Elena O. Lingas

Bio: Elena O. Lingas is an academic researcher from University of California, Berkeley. The author has contributed to research in topics: Criminal justice & Arsenic contamination of groundwater. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 2 publications receiving 1861 citations.

Contamination of drinking-water by arsenic in Bangladesh: a public health emergency

Abstract: The contamination of groundwater by arsenic in Bangladesh is the largest poisoning of a population in history, with millions of people exposed. This paper describes the history of the discovery of arsenic in drinking-water in Bangladesh and recommends intervention strategies. Tube-wells were installed to provide ‘‘pure water’’ to prevent morbidity and mortality from gastrointestinal disease. The water from the millions of tube-wells that were installed was not tested for arsenic contamination. Studies in other countries where the population has had long-term exposure to arsenic in groundwater indicate that 1 in 10 people who drink water containing 500mg of arsenic per litre may ultimately die from cancers caused by arsenic, including lung, bladder and skin cancers. The rapid allocation of funding and prompt expansion of current interventions to address this contamination should be facilitated. The fundamental intervention is the identification and provision of arsenic-free drinking water. Arsenic is rapidly excreted in urine, and for early or mild cases, no specific treatment is required. Community education and participation are essential to ensure that interventions are successful; these should be coupled with follow-up monitoring to confirm that exposure has ended. Taken together with the discovery of arsenic in groundwater in other countries, the experience in Bangladesh shows that groundwater sources throughout the world that are used for drinking-water should be tested for arsenic.

Promoting Health: Media Advocacy Opportunities in English- and Spanish-Language Masthead Editorials:

Abstract: Purpose. This study examines two newspapers' editorial coverage of issues related to the Healthy People 2010 focus areas and compares the two newspapers. Design. A qualitative study. Setting. Two Los Angeles, California, newspapers. Subjects. The masthead editorials of the Los Angeles Times and La Opinion in the year following the release of Healthy People 2010. Measures. A structured data abstraction instrument was used for descriptive coding. Correspondence to 1 of the 28 Healthy People 2010 focus areas determined whether domestic editorials were about health. Analysis. An ethnographic content analysis. Results. There were 1075 editorials from the Los Angeles Times and 361 from La Opinion; 17% were focused on domestic health issues. Three Healthy People 2010 focus areas dominated: Environmental Health, Injury and Violence Prevention, and Access to Quality Health Services. Ten focus areas did not receive a single mention in the Los Angeles Times, and 19 focus areas lacked editorials in La Opinio...

Master of Public Health in Health Equity and Criminal Justice: Student and Alumni Feedback on the Development of a New Master of Public Health Concentration

Abstract: Purpose: To describe Master of Public Health (MPH) student and alumni interest in a new Health Equity and Criminal Justice (HECJ) concentration, highlight their personal experiences with mass incarceration, and summarize their input on developing the concentration. Methods: From July to October 2017 current MPH students and alumni at Touro University California (Vallejo, CA) were electronically surveyed. Results: The 152 respondents included those who had focused exclusively on public health, and those who concurrently obtained clinical degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, or physician assistant studies. Approximately 90% of the current and former students surveyed believed HECJ to be an integral part of public health, and one in three respondents described being personally impacted by incarceration. More than half (64%) were interested in the HECJ concentration, and 81% of those respondents were interested in completing their field study internship at a correctional facility. Conclusion: The HECJ concentration will fill an educational gap and may provide a pedagogical model for training a future generation of public health professionals to mitigate the health impacts of the U.S. mass incarceration epidemic.

Toxicity, mechanism and health effects of some heavy metals

Abstract: Heavy metal toxicity has proven to be a major threat and there are several health risks associated with it. The toxic effects of these metals, even though they do not have any biological role, remain present in some or the other form harmful for the human body and its proper functioning. They sometimes act as a pseudo element of the body while at certain times they may even interfere with metabolic processes. Few metals, such as aluminium, can be removed through elimination activities, while some metals get accumulated in the body and food chain, exhibiting a chronic nature. Various public health measures have been undertaken to control, prevent and treat metal toxicity occurring at various levels, such as occupational exposure, accidents and environmental factors. Metal toxicity depends upon the absorbed dose, the route of exposure and duration of exposure, i.e. acute or chronic. This can lead to various disorders and can also result in excessive damage due to oxidative stress induced by free radical formation. This review gives details about some heavy metals and their toxicity mechanisms, along with their health effects.

Trace Elements From Soil to Human

Abstract: Biogeochemistry of the Human Environment.- The Biosphere.- Soils.- Waters.- Air.- Plants.- Humans.- Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements.- Trace Elements of Group 1 (Previously Group Ia).- Trace Elements of Group 2 (Previously Group IIa).- Trace Elements of Group 3 (Previously Group IIIb).- Trace Elements of Group 4 (Previously Group IVb).- Trace Elements of Group 5 (Previously Group Vb).- Trace Elements of Group 6 (Previously Group VIb).- Trace Elements of Group 7 (Previously Group VIIb).- Trace Elements of Group 8 (Previously Part of Group VIII).- Trace Elements of Group 9 (Previously Part of Group VIII).- Trace Elements of Group 10 (Previously Part of Group VIII).- Trace Elements of Group 11 (Previously Group Ib).- Trace Elements of Group 12 (Previously Group IIb).- Trace Elements of Group 13 (Previously Group IIIa).- Trace Elements of Group 14 (Previously Group IVa).- Trace Elements of Group 15 (Previously Group Va).- Trace Elements of Group 16 (Previously Group VIa).- Trace Elements of Group 17 (Previously Group VIIa).

Water sanitation and hygiene interventions to reduce diarrhoea in less developed countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: Many studies have reported the results of interventions to reduce illness through improvements in drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene practices in less developed countries. There has, however, been no formal systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the evidence of the relative effectiveness of these interventions. We developed a comprehensive search strategy designed to identify all peer-reviewed articles, in any language, that presented water, sanitation, or hygiene interventions. We examined only those articles with specific measurement of diarrhoea morbidity as a health outcome in non-outbreak conditions. We screened the titles and, where necessary, the abstracts of 2120 publications. 46 studies were judged to contain relevant evidence and were reviewed in detail. Data were extracted from these studies and pooled by meta-analysis to provide summary estimates of the effectiveness of each type of intervention. All of the interventions studied were found to reduce significantly the risks of diarrhoeal illness. Most of the interventions had a similar degree of impact on diarrhoeal illness, with the relative risk estimates from the overall meta-analyses ranging between 0·63 and 0·75. The results generally agree with those from previous reviews, but water quality interventions (point-of-use water treatment) were found to be more effective than previously thought, and multiple interventions (consisting of combined water, sanitation, and hygiene measures) were not more effective than interventions with a single focus. There is some evidence of publication bias in the findings from the hygiene and water treatment interventions.