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Background and Objective: Carnage on roads is a growing concern in Nigeria. Over 27 persons, equivalent to more than 4 families, die daily from road traffic crashes. Two direct factors of a road crash are road quality and vehicle quality. To interrogate and compare both factors to road traffic accidents, the longitudinal study regressed secondary data on death tolls against road quality and vehicle quality., Materials and Methods: Data on the estimated number of vehicles imported into Nigeria (1992-2021) served as the indicator of vehicle quality on Nigerian roads. The longitudinal study regressed secondary data on death tolls (2013-2019) against road quality (2006-2019) and vehicle quality (1992-2021)., Results: Results showed that road quality is degenerating as well as vehicle quality in Nigeria, resulting in increase in the number of road traffic crashes and the attendant death tolls. For every 1% decrease in road quality, death tolls from road traffic crashes in Nigeria increased by 0.00642% at 5% significance, and for every decrease in vehicle quality, death tolls from road traffic crashes in Nigeria increased by 0.327% at 5% significance., Conclusion: The study recommended increased advocacy on the sanctity of life and the need for all tiers of government to prioritize policy and implementation of improving the road quality and vehicle quality to reduce road traffic crashes and save lives on Nigerian roads., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Targets 12.4 and 3.9 aim to reduce deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and to achieve environmentally friendly management of chemical and wastes. Electronic wastes, which contain hazardous chemicals, are rapidly generated in poor countries due to demand for affordable near-end-of-life internet-enabled gadgets that soon wear out and are improperly disposed due to ignorance, throw-away mentality and dearth of waste management infrastructure. This study identified hazardous chemicals contained in significant quantities in e-waste items, described their public health challenges and suggested mitigation measures. Results showed that mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), cadmium, lead and beryllium oxide were hazardous chemicals contained in significant quantities in e-waste items. The study recommended the formulation of appropriate environmental health education technology policy (AEHETP) to guide stakeholders to design education, preventive, therapeutic and decontamination plans for awareness creation and raising to address the toxic effects of e-waste items on users in poor countries.

Could trace elements in hairdressing cosmetics prove carcinogenic to hairdressers, who use them regularly as raw materials in hairdressing business? The toxic effects of selected trace elements contained in hairdressing cosmetics on hairdressers were investigated by regressing the quality of life values for hairdressers with their blood/urine levels of the toxic metals A hundred subjects were randomly drawn from a cluster of hairdressers. Blood lead level, 17.47 ± 4.59 µg/dL, confirmed that the hairdressers were regularly exposed to lead. Mean blood mercury level, 25.06 ± 4.11 ng/dL, was above the normal blood mercury concentration of less than 10-20 ng/mL. Mean blood cadmium level, 3.64 ± 1.87 µg/dL, was within the normal range, < 5.0 µg/dL. Mean urine arsenic level, 96.16 ± 38.34 µg/L, was above normal range, ≤ 50 μg/dL, but within high normal range, > 50 to < 200 μg/dL. Blood nickel level, 0.49 ± 0.20 µg/dL, was above both the healthy range, 0.14-0.65 µg/dL, and the most reliable value of 0.2 µg/dL. Negative correlations existed between the quality of life and levels for lead (R = - .017), mercury (R = - .008), arsenic (R = - .072) and nickel (R = - .168), but there was positive correlation with cadmium level (R = .123). At 0.096, the probability value (p value) for nickel was significant at 10%. P value as insignificant at 1%, 5% and 10% for lead (0.868), mercury (0.940), cadmium (0.224) and arsenic (0.475). Therefore, Ni contained in hairdressing cosmetics might have carcinogenic effects that affected the quality of life of hairdressers, unlike other trace elements tested, namely, lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. Further research with the tumor markers assessment is recommended to confirm the carcinogenic effect of Ni., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), beryllium (Be), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and thallium (Tl) are reportedly notorious toxic contents of make-ups, with potential to cause cancer and chronic kidney disease, warranting investigation on their toxic effects. One hundred female university students were randomly selected as consistent users of make-ups for upward of 3 years. The serum/urine levels of the 8 elements were regressed against the kidney functions (estimated glomerular rate, eGFR) of the subjects. At coefficient of - 0.009, As had insignificant (0.518) level. The coefficient for Cd was - .155 and insignificant (0.423). At coefficient of - 039, Pb level was insignificant (0.595). The coefficient, 0.061, for Hg was insignificant (0.462). At - 1.585, the coefficient of Be was insignificant (0.292). The coefficient for Ni, 1.384, was insignificant (0.354). At - .002, the coefficient of Se was insignificant (0.635). The coefficient, 0.039, for Tl was significant at 5% (0.015). This finding internally validated the mean serum Tl level, 201.4900 ± 20.63316 μg/L, which was much higher than the normal level of < 2 µg/L and within the toxic range of > 200 µg/L. A policy is needed to address the use of make-ups containing Tl.