9/11: Twenty years on, responders still paying a heavy price

The attacks’ horrific impact continues to be felt, with research from Edith Cowan University in Australia revealing rescue workers are still battling significant health issues related to the event.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: RESPONDERS CONTINUE TO FACE HEALTH ISSUES DUE TO 9/11. view more 

CREDIT: UNSPLASH.

New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia has revealed responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks are still suffering 20 years later, with many facing significant health issues related to the event.  

More than 91,000 responders were exposed to a range of hazards during recovery and clean-up operations, with 80,785 enrolling in the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) set up after the attacks.  

ECU Associate Professor Erin Smith is an expert in disaster and emergency response. Her analysis of WTCHP participants shows 3439 are now dead – far more than the 412 who died on the day of the attacks – with aerodigestive illness (34 per cent) the number one cause, ahead of cancer (30 per cent) and mental health (15 per cent).  

Deaths attributed to these three factors and musculoskeletal and acute traumatic injuries have increased six-fold since the start of 2016.  

More than 36,000 (45 per cent) WTCHP participants have respiratory illness, 16 per cent have cancer and a further 16 per cent have mental health illness.   

An ongoing battle  

Professor Smith said the ongoing effects of the attacks were clear, as 16,009 responders only enrolled in the WTCHP in the past five years.  

“The number of responders enrolling in the program continues to steadily rise,” she said.  

The research shows cancer among 9/11 responders is up 185 per cent over the past five years – with leukaemia emerging as particularly prevalent.  

“Leukemia has overtaken colon and bladder cancer in the rankings,” Professor Smith said.   

“This equates to an increase of 175 per cent in certified leukemia cases within this cohort of responders over a five-year period.  

“It’s not surprising: there is a proven link between benzene exposure and acute myeloid leukemia, and benzene is found in jet fuel which was one of the toxic exposures at the WTC site.”  

Prostate cancer is also common among responders, increasing 181 per cent since 2016. Although this fits with the age profile of many WTCHP participants, Professor Smith said some responders develop an aggressive, fast-growing form of prostate cancer.  

“Inhaling the toxic dust at the WTC site potentially caused a cascading series of cellular events, increasing the number of inflammatory T-cells in some of these 9/11 responders,” she said.  

“This increased inflammation may eventually lead to prostate cancer.”  

The mental effects  

It’s estimated 15 to 20 per cent of 9/11 responders are living with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms – roughly four times the rate of the general population.   

Despite 20 years having passed, many studies show PTSD is a growing problem for responders, which contrasts with the decline found in the general population.  

“Even almost 20 years later, the prevalence of mental health disorders and need for mental health treatment remains elevated among this group of 9/11 responders: almost half of all responders report an ongoing need for mental health care,” Professor Smith said.  

Researchers have also found many brain scans on 9/11 responders indicate the onset of early-stage dementia.   

This is consistent with previous work noting cognitive impairment among responders occurs at about twice the rate of people 10 to 20 years older.  

COVID and other emerging threats  

Responders’ underlying conditions have also left them uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19, due to illnesses such as cancer and respiratory ailments.  

More than 100 have died due to complications from the virus, which has also exacerbated many responders’ PTSD symptoms.  

It’s also expected the number of responders with cancers associated with their exposure to asbestos at the World Trade Center site will rise in the coming years, as mesothelioma usually takes 20-50 years to develop.  

“We are now beginning to understand the long-term effects of responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks,” Professor Smith said.  

“9/11-exposure is still causing both physical and mental health impact to responders and it’s likely responders are still developing illnesses related to their exposures.”  

9/11 RESPONDER HEALTH STATISTICS  

CAUSES OF DEATH (3439 FATALITIES)  

1. Aerodigestive illness (34 per cent)  

1. Cancer (30 per cent)  

1. Mental health (15 per cent)  

MOST COMMON CANCERS   

1. Non-melanoma skin cancer  

1. Prostate cancer  

1. Melanoma  

MOST COMMON AERODIGESTIVE ILLNESSES AMONG 9/11 RESPONDERS  

1. Asthma   

1. Chronic rhinosinusitis  

1. Gastroesophageal reflux disease  

Background 

Erin Smith is an Associate Professor in Disaster and Emergency response at Edith Cowan University’s School of Medical and Health Sciences. 

