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Peat is known for its importance as carbon storage. Peatlands in Malaysia especially forest reserve areas are generally lack of natural resources due to poor soil nutrients. Hence, many of peatlands in Malaysia have been converted to plantations and industrialized area. Peninsular-Malaysian peat properties are less studied in terms of its physical and chemical properties. A total of 38 peat samples from 5 depths (surface, 50cm, 100cm, 150cm and 200cm) from 10 locations around Peninsular-Malaysia were characterized for its physicochemical properties: moisture, organic matter, pH, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, humic acid content and its FTIR properties. Results showed that moisture content ranges from 60.92% to 94.22% and moisture increases with increasing depth. Organic matter percentage was very high, having an average of 95% (range 74-99%) with most samples having organic matter more than 90%. Peninsular Malaysian peat is quite acidic, with pH average of 3.56 owing to its humic and fulvic acid contents. The min % humic acid (HA) is 32.06% and the highest is 62.44%. There is a slight increase in HA content as the depth increases. C:N ratio increasing with depth, indicating very slow decomposition rate. FTIR results indicated the presence of polysaccharides, fat, wax, lipids and lignins content which increases as the depth increases, especially the aromatics such as humic acids and lignins. These distinct characteristics are described to provide a better understanding of the significance of sustaining peat swamp forest for long-term management.

The presence of 3-monochloropropanediol esters (3-MCPDE), 2-monochloropropanediol esters (2-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) in infant formula products has raised serious concerns. They incorporate vegetable oils, particularly palm-based oils, which are well-known to contain large amounts of these process contaminants. An analysis was conducted on infant formula samples (n = 16) obtained from the Malaysian market to determine the levels of 3-MCPDE, 2-MCPDE and GE using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method was validated, with a limit of quantification (LOQ) on instrument of 0.10 µg/g for all analytes. The median concentrations of 3-MCPDE, 2-MCPDE and GE in infant formula in this study were 0.008 µg/g, 0.003 µg/g and 0.002 µg/g respectively. The estimated dietary intakes calculated from consumption of infant formula show higher exposures to infants within the age group of 0 to 5 months, highest for GE (1.61 µg/kg bw/day), followed by 3-MCPDE (0.68 µg/kg bw/day) and 2-MCPDE (0.41 µg/kg bw/day) compared to the age group of 6 to 12 months. Only one sample, relating to GE exposure is a potential risk for both age groups with MOE value below 25,000.

An average 50 ml breast milk samples were collected from 21 lactating primiparous mothers (range 25 to 45 years, mean 33 years), 4-8 weeks after delivery in Penang Island, Malaysia. The geometric mean concentration of the most toxic congeners, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) was 0.14 pg WHO

Symptoms of leaf blight, stem canker, and pod rot were observed on T. cacao during a series of samplings conducted in several states of Malaysia from September 2018 to March 2019. The identity of the pathogen that was responsible for the diseases was determined using morphological characteristics, DNA sequences, and phylogenetic analyses of multiple genes, namely, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), elongation translation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α), β-tubulin (tub2), and RNA polymerase subunit II (rpb2). A total of 57 isolates recovered from diseased leaves of T. cacao (13 isolates), stems (20 isolates), and pods (24 isolates) showed morphological features that resembled Lasiodiplodia sp. The identity of the isolates was further determined up to the species level by comparing DNA sequences and phylogenetic analyses of multiple genes. The phylogenetic analysis of the combined dataset of ITS, tef1-α, tub2, and rpb2 elucidated that all of the isolates obtained were Lasiodiplodia theobromae as supported by 97% bootstrap value. The results of pathogenicity tests revealed L. theobromae as the causal pathogen of leaf blight, stem canker, and pod rot of T. cacao.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans collectively named dioxins, have long been investigated in numerous ways in their formation and presence in diverse types of matrices, e.g.,, air, soil, food, milk, and tissue, and their effects on human health among others. In the 1970s and 1980s, dioxins and other hazardous pollutants were found to be excessive in the environment prompting a global concern on its restriction and elimination. By year 2000, curbed industrial releases had remarkably lowered dioxin emission. However, dioxin emission continued to be a hazard from non-industrial sources such as forest fires, domestic combustion, and vehicles. In South East Asia, frequent peat fires may have leadingly contributed to the dioxins level in the environment. The objective of this review is to compile related data on dioxins in peats and to theorize the possible source and their formation.

