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Unstoppable global plasticization It is estimated that over three hundred and fifty million tons of plastic are thrown into the waste every year, less than a tenth is recycled and over a fifth end up in the environment damaging the health of humans and all kinds of living creatures. At an international conference in South Korea in Busan the issue was discussed, but apparently no solutions are found to a problem that according to forecasts will only worsen in the coming years, since the demand for plastic remains very high and recycling does not work or works very little; in fact, from two hundred and thirty tons in the year 2000 it has gone to four hundred and sixty in 2019, then in practice ninety-one percent of this plastic ended up in landfills, burned or disposed of directly in the environment. On an interconnected planet plastic sooner or later ends up in the food chain and is breathed in as microplastic. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Nov 30, 2024 
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 Too much plastic film used in agriculture The use of plastic film strips on the ground on a large scale for the cultivation of wheat is having a significant impact on agriculture in the areas of Quebec in Canada so much so that some are asking for studies to be done on this product which should be biodegradable, but doubts remain whether it cannot release plastic microparticles into the environment. In particular it is estimated that the use of this plastic mulch for example in one region (Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean), has increased by more than ninety percent in the last seven years, so it is a rampant practice that is also disfiguring the landscape. Since plastic remains in the environment for years, it risks polluting waterways and then groundwater and not knowing the real ecological impact, it is a problem considered critical by the locals. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Nov 11, 2024 n: 5796 Poverty in the world for over a billion people The difficulty of having a decent standard of living and at the same time fearing for one's safety concerns a large number of people in the world, then it is estimated that over a billion people live in extreme poverty (children would be about half); then, for example, the conflicts that are upsetting the planet frustrate the efforts made to reduce poverty. India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo are the countries with the highest number of people in extreme poverty. Some speak of migrations caused by climate change and the abandonment of previously cultivated land, this is also due to a lack of appropriations and aid to deal with new unforeseen situations (which often require structural interventions) and this leads to a vicious circle with scarcity on the global food market and consequent continuous rise in prices. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Oct 18, 2024 n: 5777 More responsible use of plastic In laboratory tests it has been seen that microplastics are harmful to a group of animals examined, so the researchers wonder why humans should be different and put forward the proposal to at least ban the use of plastic where it has been shown that it directly pollutes the environment, then act on all that large mass of plastic that then becomes microplastic and pay attention in general to all the plastic that is used daily also taking into account tires and textile fabrics (in the latter case, of course, buy garments in natural fabrics that are also healthier). Microplastics are now present everywhere on the planet even in the most remote areas and even incorporated into the corals of the seabed, then they easily end up in the food chain and often it is enough to analyze a food to find them. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Oct 01, 2024 n: 5762 New type of activated carbon that captures PFAS Trying to capture and destroy PFAS, persistent pollutants that remain in the environment for a very long time (called also "forever chemicals") has become a priority goal for researchers given the damage they cause; they are present in water and therefore in the food chain with consequent damage to health and the environment. They are present in a large number of products widely used such as in non-stick coatings of pans, as waterproofing agents in jackets and other fabrics, in cosmetics and conventional methods fail to break the very resistant molecules of their chemical bonds. It seems that Canadian researchers have developed a procedure with a new type of activated carbon that succeeds in this difficult task by using fragments of wood in a solution of iron chloride and burned at high temperature. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Sep 24, 2024 n: 5756 Plastic used for few minutes and thrown away A simple gesture that has become common in the world such as taking a plastic cup filled with a drink and throwing it away after a few minutes or even seconds could be a serious damage to the environment and this often happens for a large number of plastic containers that may be apparently comfortable, practical and convenient but constitute a big risk for the food chain. Efforts are being made at international level this year to reach an agreement to limit plastic pollution; in fact, it is estimated that four hundred million metric tons of plastic end up in the environment every year, an evidently enormous amount with devastating impact for the entire ecosystem. United Arab Emirates residents are said to have one of the highest volumes of plastic waste in the world, and single-use plastic makes up forty percent of all plastic used in the country. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Sep 18, 2024 n: 5751 Crops affected by drought in southern Africa The effects related to the global current "El Nino" already at the beginning of the year would have affected vast regions in southern Africa, there is talk of crops suffering from drought and about sixty-eight million people are at risk from food shortages; then recently in the Harare capital of Zimbabwe in a conference was discussed, among other food security issues concerning sixteen (developing) countries of southern Africa. If the fields no longer produce fodder livestock farms are also affected and consequently the entire economy, it is estimated that seventeen percent would need aid and Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi have already declared the food crisis as a state of disaster, then Lesotho and Namibia require humanitarian support. In Zimbabwe malnutrition affects children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as adolescents. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Aug 22, 2024 n: 5728 Agriculture hampered by drought in Morocco Six years of drought would have seriously damaged crops in Morocco where a third of the fields are no longer cultivated due to adverse conditions, then the work in the fields became harder and this decidedly unfavorable situation that heavily hinders agriculture affects vast areas of the Mediterranean; particularly affected in addition to Morocco where about a third of the active population works in the fields, neighboring Algeria and Tunisia. The authorities complain that drought has become a reality and announce investments including the increase in the use of renewable energy, then technology helps with modern and sophisticated solutions in the agricultural field, but it is used only in about fifteen percent of cultivated areas. Some say that without rain there is no life as they watch their crops impoverished and damaged by drought. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Jul 13, 2024 n: 5695 An agricultural chain poorly controlled in Italy Following a case of exploitation in an agricultural field of melon harvesting to the detriment of an illegal immigrant, gruesome to say the least, with tragic consequences protests have multiplied regarding the working conditions in agriculture reserved for those who do not have protection; then the supply chain is poorly controlled and even those who buy fruit and vegetables can hardly know if basic rules against accidents have been respected and it seems sometimes even the distribution chains know this in an approximate way, making serious abuses possible. Needless to say that climate change in addition to hindering production and damaging crops (for example up to minus sixty percent of production of oil, wheat, and some vegetables in the South of Italy due to drought) makes work in the fields exhausting due to extreme temperatures and strong solar radiation. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Jun 22, 2024 n: 5677 Pasteurization works for the H5N1 virus There would be no problem with eating pasturized milk while eating raw milk could be risky in the United States due to outbreaks due to the H5N1 avian flu virus in cow farms; in fact, it seems that infected cows have produced an anomalously thick and yellowish milk, at least according to what emerges from analyses carried out in several states after the confirmation of infections in some farms. Veterinarians also discovered the virus in the lungs of cows that showed no symptoms belonging to an infected herd, but the meat did not enter the food chain; fragments of the virus were then found in milk samples examined, prompting increased surveillance measures. According to the researchers several barriers must be built starting at the level of the farms and then at each stage of food processing to avoid pandemic risks. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: May 10, 2024 n: 5640 Nutrition * The author doesn't assume some kind of responsibility for the bad use of the articles councils (all rights are reserved) |
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