Based in Melbourne, she has spent the past 18 years researching the ongoing effects of the 9/11 attacks after meeting the widow of a firefighter at a Brooklyn café. 

She has since had many research papers published on the topic. 

Her latest paper, Health trends among 9/11 responders from 2011-2021: A review of World Trade Center Health Program statistics, is published in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine.

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JOURNAL

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine

DOI

10.1017/S1049023X21000881 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Health Trends among 9/11 Responders from 2011–2021: A Review of World Trade Center Health Program Statistics

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021

COI STATEMENT

None

Decades after toxic exposure, 9/11 first responders may still lower their risk of lung injury

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NYU LANGONE HEALTH / NYU GROSSMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Losing weight and treating excess levels of fat in the blood may help prevent lung disease in firefighters exposed to dangerous levels of fine particles from fire, smoke, and toxic chemicals on Sept. 11, 2001, a new study shows. Experts have long feared that this exposure would later lead to lung disease in first responders. High body mass index (BMI), an indicator of obesity, and exposure to the highest levels of toxins from the attack on the World Trade Center were the two greatest risk factors for lowered lung function, according to the study authors.

After two decades of research analyzing thousands of first responders, a new investigation led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine identified a cluster of five factors that predicted lung disease in these patients. Along with excess body fat, the combination of insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and increased levels of sugar and cholesterol in the blood are components of so-called metabolic syndrome, a group of medical issues known to raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Adjusting at least one of these factors, the study investigators found, can greatly lower the risk of firefighters’ developing lung disease within five years, even 20 years after toxic exposures at Ground Zero. For example, for a male firefighter of average height, a 7-pound weight loss could decrease his risk for lung injury by 20 percent.

“Our findings should reassure World Trade Center first responders that there are steps they can take to protect their lungs even decades after exposure,” says study co-lead author Sophia Kwon, DO, MPH. Kwon is a fellow in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep at NYU Langone Health.

In work presented earlier this year on 100 overweight 9/11 firefighters, the team found that placing patients on a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet featuring unrefined grains, olive oil, fruits, and fish reduced their risk of lung disease. Those following the regimen for six months lost nearly 2 BMI points (from an average BMI of about 33 to an average of 31) and had fewer signs of lung disease than they had reported before the study period.

“These results offer firefighters a concrete way to lose weight and achieve the lung-health benefits predicted by our risk model,” says study co-lead author George Crowley, BA, a predoctoral fellow at NYU Langone. 

Experts had previously understood that first responders who developed metabolic syndrome shortly after 9/11 were more likely to have higher rates of asthma. However, lung injury risks for a firefighter whose metabolic syndrome instead appeared later in life remained unclear until now.

The new study, publishing Sept. 2 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, is part of what is likely the longest-running and most thorough exploration of the impact of metabolic syndrome on lung injury in 9/11 firefighters, according to the study authors. In addition, the investigation is the first to date to quantify how adjusting one or more of these risk factors changes lung disease risk.

For the investigation, the research team analyzed 20 years of data from more than 5,700 firefighters active on 9/11, of whom 1,475 later developed lung disease. Along with BMI, the data collected included smoking history, and whether they had served at the World Trade Center in early morning when pollutant exposure was at its peak.

“The lessons from our investigation can be applied not only to firefighters but to the millions of city dwellers exposed to air pollution on a daily basis,” says study senior author and pulmonologist Anna Nolan, MD. “They should be aware that while their environment poses real health risks, they may still minimize their risk of lung disease even if they cannot change their exposure.”

Nolan, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Environmental Health at NYU Langone, cautions that while promising, the Mediterranean diet investigation only examined a small, specific group.

As a result, the research team next plans to expand the study to determine whether the diet could benefit a more diverse population who have been similarly exposed to urban pollutants. They also plan to explore how metabolic syndrome may affect other measures of lung function like asthma, says Nolan.

Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL119326 and CDC/NIOSH U01 OH11300, and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant R01 ES032808. Further funding support was provided by the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Centers of Excellence 200-2017-93426 and Data Center 200-2017-93326.

In addition to Kwon, Crowley, and Nolan, other NYU Langone investigators involved in the study included Myeonggyun Lee, MS, and Mengling Liu, PhD. Other study authors were Theresa Schwartz, MS; Rachel Zeig-Owens, DrPhil, MPH; and David Prezant, MD; at the Fire Department of New York in Brooklyn.