Plants pythochemicals are extensively known for their advantageous in health to promote biochemical benefits in the area of reactions, cofactors and inhibitors of enzyme, absorbents/sequestrants that bind to and eliminate undesirable elements in the human body. Some research findings have supported the beneficial role of phytochemicals against cancers, coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation and many other diseases. This review discussed phytochemical compounds properties of Perkia specios (PS) in Malaysia. The plants of focus are smelly legumes/stink beans; commonly grown and cultivated in Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and in some parts of Northeastern India. The young leaves, flowers and fruits that are collected from the wild are consumed as vegetables and herbal medicines. The seeds are either eaten raw or cooked and half-ripe seeds can also be traditionally prepared as a pickle in brine. The review will be useful for future studies through current knowledge on the phytochemical elements and medicinal functions to a possible magnitude with relevant data as these plants have potential to be developed as phyto-/herbal-/botanical medicine.

Poor indoor air quality triggered by microbiological mycotoxins is potentially harmful to human health. Patients and healthcare workers in hospital environment are vulnerable to these contaminants. This review aims to identify related studies and profiles various fungi species and mycotoxins present in a hospital environment. This review adopted Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) to integrate the results of included studies. The identification process involves original English-language articles published from year 2000 to first quarter 2019. Articles were retrieved using two databases (Google Scholar and PubMed) and selected keywords used to describe this subject matter. All search and review processes were performed on the MS Excel Spreadsheet tool. Six stages in the methodological framework were used as an approach to ensure all relevant studies were covered in the present scoping review. 62 articles were selected to best describe indoor air quality of a hospital environment. Countries in Asia contributed the highest compared to elsewhere. This review identified mycotoxins produced by fungi species in three articles. Common fungi genera identified were Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium. Most of the fungi species were found in the hospital general area (18.3%) and in wards (16.8%). Other locations in descending order were others department, emergency department, ICU, labour room, operating theatre, NICU and laboratory. The last two decades, numerous articles on hospital indoor air quality studied in Asia and the Middle East countries. More research should be conducted on Malaysian hospitals focusing specifically on fungus producing mycotoxins in its indoor environment.

Sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil are phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme (PDE-5) inhibitors used for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. This present study aims to investigate 55 herbal products indicated for men’s sexual health from the Malaysian market for adulteration of PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues. The screening and identification of 20 PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues in herbal products of various forms (powder, capsules, tablets, and pastels) were conducted using gas chromatography–electron impact-mass spectrometer (GC-EI-MS). The analysis has shown that 19 herbal products were adulterated with PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues. Unique ion fragmentations and the presence of molecular ion serve as potential markers, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1-5.0 µg/g. Ten PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues were randomly selected and successfully validated for simultaneous quantification, whereby the limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 5.0–50.0 µg/g with recoveries at 86.1-118.9%. The developed method of GC-EI-MS was shown to be simple, throughput, economical and had sufficient sensitivity to screen, identify and quantify PDE-5 inhibitors and analogues in herbal matrices.

ObjectivePesticide poisoning is a global health problem, and its progressive deterioration is a major cause of concern. The objective of this study is to assess epidemiological characteristics and identify risk factors of pesticide poisoning in Malaysia.SettingPesticide poisoning database of Malaysia National Poison Centre (NPC) from 2006 to 2015.ParticipantsTelephone enquiries regarding pesticide poisoning were made by healthcare professionals. Information received by the NPC was entered into a retrievable database of standardised Poison Case Report Form, as adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO).OutcomesThe outcome of the study is to provide an overview of national epidemiological profile of pesticide poisoning. High-risk groups of people and their circumstances were also identified to ensure that appropriate measures are strategised.ResultsWithin the study period, a total of 11 087 pesticide poisoning cases were recorded. Sixty per cent of these cases were intentional in nature and most were found among male individuals (57%) of the Indian race (36.4%) aged between 20 and 29 years (25.5%), which occurred at home (90%) through the route of ingestion (94%). The highest number of poisoning was due to herbicides (44%) followed by agricultural insecticides (34%), rodenticides (9.9%), household insecticides (9.5%) and fungicides (0.5%). In addition, 93.6% of intentional pesticide poisoning cases were caused by suicide attempts. The results of this study show that there was an increasing trend in pesticide poisoning incidents over the 10-year duration. This indicates that pesticide poisoning is a prevalent public health problem in Malaysia, resulting in an average incidence rate of 3.8 per 100 000 population.ConclusionsDeliberate pesticide ingestion as a method of suicide has become a disturbing trend among Malaysians. Therefore, regulation of highly hazardous pesticides must be enforced to ensure controlled and limited access to these chemicals by the public.

