insert_link Health / Medical Your wig could be poisoning you: study finds pesticides and other toxic chemicals in synthetic hair in Nigeria By Nwanne Dike Ijere, Federal University of Technology Owerri Well-groomed hair is a symbol of beauty for many black African women. Natural hair requires special care and attention, though, which can be time consuming. Wigs (human or synthetic hair), weave-ons and other artificial hair extensions offer women an alternative to their natural hair. In Nigeria, these alternatives are very popular with women, both young […] todayJune 24, 2024 8
insert_link Health / Medical Scientists and doctors raise global alarm over hormone-disrupting chemicals A farmer spraying pesticides in a rice field. Image by Galeri ega via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). By Alden Wicker via Mongabay A new report makes the strong case that a class of industrial chemicals called endocrine disruptors are behind many diseases on the rise globally. The report calls for stronger global regulations controlling their use and release into the environment. A joint effort by the Endocrine Society and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), the report includes […] todayMarch 5, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Climate change, extreme weather & conflict exacerbate global food crisis Global food insecurity has risen substantially since pre-pandemic times, exacerbated by extreme weather, climate change, war and conflict. What the U.N. World Food Program calls “a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions” plays out differently around the world. In this story, three of Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows detail the local situation in their region – from rising inflation and flooding in Nigeria to diminished local food […] todayFebruary 22, 2024 6
Africa Ghana: Kumasi city’s unplanned boom is destroying two rivers – sewage, heavy metals and chemical pollution detected By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Owusu Amponsah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Ghana’s urban population has more than tripled in the past three decades, from 4 million to nearly 14 million people. Competition for land in cities has increased among various land uses. These trends have led to encroachment in ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands. Kumasi, […] todayFebruary 8, 2024 9
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