 

Media Inquiries

Shira Polan

212-404-4279

shira.polan@nyulangone.org

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JOURNAL

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Dynamic Metabolic Risk Profiling of World Trade Center-Lung Disease: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Sep-2021

Getting to the core of a more nutritious apple

Scientists develop platform and public dataset to enhance breeding process

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

COLUMBUS and WOOSTER, Ohio – A new platform housing data from over 100 apple varieties could shave years off of the breeding process and enable data-driven assessments of how to boost the health benefits of America’s favorite fruit.

This new analysis platform developed by a team of Ohio State University scientists combines the genetics behind specific traits and information on hundreds of chemical compounds – from sugars and acids to a host of antioxidants – in the fruit that help make apples a healthful food.

By showing relationships between genetics and compounds in apple fruits known as phytochemicals, the platform has potential to take some of the guesswork, and time, out of the breeding process: It typically takes about seven years to get from mating parent varieties to the first taste test of a new kind of apple, and it could take decades to create a completely new cultivar.

Additionally, complementary research on phytochemicals that may provide health benefits could give researchers a head start on studies to confirm which compounds offer the best chance to develop a more nutritious apple, said study author Jessica Cooperstone, assistant professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State.

“It’s an approach that allows us to better understand how apple genetics affect the production of many compounds in apple fruit. We wanted to help develop tools that make this process simpler and allow people to use data to make decisions about the apple breeding process,” she said.

Cooperstone specializes in chemical compounds called metabolites that make apples and tomatoes nutritious. She and her colleagues focus on figuring out how to create and grow the most healthful versions of these crops as possible.

“If we can improve the nutritional quality of crops, we should. My philosophy has always been to improve foods people already eat – let’s not improve something and then have to convince people to eat it,” said Cooperstone, who also has a faculty appointment in the Department of Food Science and Technology. “The foods that people already want to eat create an opportunity to have impact. That’s what we’re really trying to do with our apple work.”

The research was published online Sept. 1 in the journal New Phytologist.

Co-authors on the study, all from Ohio State, include Kathryn Williamson and Emmanuel Hatzakis of food science and technology, and Diane Doud Miller and Jonathan Fresnedo Ramírez of horticulture and crop science. First author Emma Bilbrey worked on the platform while she was a graduate student in Cooperstone’s lab.

Apples are an important crop to Ohio and the Midwest, and are the No. 1 fruit consumed by Americans – apples constitute about 25% of all fruit eaten in the United States.

The 124 apples analyzed in the study included common varieties such as Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious as well as wild apples and prospective varieties being evaluated by Midwest growers.

Genome-wide analysis of each apple enabled identification of genetic markers associated with metabolites that influence traits like flavor, disease resistance and texture. The researchers used high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance to detect phytochemicals in the apples in a “global” way – an approach called untargeted metabolomics.

The team then took on the larger challenge of integrating all the data to determine genotype-metabolite relationships that could guide apple breeding decision-making and inform nutrition studies of links between specific chemical compounds and health benefits. As part of the integration, the researchers assembled the data in a way that showed every genetic marker that had an association with production of at least one phytochemical.

“We looked for strong relationships at locations in the genome that are not well studied in apple and looked for which compounds we could identify and which had nutritional value. We could go from untargeted data all the way to finding candidate genes responsible for compound production – which researchers can then validate,” Cooperstone said.

“The goal is to do this in a holistic way so you’re not improving nutrition while sacrificing yield, disease resistance and flavor – you’re considering all of these components of having a good and productive apple, and putting them together and trying to improve it globally.”

From here, the team plans to use the data to get a better understanding of health-promoting compounds of interest and employ biotechnological approaches that could speed up flowering and fruit production in apple trees.

This work was supported by the Foods for Health Discovery Theme at Ohio State, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. The study made use of the Ohio Supercomputer Center and the Campus Chemical Instrument Center NMR facility at Ohio State.

 

#

Contact: Jessica Cooperstone, Cooperstone.1@osu.edu

Written by Emily Caldwell, Caldwell.151@osu.edu

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JOURNAL

New Phytologist

DOI

10.1111/nph.17693 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Integrating genomics and multi-platform metabolomics enables metabolite QTL detection in breeding-relevant apple germplasm

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021

Tailored approach to fertilizer use can achieve triple-wins for smallholder farmers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AFRICAN PLANT NUTRITION INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: SMALLHOLDER’S BENEFITED FROM THE ABILITY OF SITE-SPECIFIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT (SSNM) TO DETECT AND CORRECT LONG-STANDING NUTRIENT INPUT INADEQUACIES OR IMBALANCES. view more 

CREDIT: ISTOCK.COM/WYSIATI

Recently released in the Elsevier journal, Global Food Security, a team of scientists published the first comprehensive systematic review comparing the site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) approach to farmers’ practice within smallholder cereal crop production systems in Asia and Africa.