This study analyses the incidences and patterns of paraquat poisoning from calls received at the Malaysia National Poison Centre (NPC) since 2004 following the ban of the herbicide (2004–2006) and subsequent restriction up to year 2015. Related reported cases to the centre over twelve years (2004–2015) were retrieved and studied in respect to socio-demographic characteristics, mode and type of poisonings, exposure routes and location of incident. Ages of poisoned victims range from 10 months old to 98 years with males being intoxicated more frequently than females (ratio male to female = 2.7). The age group mainly involved in the poisoning was 20–39 years. The most common mode was intentional (62.8%) followed by unintentional (36.9%). Among the 1232 reported cases, suicidal poisoning was the highest (57.2%); accidental poisoning (30.8%) and occupational poisoning (3.3%). The findings showed an upward trend of suicidal poisoning over the years, clearly emphasizing the need for more stringent and effective enforcement to ensure the safe use of paraquat.

Firefi ghters may be exposed to a wide variety of toxic chemicals in their line of work, including volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated fl ame retardants (BFRs), metals, and various combustion by-products [1-4]. Such exposures can occur through inhalation and skin contact, although advances in personal protection (e.g. clothing and breathing apparatus) have apparently reduced such risks in recent years. However, the major concern during fires is the potential formation of large amounts of harmful byproducts such as chlorinated and brominated dibenzo-pdioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs and PBDD/Fs) [5,6] and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) [7]. All of these contaminants belong to the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and highly toxic substances that cause adverse effects on humans and ecosystem. Their toxic responses include immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity and several endocrine effects related to reproduction [8].

Dioxins/furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are lipophilic and toxic in the environment. These contaminants are found in some soils, sediments, feed and food, especially dairy products, meat, fi sh and shellfi sh. The main pathway of human exposure to these pollutants is via food ingestion, estimated at over 95% of the total intake for non-occupationally exposed persons. They last a long time once they enter into the body due to their chemical stability and their lipophilic characteristic whereby they absorb by fat tissue and store in the body. Dioxins and furans contaminants are released through combustion, such as waste incineration, forest fi res, volcanic eruptions and some industrial processes while PCBs are man-made chemicals and has been used because of their stability and low fl ammability as insulating materials in electrical equipment. Waste management is a general acute problem around the world. As one of the developing countries, Malaysia is undergoing economic growth, industrialization and urbanization, thus the proper management of larger quantity of waste being generated is of great concern. For this issue, hazardous waste from industries especially, is becoming a topic of one cannot deny that requires immediate attention. The efforts to reduce the emission of dioxins/furans and PCBs into the environment are being initiated when Malaysia agreed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2002. The toxicity of these contaminants in food/feed, air and sludge samples is monitored routinely. However, intensive measures to prevent the formation of dioxins/furans at the source have not been widely implemented. This paper describes the policies and regulations of dioxins/furans and PCBs in Malaysia. It also addresses the health risk assessment on certain food items and some potential strategic measures are recommended and evaluated.

A total of 126 food samples, categorised into three groups (seafood and seafood products, meat and meat products, as well as milk and dairy products) from Malaysia were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The concentration of PCDD/Fs that ranged from 0.16 to 0.25 pg WHO05-TEQ g(-1) fw was found in these samples. According to the food consumption data from the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) of the World Health Organization (WHO), the dietary exposures to PCDD/F from seafood and seafood products, meat and meat products, as well as milk and dairy products for the general population in Malaysia were 0.064, 0.183 and 0.736 pg WHO05-TEQ kg(-1) bw day(-1), respectively. However, the exposure was higher in seafood and seafood products (0.415 pg WHO05-TEQ kg(-1) bw day(-1)) and meat and meat products (0.317 pg WHO05-TEQ kg(-1) bw day(-1)) when the data were estimated using the Malaysian food consumption statistics. The lower exposure was observed in dairy products with an estimation of 0.365 pg WHO05-TEQ kg(-1) bw day(-1). Overall, these dietary exposure estimates were much lower than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) as recommended by WHO. Thus, it is suggested that the dietary exposure to PCDD/F does not represent a risk for human health in Malaysia.

