenic and chromium cause cancer while lead causes encephalopathy (a brain disease).

The study reports heavy metal concentrations in the two attributes of four independent variables of raw milk samples that were scarcely reported from Pakistan.

Probiotics are known to extend health benefits and therefore may be included during yoghurt manufacture to enhance its prophylactic properties. Different probiotic strains may exhibit diverse biotechnological behaviour in association with yoghurt cultures, therefore interactive behaviour amongst probiotic and yoghurt cultures must be evaluated prior to their commercial application. This paper aims to assess the effect of inclusion of different probiotic cultures on various biotechnological (technological, dietetic and prophylactic) characteristics of yoghurt cultures.

Yoghurt was assessed for technological characteristics based on acidification and flavour production, dietetic characteristics based on proteolytic activity, vitamin synthesis and L (+) lactic acid production and prophylactic characteristics based on β‐galactosidase activity, antibacterial spectrum, viability in product as well as during gastro‐intestinal transit, intestinal colonization, immunomodulation, anti‐carcinogenicity and hypocholesterolemic effect.

Different probiotic cultures exhibited diverse technological, dietetic and prophylactic behaviour in association with yoghurt cultures. Functional properties of traditional yoghurt could be enhanced with the combined introduction of probiotic cultures such as Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis and Lactobacillus acidophilus and the resultant product may be recommended for consumption as a dietary adjunct.

The paper shows that combined introduction of probiotic cultures such as B. bifidum, B. infantis and L. acidophilus, as microbial additives during the manufacture of yoghurt would result in a product with enhanced functional properties.

THE patrician families of Imperial Rome had relatively short lives and, compared with the average of that era, very small numbers of children. Historians have usually attributed both these phenomena to moral causes but an alternative theory, and one well supported by scientific evidence, is that they suffered from chronic lead poisoning. In those days the metal was relatively cheap, extensively used in cooking vessels and for water pipes and, as lead salts, in cosmetics, medicines, wine and food. The Romans knew lead poisoning of the acute type, among lead workers for example, but did not recognize it as a slow, chronic disease and this environmental health hazard continued undetected.

The quality of groundwater in the vicinity of petroleum products retailing stations in Ile-Ife, Nigeria was investigated with a view to providing valuable information on the organic and other physico-chemical parameters associated with the contamination of the groundwaters by petroleum products. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Three sets of samples were collected per season from artesian wells within petroleum products retailing stations for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), trace metals and other physico-chemical parameters analysis. Extraction, cleaned-up and concentration of the PAHs were done using certified analytical methods. Levels of the PAHs and metals were determined using gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector and bulk scientific atomic absorption spectrophotometer, respectively, while other pollution indicators were measured using standard analytical procedures.

The groundwaters contained elevated levels of PAHs, Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cr, V, Ni, Fe and total dissolved solids than their maximum allowable limits for drinking water. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results confirmed that both seasonal variation and location had much influence on the levels of most of the analyzed parameters. Some of the parameters showed strong positive correlation with each other, while Cr/Pb and Na/Pb displayed strong negative correlation with each other, indicating similar source(s) and/or chemical affinity and vice versa, respectively. Cross-plot analysis results using metals and PAHs concentrations as variables showed significant positive correlations (R2=0.99) and (R2=0.60), respectively, suggesting similar source(s) of contamination of the two sets of samples.

The level of the groundwater contamination was an indication of indiscriminate discharge of petroleum products and/or underground tank leakage within the study areas.