Researchers began by gathering the cross-section of field studies needed to evaluate a range of performance indicators measuring the effectiveness of SSNM versus existing farmers’ fertilization practice. They identified 61 studies across eight countries in Asia and three countries in Africa to produce the nearly 400 direct comparisons of the two fertilizer management practices for maize, rice and wheat.

Key results drawn from the study show that SSNM generated 12% higher yield and 15% greater profitability compared to farmer practice. SSNM produced these benefits while saving an average of 18 kg N/ha, which is equivalent to a 10% reduction in the amount of N fertilizer, reducing risk of N loss to the surrounding environment.

Achieving triple-wins of high yields and profit in combination with lowering nutrient losses are not elusive or conflicting goals.

We know of no other agronomic intervention that has increased crop yield, profitability, and N use efficiency across these cereal crops and geographies in such a robust manner, explain the study’s authors. SSNM – through field-specific tailoring of fertilizer applications – is a highly effective management strategy that maximizes positive outcomes, contributing to food security attainment with economic and environmental benefits.

In the vast majority of smallholder cropping systems, fertilization consists of unbalanced nutrient application using “blanket” approaches that are not best designed to address the effects of the variability that exists within even the smallest plots of rice, wheat, or maize. Failing to adequately manage for this variability often results in the inefficient use of fertilizer by crops with poor outcomes for farmers.

The study demonstrates how the effectiveness of SSNM can vary across crops, cropping systems, crop management, and growing environments. The benefits of SSNM appear most significant where the performance of farmers’ practice is relatively poor.

Smallholder’s benefited from the ability of SSNM to detect and correct long-standing nutrient input inadequacies or imbalances. SSNM prescribed higher frequencies of N application more often, which improved plant N uptake by better targeting the growth periods when demand was highest. Examples of improved outcomes came with lower N and P application rates and higher K rates in the traditionally higher input systems in Asia. SSNM commonly raised recommendations for N, P and K in Africa. A host of regional factors related to infrastructure, supply chains, government policy, and missing or poor farm advisory systems are attributed to the numerous examples of over and under application of nutrients across the range of studies selected.

Research into SSNM produces viable strategies for smallholder cropping systems. However, widespread adoption remains a significant challenge that requires concerted efforts to scale up SSNM and reach the potentially millions of farmers who work across fragmented landscapes, and who commonly lack access to existing support systems. Researchers found it particularly difficult to gather suitable African studies to fit the criteria of the analysis, which suggest much is yet to be done to explore SSNM within the continent.

Promising innovation continues to be made towards the effective delivery of individualized recommendations through digital communication technologies, for example by a mobile phone. However, the study suggests that progress towards more widespread adoption might be less dependent on hard evidence than on governing policy interests that, for example, place more importance on fertilizer subsidies that inhibit change. More work is needed on outreach towards—and partnership amongst—stakeholders that are motivated to create more SSNM-enabling environments within the crop production chain.

###

The team of researchers involved in this study represent the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), Morocco; International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines; IRRI, India; Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Cote d’Ivoire; IRRI, India; International Fertilizer Association (IFA), France.

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JOURNAL

Global Food Security

DOI

10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100570 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Co-benefits of nutrient management tailored to smallholder agriculture

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

23-Aug-2021

How much energy do we need to achieve a decent life for all?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

 

IMAGE: THE REGIONAL AVERAGE SHARES OF POPULATION LIVING BELOW THE DECENT LIVING THRESHOLD (GAP, IN WHITE) AND THOSE WITH DECENT LIVING STANDARDS (COLOURED BAR) ARE SHOWN FOR MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS FROM 0 TO 100%. view more 

CREDIT: KIKSTRA ET AL. (2021).

For many, an increase in living standards would require an increase in energy provision. At the same time, meeting current climate goals under the Paris Agreement would benefit from lower energy use. IIASA researchers have assessed how much energy is needed to provide the global poor with a decent life and have found that this can be reconciled with efforts to meet climate targets.

