Ecohealth Approach to Urban Waste Management: Exposure to Environmental Pollutants and Health Risks in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Parfait K. Kouamé⁵  Kouassi Dongo⁵  Hung Nguyen-Viet³  Christian Zurbrügg²  Christoph Lüthi²  Jan Hattendorf¹  Jürg Utzinger¹  Jean Biémi⁵  Bassirou Bonfoh⁴ 

[1] Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box 4002 Basel, Switzerland;Sandec-Department of Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600, Switzerland; E-Mails:;International Livestock Research Institute, 17A Nguyen Khang Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam;Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; CSRS, 01 BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire; E-Mail:;Unité de Formation et de Recherche des Sciences de la Terre et des Ressources Minières, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire; E-Mails:

关键词: Ecohealth;    risk factor;    waste management;    wastewater;    tropical diseases;    Côte d’Ivoire;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph111010292

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Poor waste management is a key driver of ill-health in urban settlements of developing countries. The current study aimed at assessing environmental and human health risks related to urban waste management in Yamoussoukro, the political capital of Côte d’Ivoire. We undertook trans-disciplinary research within an Ecohealth approach, comprised of a participatory workshop with stakeholders and mapping of exposure patterns. A total of 492 randomly selected households participated in a cross-sectional survey. Waste deposit sites were characterised and 108 wastewater samples were subjected to laboratory examinations. The physico-chemical parameters of the surface water (temperature, pH, conductivity, potential oxidise reduction, BOD₅, COD, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, ammonia and total Kendal nitrogen) did not comply with World Health Organization standards of surface water quality. Questionnaire results showed that malaria was the most commonly reported disease. Diarrhoea and malaria were associated with poor sanitation. Households having dry latrines had a higher risk of diarrhoea (odds ratio (OR) = 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–2.7) compared to latrines with septic tanks and also a higher risk for malaria (OR = 1.9, 95% (CI) 1.1–3.3). Our research showed that combining health and environmental assessments enables a deeper understanding of environmental threats and disease burdens linked to poor waste management. Further study should investigate the sanitation strategy aspects that could reduce the environmental and health risks in the study area.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.