Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin

Assessment of Natural Radioactivity and Radiation Hazard in Soil Samples of Rajbari District of Bangladesh

R Khatun, AHM Saadat, MM Ahasan, S Akter — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Rajbari district of Bangladesh, have been studied and possible health effect were estimated. The experiment has been done by using gamma ray spectrometry system consisting of a HPGe detector coupled with MCA and associate electronics. The average natural radioactivities of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K have been measured as 29.03±5.67 Bq/kg, 50.91±10.17 Bq/kg and 535.32±89.19 Bq/kg respectively. To estimate health effect due to the activity of those radionuclides, the radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), external hazard index (H_ex), absorbed dose rate (D) and effective dose have been calculated and compared to the world average values. The results are also compared with the literature values reported for other regions of the world and found that the soil of the study area are not hazards by the radiation and does not pose any harmful effect to the environment. The outcome of this study may provide valuable information about radiation hazard and also may take part in the monitoring of environmental radioactivity.

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 1-8, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16324

Assessment of Environmental Aspects and Impacts of Scientific Laboratories of a University: Focus on Gap Analysis and Environmental Management System (EMS) Implementation

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Environmental Management System (EMS) has become an important tool for organizations looking towards managing their environmental issues such as pollution, legal compliance and minimizing their environmental impacts. The present study was conducted to assess the environmental aspects and impact of selected scientific laboratories of Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh with focus on the gap analysis for implementing EMS. Data and information were collected through frequent laboratory visits, focus group discussion, questionnaire survey and key informant interview. It was found that EMS was not implemented in the laboratories and the staffs and researchers of the university had very limited idea about EMS. Surface water, air and soil pollution; unsafe mixing and handling of hazardous materials and chemicals; unsustainable storage of chemicals and reagents; improper use of personal protective equipment found as the main environmental challenges in these laboratories. The maximum negative environmental impact occurred in the chemistry and botany laboratories, as large number of researchers here used high amount of chemicals and cultured media, while the minimum pollution was found in microbiology and environmental sciences laboratories. Although, the overall pollution levels were low, there were lots of gaps in introducing EMS. Therefore, initiatives should be taken.

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 9-17, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16325

Impacts of Pesticide Exposure on Paddy Farmers Health

Subhra Bhattacharjee, MAZ Chowdhury, ANM Fakhruddin, MK Alam — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Effects of pesticide exposure on farmers health are conducted mostly in developed countries, which is rare in least developed countries like Bangladesh. Here farmers had less guidance and instruction about the preventive measures to protect themselves and environment. This work was studied to assess the impacts of pesticide exposure on the paddy farmers health in two different Upazilas of Manikganj, Bangladesh. The study was conducted as cross-sectional study with quantitative and qualitative components. Five hundred eighty two farmers (368 sprayers and 214 non-sprayers) were interviewed. Chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regression analysis were performed for statistical analysis. Three hundred sixty eight farmers (64.3%) sprayed pesticides and were directly exposed to chemicals. Among them 64.22% and 9.06%, farmers used moderately and highly hazardous pesticides, respectively. 257 farmers (69.8%) were not taken any protective measures to handle pesticides. Excessive sweating, burning eyes and fatigue were reported by 26.3%, 24.4% and 18.8% of the farmers, respectively. These types of symptoms were significantly associated among male farmers. The study reveals that due to lack of awareness, occupational exposures of pesticides among farmers are common in Bangladesh and it also emphasize the importance of use of personal protective equipments.

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 18-25, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16326

Comparative study on physico chemical parameters of soil and water among three aquatic successional stages at Jahangirnagar University campus

Sharmin Sultana, ME Huda — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 26-34, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16327

Effective ?-radiation Dose on Chitosan for Preservation of Mangoes (Mangifera indica)

Ashna Islam, Mahfuza Sharifa Sultana, Fahmida Parvin, Mubarak A Khan — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The effective dose of ? radiation on chitosan for mango preservation was studies in this work. The 2% chitosan solution was irradiated with at various total doses (50-200 kGy). The mature green mangoes were soaked in un-irradiated and irradiated chitosan solutions and then they were stored at normal room temperature. The percentage of weight loss, color change and percentage of spoilage were observed for 15 days in control, un-irradiated and irradiated chitosan coated mangoes. The overall results showed the superiority of 50 kGy and 100 kGy irradiated chitosan in extending shelf life of mango as comared to control, un-irradiated and 120 kGy to 200 kGy irradiated chitosan.

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 35-40, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16328

Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts of Salinity Intrusion in the Coastal Area: A Case Study on Munshigong Union, Shymnagor, Satkhira

Md. Al-Amin Hoque, Ummeh Saika, Bidhan Chandra Sarder, Kowshik Kumar Biswas — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 41-49, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16329

Assessment of Practices of Sanitation and Hygiene in Rural Bangladesh: A Comparison of a Declared Sanitation Area to a Non-declared Sanitation Area of Sirajganj District, Bangladesh

Mashura Shammi, Mahedi Morshed — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 50-60, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16330

Assessment of Some Engineering Geological Aspects of the Sub-soil of Ganakbari, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Md. Emdadul Haque, Hossain Md. Sayem, Mostafa Kamal — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The Madhupur Clay soil of the studied area is composed predominantly of silt size particles with small amount sand and clay. Three stratigraphic units have been identified namely unit A, unit B, and unit C. The lowermost unit (unit A) is mainly a sandy non cohesive unit. This unit is light reddish yellow or pale reddish yellow in colour, dense to very dense in nature. Unit B is mainly a silty sand unit which is mottled, light reddish yellow or pale reddish yellow in colour and medium dense to dense. The topmost unit (unit C) is mainly a clay unit which is pale grayish to light reddish yellow in colour, mainly medium to stiff in nature and show medium plasticity. The SPT value of study area ranges from 4 to 60 in the area and increases with increasing depth in all the bore holes. The layer of the cohesive clay soil (Unit C), extending to the depth of 0-28 feet, usually has the consistency that varies from medium to stiff. Further below, the non cohesive silty and sandy layers (Unit B & A respectively), extending to the depth of about 28-65 ft, usually have been found in a medium dense to very dense state. The sand percentages are increasing with increasing depth whereas the silt and clay percentages are decreasing with increasing depth. The obtained values of the Cu and Cg suggest that the studied samples are uniformly graded to well graded soil. The upper soil is suitable for light and moderate load bearing structures (up to 35 feet) whereas the lower soil is very much suitable for heavy structures (below 35 feet depth).

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 61-70, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16331

Seasonal Variations in Water Quality of the Ganges and Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh

Shafi M Tareq, MS Rahaman, SY Rikta, SM Nazrul Islam, Mahfuza S Sultana — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 71-82, 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16332