In the fight to eradicate poverty around the world and achieve decent living standards (DLS), having sufficient energy is a key requirement. Despite international commitments such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in many areas progress on achieving DLS worldwide has been slow. There are also fears that improving energy access could lead to higher carbon dioxide emissions, which would interfere with goals to alleviate climate change.

In a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, IIASA researchers used a multidimensional approach to poverty to conduct a comprehensive global study on DLS. The researchers identified gaps in DLS by region and estimated how much energy is needed to fill them. They also assessed whether providing everyone with a decent life is compatible with climate goals

Studies on poverty often use an income-based definition for defining poverty thresholds ($1.90/day or $5.50/day), which obscures that there are other factors contributing to human wellbeing more directly. In contrast, DLS represent a set of material prerequisites to provide the services needed for wellbeing, such as having adequate shelter, nutrition, clean water, sanitation, cooking stoves and refrigeration, and being able to connect physically and socially via transportation and communication technologies. Crucially, this allows for calculation of the resources needed to provide these basic services.

The largest gaps in DLS were found in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 60% of the population are lacking in at least half of the DLS indicators. The researchers also identified high DLS deprivation in indicators such as sanitation and water access, access to clean cooking, and thermal comfort in South and Pacific Asia, and more moderate gaps in other regions. One of the most striking findings of the study was that the number of people deprived of basic needs according to DLS generally far exceeds the number of people in extreme poverty, meaning that current poverty thresholds are often inconsistent with a decent life.

When looking at which components of DLS require the most investment in energy, the researchers identified shelter and transport as having the largest share.

“The majority of the global population does not currently have decent levels of motorized transport. An important policy lesson for national governments is the large impact of investing in public transit to reduce the use of passenger vehicles, which generally have much higher energy use per person,” says Jarmo Kikstra, lead author of the study and a researcher in the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program.  

The upfront energy required globally to build new houses, roads, and other materials to enable DLS provision for all from 2015 to 2040 is about 12 exajoules per year. This is only a fraction of current total final energy use, which exceeds 400 exajoules per year. The increase in annual energy for operating this increase in services, including maintenance costs, is more substantial, eventually increasing by about 68 exajoules. For some countries, reaching this goal would require robust changes in development, which will be challenging, especially in the Global South.

“For most countries, especially many poor countries in Africa, unprecedented growth in energy use as well as more equitably distributed growth are essential to achieving DLS before mid-century,” Kikstra adds. “Therefore, the biggest challenge for policymakers will be to achieve an equitable distribution of energy access worldwide, which is currently still out of reach.”

According to the study, the amount of energy needed for decent living worldwide is less than half of the total final energy demand projected under most future pathways that keep temperature rise below 1.5° C. This indicates that achieving DLS for all does not have to interfere with climate goals. While this ratio changes in different climate mitigation scenarios and by region, the energy needs for DLS always remain well below the projected energy demands on the level of larger global regions.

“To achieve decent living conditions worldwide, it seems that we do not have to limit energy access to basic services as there is a surplus of total energy. What is perhaps unexpected is that even under very ambitious poverty eradication and climate mitigation scenarios, there is quite a lot of energy still available for affluence,” says study author Alessio Mastrucci.

“Our results support the view that on a global scale, energy for eradicating poverty does not pose a threat for mitigating climate change. However, to provide everyone with a decent life, energy redistribution across the world and unprecedented final energy growth in many poor countries is required,” concludes study author, Jihoon Min.

Reference

Kikstra, J.S., Mastrucci, A., Min J., Riahi, K., Rao, N.D. (2021). Decent living gaps and energy needs around the world. Environmental Research Letters DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac1c27

 

Contacts:

Researcher contact

Jarmo Kikstra
Research Scholar
Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions Research Group
Integrated Assessment and Climate Change Research Group
IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program
Tel: +43(0) 2236 807 372
kikstra@iiasa.ac.at

Press Officer

Ansa Heyl
IIASA Press Office
Tel: +43 2236 807 574
Mob: +43 676 83 807 574
heyl@iiasa.ac.at

About IIASA:

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international scientific institute that conducts research into the critical issues of global environmental, economic, technological, and social change that we face in the twenty-first century. Our findings provide valuable options to policymakers to shape the future of our changing world. IIASA is independent and funded by prestigious research funding agencies in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. www.iiasa.ac.at

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JOURNAL

Environmental Research Letters

DOI

10.1088/1748-9326/ac1c27 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Decent living gaps and energy needs around the world.

