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E-Vehicles Are Environmentally-Friendly: Myth or Fact?

The bus stop that was located just a few feet away from our apartment in Mainz was Mainstraße/Bewegungszentrum Mainz. It was a very crowded one situated on the main Rheinallee street, the street that was right across the beautiful and scenic Rhine River. Every weekday, I used to ride the bus to Mainz Hauptbahnhof, the railway station for the city of Mainz in Rheinland-Palatinate state of Germany. My German language school was at a walking distance from Mainz Hauptbahnhof, so this was my regular chore for several weeks, but suddenly one day the bus ride seemed a little different. The ride was quieter and more zipping than usual. Later, I found out that it was an e-bus! E-vehicles are vehicles i.e., cars, bikes, motorbikes, buses, and trucks that run on electricity.  They are of various types. Some are all-electric while others are hybrid:  Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are all-electric, so they are completely powered by electricity obtaining energy from a large battery pack that can
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Preventing Listeriosis

Listeriosis is a rare but a very serious foodborne disease with high mortality and hospitalization rates. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in U.S. alone, about 1,600 people get listeriosis of which 260 die, every year. Over 90 percent of people with listeriosis need to get hospitalized in the U.S. alone.  There are two types of listeriosis: invasive and non-invasive. Invasive listeriosis may only cause fever, muscle aches, and fatigue in pregnant women while causing more symptoms in non-pregnant women such as headache, loss of balance, stiff neck, confusion, and seizures. Sometimes, pregnant women infected by the bacteria do not show any signs and symptoms, but the infection is very dangerous. It can affect the fetus by leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and have a life-threatening effect on the newborn babies. In severe cases, adults older than 65 years of age or immunosuppressed individuals can develop sepsis, meningitis, or encephalit
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Preventing Salmonellosis

Every year over 500 million people suffer from different kinds of diarrheal diseases. There are more than 250 food-borne diseases. One of the most common of them is salmonellosis. About 2 million cases of salmonellosis and 500 deaths are reported every year in the United States alone.  Salmonellosis is caused by the bacteria, Salmonella . Salmonellosis causes fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and sometimes nausea and vomiting. Generally, Salmonellosis leads to mild illness, but in infants, children, elderly, and immunosuppressed people, it can cause severe illness and lead to hospitalization or even death in worst cases. The bacteria Salmonella can be found in animals – mostly prevailing in animals that are consumed in food such as poultry and cattle, and in animals that are tamed as pets such as dogs, cats, reptiles, and birds.  The bacteria Salmonella can be contracted from animal to human by consuming contaminated food of animal source, i.e., eggs, meat, poultry, and milk. It can a
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Marine Pollution – Some Chemical Sources & Impacts

Oceans cover over 70% of the surface of our planet and the oceanwater comprises over 95% of Earth’s water. This makes oceans the biggest natural resource on Earth. They are vast and deep, hence until recently, dumping and leakage of debris into marine water was never a public health concern. It was generally assumed that the large amount of water of oceans dilutes the trash, chemicals, and other foreign materials that enter the marine environment and therefore no harm is caused due to them. Marine pollution in general occurs when chemicals, trash, or other human-created substances enter our planet’s oceans causing disturbance to marine life and habitats and thus harmfully effecting the marine ecosystems. There are many types of marine pollution such as chemical, physical (trash), light, and noise pollution. Chemical pollution refers to harmful chemicals entering the marine waters resulting from human activities such as use of plastics, fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, o
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Food Safety: Why?

There are over 250 foodborne diseases that have been identified so far. Harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical or other foreign substances can enter our bodies if we eat contaminated food. Foodborne diseases are also referred to as “foodborne illnesses” and “food poisoning”. They can be mild or severe, acute or long term, or even life-threatening in worst cases. Every year, there are about 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses occurring worldwide and over 400,000 deaths. Out of over 400,000 deaths, over 120,000 are of children under the age of 5. In U.S. alone, over 40 million people get affected every year. The different kinds of food hazards can be categorized as biological, chemical, and physical. Biological hazards consist of bacteria, viruses, or other parasites such as worms, fungi, or toxins generated from them. Most popular bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses are Salmonella, E. coli, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococc
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About Blogger

Batool Husaini completed her Master of Public Health degree focusing on Environmental Health from University of Illinois at Springfield, USA. She received her Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences degree in Sociology from University of North Texas, USA, and her Bachelor of Science (Hons.) degree in Education concentrating in Botany, Zoology, and Chemistry from Riphah International University, Pakistan. In addition, she holds a certificate in Volunteer & Community Resource Management from University of North Texas, USA, and a certificate of training in Montessori Education from Teachers' Resource Institute of Pakistan. She recently contributed at Shifa College of Medicine in Islamabad as an internee in the Department of Community Medicine where she researched and taught a special topic related to Infectious Diseases Epidemiology to fourth year medical students, proposed a research study of dietary patterns of the faculty members there, and wrote recommendations for the univers
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