Firefighters may be exposed to a wide variety of toxic chemicals in their line of work, including volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated fl ame retardants (BFRs), metals, and various combustion by-products [1-4]. Such exposures can occur through inhalation and skin contact, although advances in personal protection (e.g. clothing and breathing apparatus) have apparently reduced such risks in recent years.

This study aimed to investigate the oral acute and subacute toxicity of Poly [3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate], P(3HB-co-4HB) in the form of nanoparticles in Sprague-Dawley rats. Acute oral administration of P(3HB-co-4HB) nanoparticles was performed as a single dose up to 2000 mg/kg in six female rats for 14 days. Subacute toxicity study via oral administration for 28 days at doses of 0 (control), 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg in rats (10 rats in each group, female:male = 1:1) was conducted. The estimated lethal dose (LD50) of P(3HB-co-4HB) nanoparticles was >2000 mg/kg. No mortality, unusual changes in behaviour, adverse clinical signs, abnormal changes in body weights or food consumption were observed on all animals treated with P(3HB-co-4HB) nanoparticles during 14 days of the acute toxicity study. In the subacute test, there was no mortality and toxicologically significant changes in clinical signs, body weights, food consumption, hematology, clinical biochemistry, urinalysis, macroscopic findings, organ weights as well as histopathological examination were observed.

Aflatoxins are highly toxic secondary fungal metabolites mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Human exposure to aflatoxins may result directly from ingestion of contaminated foods, or indirectly from consumption of foods from animals previously exposed to aflatoxins in feeds. This paper focuses on exposure measurement of aflatoxins and aflatoxin metabolites in various human body fluids. Research on different metabolites present in blood, urine, breast milk, and other human fluids or tissues including their detection techniques is reviewed. The association between dietary intake of aflatoxins and biomarker measurement is also highlighted. Finally, aspects related to the differences between aflatoxin determination in food versus the biomarker approach are discussed.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was detected in 57% of the nuts and nut products marketed in Penang, Malaysia using the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The contamination levels ranged from 0.40 to 222 μg/kg and 17 out of 128 samples (13.3%) contained AFB1 above the European Commission permitted level (2 μg/kg). Estimated dietary exposure of AFB1 in nuts and nut products were 0.36 ng per kg body weight and day and 8.89 ng per kg body weight and day, representing the low and high-level of exposure, respectively. Dose-response modelling resulted in benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL10) values of 0.305 ng per kg body weight and day, with the best fitted from the log-logistic model. The derived margin of exposure (MoE) values ranged from 34 to 847 suggested that AFB1 would be of public health concern and might reasonably be considered as a high priority for risk management actions.

A rapid and sensitive confirmatory analytical method for determination of aflatoxins in nuts and their products using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has been developed and validated. All four aflatoxins of interest (B1, B2, G1 and G2) were quantified using aflatoxin M1 as the internal standard. Samples were extracted using methanol/water (60:40, v/v) and cleaned-up with immunoaffinity column. Limit of detection ranged between 0.10 and 0.30 µg/kg. Recovery rates were between 76 and 105% for all analytes. For further validation, a reference material for contaminated peanut has been used for quality assurance measures to check the accuracy and precision. The method was successfully applied to determine the natural occurrence of aflatoxins in 128 nut samples marketed in Penang, Malaysia. More than half of the samples (57.0%) were positive and 13.3% were found to be non-compliant with the European Commission regulations permitted maximum level of 2 µg/kg for aflatoxin B1. The contamination levels ranged from 0.40 to 221.61 µg/kg for aflatoxin B1 and 0.33 to 273.63 µg/kg for total aflatoxins.

A total of 196 nuts and their products marketed in Penang, Malaysia were assessed for aflatoxins using a monitoring scheme consisting of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for rapid screening and reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for quantification and confirmation. Thirty two out of 196 samples (16.3%): six raw groundnuts shelled, two roasted groundnut in shell, three roasted groundnut shelled, one walnut, four coated nut products, two peanut cakes (gung tang), 3 pounded groundnuts, one peanut slice, seven peanut butters, one bakery product and two confectionery were contaminated with aflatoxins, ranging in levels from 16.6 μg/kg up to 711 μg/kg (mean 17.2–350 μg/kg) for total aflatoxins.