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021

SEE TECHNOCRACY ENERGY CREDITS

Energy – Technocracy Inc. – Official Site

Anarcho - Technocracy. The Politics of Things (1953) by Harry Ho…

takver.com/history/hooton_tech.htm



 

Research aims to prevent deadly environmental disasters involving mine waste

 NEWS RELEASE 2-SEP-2021

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

New research will help mining companies better understand the negative societal and environmental impacts of mine-waste disasters, known as tailings flows, and hopefully avoid them. 

Researchers created a database as part of a study that presents the first global picture of the occurrence rates, behaviours and physical impacts of tailings flows, which are rapid downstream movements of mine waste following failures of tailings dams. 

The study, led by the University of Waterloo, involves researchers in three provinces and reports detailed information on 63 tailings flows that have occurred worldwide since 1928. Catastrophic tailings flows have happened once every two to three years on average since 1965, causing death, long-lasting environmental contamination and severe infrastructure damage over distances that can span tens of kilometres. Hazardous weather and inadequate drainage systems have been the most frequent triggers for tailings flow since 1996. 

"Despite the strict engineering requirements, tailings dams can fail, sometimes catastrophically, so our research raises awareness of the potential downstream effects for public safety purposes," said Nahyan Rana, a PhD student of earth and environmental sciences at Waterloo, and lead researcher on this project. "This study is especially relevant when we consider the global rise in mining activity."

The database will help mining engineers compare the conditions before previous incidents to those of existing sites. The researchers used satellite imagery to map dozens of cases of tailings flow and make the case to support more assessments of these dams. 

By analyzing the satellite imagery and historical data, the researchers found that the behaviour of tailings flows primarily depends on a high ratio of water to solids in the tailings and the nature of the downstream terrain. Having excess stored water increases the fluidity of released tailings. 

Some tailings flows have attained maximum speeds of 100 kilometres per hour when travelling along semi-dry, narrow channels. The result is mass casualties and the destruction of communities and the natural environment. Some tailings flows have occurred along active rivers, leading to slower speeds but longer travel distances exceeding 10 kilometres. Tailings flows on near-flat terrains have travelled shorter distances but caused widespread flooding with maximum speeds of 22 to 50 kilometres per hour. 

"Since 2014, there have been three high-profile events – two in Brazil and one right here in Canada," said Stephen Evans, a professor of geological engineering and co-author of this study. "While much progress has been made in terms of regulation and oversight, studying past tailings flows enables better prediction of what could happen should a major tailings dam failure occur."

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The study, Catastrophic mass flows resulting from tailings impoundment failures, was recently published in the journal Engineering Geology. The database, A Comprehensive Global Database of Tailings Flows, can be accessed through Scholars Portal Dataverse. 

This research is part of the CanBreach project, an NSERC-funded collaborative endeavour involving the University of British Columbia, Queen's University and five industrial partners - Klohn Crippen Berger, Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, BGC Engineering and Golder Associates. 

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JOURNAL

Engineering Geology

Indigenous and local communities key to successful nature conservation

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

Indigenous and local communities key to successful nature conservation

Indigenous Peoples and local communities provide the best long-term outcomes for conservation, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and partners in France.

Lead author, Dr Neil Dawson of UEA’s School of International Development, was part of an international team conducting a systematic review that found conservation success is “the exception rather than the rule”.

But the study, published today in the journal Ecology and Society, suggests the answer could be equitable conservation, which empowers and supports the environmental stewardship of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The research team studied the outcomes of 169 conservation projects around the world – primarily across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

From restoring national forests in Taiwan and community gardens in Nepal, to watershed restoration in the Congo, sustainable fisheries in Norway, game management in Zambia, and preserving wetlands in Ghana – the team took into account a range of projects.

They investigated how governance - the arrangements and decision making behind conservation efforts - affects both nature and the well-being of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The work, which is part of the JustConservation research project funded by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) within its Centre for Biodiversity Synthesis and Analysis (CESAB), and was initiated through the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (IUCN CEESP).

It is the result of collaboration between 17 scientists, including researchers from the European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL) at the Catholic University of Lille and UEA.

