Title : Case study and check of Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process for addiction medicine, behavioral health and psychiatry for agricultural and horticultural processes
Abstract:
In this research, investigations are provided in context to entitled “Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) Process for Agricultural and Horticultural Process-Case Study is Ginning of Indian Seed-Cotton (or Kapas)”. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process has been aimed to incorporate environmental and sustainability factors in to organizational project planning and decision-making process, for example, cotton roller ginning process that included polices, programs, plans and legislative actions. The EHIA process for agriculture and horticulture has to protect the environmental health. Three of the significant terms while complying with the requirements of Agricultural and horticultural process are “environmental health inventory”, “environmental health impact assessment process”, and “environment health impact statement”. EHIAs of sustainable design of roller gin rollers for seed-cotton (or kapas) ginning were investigated undertaken in order to protect environmental health. The purpose of the EHIA process is to encourage the consideration of the environmental health in seed-cotton ginning organizational planning and decision-making process. Historically, the choice of proposed projects, policies, plans, programs, permits, procedures or legislations was primarily based on only one criterion called economic viability. It is required to consider three criteria of economic, environmental and social viabilities. Agricultural and horticultural project planning and decision-making should include the integrative consideration of technical, economic, environmental, ethical and social factors. Environmental health impact assessment (EHIA) process is systematic identification and evaluation of potential environmental health effects of proposed agricultural and horticultural projects, plans, programs, policies, plans or legislative actions relative to the physical-chemical, biological, cultural and socio-economic components of the total environmental health.
Steps to Conduct Environmental Health Impact Assessment:
Step-1: Identification of quantity and quality characteristics of concerned environmental health of proposed project.
Step-2: Preparation of description of existing environmental health conditions.
Step-3: Procurement of relevant environmental health quantity and quality standards. Step-4: Environmental health impact predictions,
Step-5: Assessment of environmental health impact significance,
Step-6: Identification and incorporation environmental health mitigation measures Conduct of Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) Study and check;
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on surface water environmental health,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on soil and ground environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the air environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the noise environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the biochemical environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the biophysical chemical environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the radioactive environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the ecological environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on the visual environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on cultural environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on archaeological environment,
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on architectural environment
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on historical environment
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on anthropological environment
- Prediction and assessment of impacts on socio-economic environment
Based on present investigations, this paper elucidates the occupational and non-occupational hazards of chromium contamination and pollution caused in the use of chrome composite leather-clad (CCLC) rollers commonly used in cotton roller ginning industries and attempts to eliminate the chromium contamination and pollution during this environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. The cotton roller ginning process is the mechanical separation of cotton fibres from their seeds by means of one or more rollers to which fibres adhere while the seeds are impeded and struck off or pulled loose. Most of the cotton ginning operations are done using roller gins. The CCLC roller coverings contain about 18,000 to 30,000 mg/kg (ppm) as total chromium of trivalent and hexavalent forms which are toxic to human health. When the seed-cotton is ginned, due to the persistent rubbing of CCLC rollers over the fixed knives, the cotton and its products get contaminated with the total chromium of trivalent and hexavalent forms. Gin mill workers are exposed to the cotton dust and chromium pollution and are susceptible to health hazards such as premature death, cancer, byssinosis, and ulcers in cotton ginning air environment since toxic effects are produced by prolonged contact with airborne or solid or liquid chromium compounds even in small quantities. Noise pollution of agricultural ginning machinery in seed-cotton ginning mills has been found out to be 102-103 dB(A) decibel levels . To offset this problem, pollution-free rubberized cotton fabric (RCF) eco-friendly rollers for both the laboratory and commercial studies have been designed, fabricated and used in experiments in rollers gins. This nullifies chromium contamination and pollution during the complete process. Cotton technological parameters are well proven for commercial acceptance.
Keywords: Agriculture, seed-cotton, environment, hazards, health, horticulture, impact, medical.