A total of 127 and 177 seafood samples from Malaysia were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), respectively. The World Health Organization-toxic-equivalency quotients (WHO-TEQ) of PCDD/Fs varied from 0.13 to 1.03 pg TEQ g(-1), whereas dl-PCBs ranged from 0.33 to 1.32 pg TEQ g(-1). Based on food-consumption data from the global environment monitoring system-food contamination monitoring and assessment programme, calculated dietary exposures to PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs from seafood for the general population in Malaysia were 0.042 and 0.098 pg TEQ kg(-1) body weight day(-1), respectively. These estimations were quite different from the values calculated using the Malaysian food-consumption statistics (average of 0.313 and 0.676 pg TEQ kg(-1) body weight day(-1) for PCDD/Fs and PCBs, respectively). However, both of the dietary exposure estimations were lower than the tolerable daily intake recommended by WHO. Thus, it is suggested that seafood from Malaysia does not pose a notable risk to the health of the average consumer.

A total of 126 food samples (seafood, meat and dairy products) from Malaysia were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The concentration of PCDD/Fs ranged from 0.13 to 0.23 pg WHO05-TEQ g−1 fw (mean 0.137 pg WHO05-TEQ g−1 fw) was found in these samples. According to the food consumption data from Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS)—Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment Programme by World Health Organization, the dietary exposure to PCDD/F from seafood, meat and dairy products for general population in Malaysia was of 0.0364, 0.128 and 0.412 pg WHO05-TEQ kg−1 bw d−1, respectively. However, the exposure was higher in seafood (0.249 pg WHO05-TEQ kg−1 bw d−1) and meat (0.225 pg WHO05-TEQ kg−1 bw d−1) when the data was estimated using the Malaysian food consumption statistics. Lower exposure was observed in dairy products with the estimation of 0.241 pg WHO05-TEQ kg−1 bw d−1. Overall, these dietary exposure estimations were much lower than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) as recommended by World Health Organization. Thus, it is suggested that the dietary exposure to PCDD/F does not represent a risk for human health in Malaysia.

Newborn screening (NBS) program is an important tool for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of life-long impairments. NBS is one of the strategies recommended by the World Health Organization to promote the primary prevention of congenital anomalies and the health of children with these conditions. However, NBS initiation and implementation in developing countries, especially South-East Asian and North African regions, are slow and challenging. Expanded NBS is not mandatory and has not yet been incorporated into the public healthcare system in our country. Limited funding, manpower shortages, inadequate support services, low public awareness, and uncertain commitment from healthcare practitioners are the main challenges in establishing this program at the national level. Involvement and support from policy makers are very important to the success of the program and the benefit of the entire population.

Aflatoxins are one of the major risk factors in the multi-factorial etiology of human hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the information on aflatoxins exposure is very important in the intervention planning in order to reduce the dietary intake of aflatoxins, especially among the children. This study investigated the relationship between aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) lysine adduct levers in serum and socio-demographic factors and dietary intake of aflatoxins from nuts and nut products in Penang, Malaysia. A cross-sectional field study was conducted in five districts of Penang. A survey on socio-demographic characteristics was administered to 364 healthy adults from the three main ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese and Indian). A total of 170 blood samples were successfully collected and tested for the level of AFB 1 –lysine adduct. 97% of the samples contained AFB 1 –lysine adduct above the detection limit of 0.4 pg/mg albumin and ranged from 0.20 to 23.16 pg/mg albumin (mean ± standard deviation = 7.67 ± 4.54 pg/mg albumin; median = 7.12 pg/mg albumin). There was no significant association between AFB 1 –lysine adduct levels with gender, district, education level, household number and occupation when these socio-demographic characteristics were examined according to high or low levels of AFB 1 –lysine. However, participants in the age group of 31–50 years were 3.08 times more likely to have high AFB 1 levels compared to those aged between 18 and 30 years ( P = 0.026). Significant difference ( P = 0.000) was found among different ethnic groups. Chinese and Indian participants were 3.05 and 2.35 times more likely to have high AFB 1 levels than Malay. The result of AFB 1 –lysine adduct suggested that Penang adult population is likely to be exposed to AFB 1 but at a level of less than that needed to cause direct acute illness or death.

Acceptability rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination by 362 Malaysian mothers were 65.7% and 55.8% for daughters and sons, respectively. Younger mothers, and those who knew someone with cancer, were more willing to vaccinate their daughters. If the vaccine was routine and cost free, acceptability rate was 97.8%.