Dr Dawson, a Research Fellow, examines poverty, wellbeing and environmental justice among rural populations, particularly poor and marginalised social and ethnic groups, and is a Steering Committee member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (IUCN CEESP).

Dr Dawson said: “This study shows it is time to focus on who conserves nature and how, instead of what percentage of the Earth to fence off.” 

“Conservation led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, based on their own knowledge and tenure systems, is far more likely to deliver positive outcomes for nature. In fact, conservation very often fails because it excludes and undervalues local knowledge and this often infringes on rights and cultural diversity along the way.”

International conservation organisations and governments often lead the charge on conservation projects, excluding or controlling local practices, most prominently through strict protected areas.

The study recommends Indigenous Peoples and local communities need to be at the helm of conservation efforts, with appropriate support from outside, including policies and laws that recognise their knowledge systems.”

Furthermore, it is imperative to shift to this approach without delay, Dr Dawson said.

“Current policy negotiations, especially the forthcoming UN climate and biodiversity summits, must embrace and be accountable for ensuring the central role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in mainstream climate and conservation programs. Otherwise, they will likely set in stone another decade of well-meaning practices that result in both ecological decline and social harms.

“Whether for tiger reserves in India, coastal communities in Brazil or wildflower meadows in the UK, the evidence shows that the same basis for successful conservation through stewardship holds true. Currently, this is not the way mainstream conservation efforts work.”

From an initial pool of over 3,000 publications, 169 were found to provide detailed evidence of both the social and ecological sides of conservation.

Strikingly, the authors found that 56 per cent of the studies investigating conservation under 'local' control reported positive outcomes for both human well-being and conservation.

For 'externally' controlled conservation, only 16 per cent reported positive outcomes and more than a third of cases resulted in ineffective conservation and negative social outcomes, in large part due to the conflicts arising with local communities.

However, simply granting control to local communities does not automatically guarantee conservation success.

Local institutions are every bit as complex as the ecosystems they govern, and this review highlights that a number of factors must align to realise successful stewardship.

Community cohesion, shared knowledge and values, social inclusion, effective leadership and legitimate authority are important ingredients that are often disrupted through processes of globalisation, modernisation or insecurity, and can take many years to re-establish.

Additionally, factors beyond the local community can greatly impede local stewardship, such as laws and policies that discriminate against local customs and systems in favour of commercial activities. Moving towards more equitable and effective conservation can therefore be seen as a continuous and collaborative process.

Dr Dawson said: “Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge systems and actions are the main resource that can generate successful conservation. To try to override them is counterproductive, but it continues, and the current international policy negotiations and resulting pledges to greatly increase the global area of land and sea set aside for conservation are neglecting this key point.

“Conservation strategies need to change, to recognize that the most important factor in achieving positive conservation outcomes is not the level of restrictions or magnitude of benefits provided to local communities, but rather recognising local cultural practices and decision-making. It is imperative to shift now towards an era of conservation through stewardship.”

‘The role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation’ is published in the journal Ecology and Society on September 2, 2021.

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JOURNAL

Ecology and Society

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Systematic review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

The role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

31-Aug-2021

New evidence supports idea that America’s first civilization was made up of ‘sophisticated’ engineers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

 

IMAGE: THE ILLUSTRATION ABOVE SHOWS THE CORE FEATURES OF THE POVERTY POINT SITE IN NORTHERN LOUISIANA. THE GREEN TO THE RIGHT IS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOOD PLAIN. THE ORANGE IS MACON RIDGE, THE HIGHER GROUND ON WHICH THE SITE IS LOCATED. SIX C-SHAPED RIDGES ARE VISIBLE AT THE SITE. PARTS OF THE RIDGES HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY HISTORIC AND MODERN ACTIVITIES. THE PATTERN SOUTH OF MOUND E IS THE RESULT OF FARM ACTIVITY. MANY OF THE LOW AREAS AROUND THE SITE – LIGHTER YELLOW – ARE THOUGHT TO BE PLACES WHERE SOIL WAS MINED TO MAKE RIDGES AND MOUNDS. 1 OF 3 THE ILLUSTRATION ABOVE SHOWS THE CORE FEATURES OF THE POVERTY POINT SITE IN NORTHERN LOUISIANA. THE GREEN TO THE RIGHT IS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOOD PLAIN. THE ORANGE IS MACON RIDGE, THE HIGHER GROUND ON WHICH THE SITE IS LOCATED. SIX C-SHAPED RIDGES ARE VISIBLE AT THE SITE. PARTS OF THE RIDGES HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY HISTORIC AND MODERN ACTIVITIES. THE PATTERN SOUTH OF MOUND E IS THE RESULT OF FARM ACTIVITY. MANY OF THE LOW AREAS AROUND THE SITE – LIGHTER YELLOW – ARE THOUGHT TO BE PLACES WHERE SOIL WAS MINED TO MAKE RIDGES AND MOUNDS. view more 

CREDIT: T.R. KIDDER

The Native Americans who occupied the area known as Poverty Point in northern Louisiana more than 3,000 years ago long have been believed to be simple hunters and gatherers. But new Washington University in St. Louis archaeological findings paint a drastically different picture of America’s first civilization.

Far from the simplicity of life sometimes portrayed in anthropology books, these early Indigenous people were highly skilled engineers capable of building massive earthen structures in a matter of months — possibly even weeks — that withstood the test of times, the findings show.

“We as a research community – and population as a whole – have undervalued native people and their ability to do this work and to do it quickly in the ways they did,” said Tristram R. “T.R.” Kidder, lead author and the Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences.

“One of the most remarkable things is that these earthworks have held together for more than 3,000 years with no failure or major erosion. By comparison, modern bridges, highways and dams fail with amazing regularity because building things out of dirt is more complicated than you would think. They really were incredible engineers with very sophisticated technical knowledge.”

The findings were published in Southeastern Archaeology on September, 1, 2021. Washington University’s Kai Su, Seth B. Grooms, along with graduates Edward R. Henry (Colorado State) and Kelly Ervin (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) also contributed to the paper.

The Poverty Point World Heritage site consists of a massive 72-foot-tall earthen mound and concentric half circle ridges. The structures were constructed by hunter-gatherers approximately 3,400 years ago from nearly 2 million cubic yards of soil. Amazingly, this was done without the luxury of modern tools, domesticated animals or even wheeled carts.

According to Kidder, the site was likely an important religious site where Native Americans came in pilgrimage, similar to Mecca. It was abandoned abruptly between 3,000-3,200 years ago – most likely due to documented flooding in the Mississippi Valley and climate change.

The ridges at Poverty Point contain vast amounts of artifacts around the edges and within, suggesting that people lived there. Kidder and team re-excavated and re-evaluated a site on Ridge West 3 at the Poverty Point Site that was originally excavated by renowned archaeologist Jon Gibson in 1991.

Using modern research methods including radiocarbon dating, microscopic analysis of soils and magnetic measurements of soils, the research provides conclusive evidence that the earthworks were built rapidly.  Essentially, there is no evidence of boundaries or signs of weathering between the various levels, which would have occurred if there was even a brief pause in construction. Kidder believes the construction was completed in lifts, or layers of sediment deposited to increase the ridge height and linear dimensions before another layer was placed to expand the footprint vertically and horizontally.

Why does that matter? According to Kidder, the findings challenge previous beliefs about how pre-modern hunters and gatherers behaved. Building the enormous mounds and ridges at Poverty Point would have required a large labor pool that was well organized and would have required leadership to execute. Hunters and gathers were believed to shun politics.

“Between the speed of the excavation and construction, and the quantity of earth being moved, these data show us native people coming to the site and working in concert. This in and of itself is remarkable because hunter-gatherers aren’t supposed to be able to do these activities,” Kidder said.

What’s even more impressive than how quickly the people built the earthen structures is the fact that they’re still intact. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, this area receives immense amounts of rain that makes earthworks especially prone to erosion. Microscopic analysis of soils shows that the Native Americans mixed different types of soil — clays, silts and sand — in a calculated recipe to make the structures stronger.

“Similar to the Roman concrete or rammed earth in China, Native Americans discovered sophisticated ways of mixing different types of materials to make them virtually indestructible, despite not being compacted. There’s some magic there that our modern engineers have not been able to figure out yet,” Kidder said. 

CAPTION

An excavation before sampling. Note the color changes between layers. The darker layers have carbon-rich deposits made by humans, such as midden or garbage that was scraped up and dumped to form the ridge structure during construction. There is little organic garbage in the upper third section.

CREDIT

T.R. Kidder

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JOURNAL

Southeastern Archaeology

DOI

10.1080/0734578X.2021.1958445 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Sep-2021