Issam A Al-Khatib

..Only 37.2% were trained in handling medical waste and 23.2% were working 15 hours per day or more; 55.8% had spent 1 year or less in their work...

..2% were contaminated with total coliforms and faecal coliforms respectively. It was obvious that the prevalence of water-related diseases is much higher in the areas with contaminated or nonchlorinated drinking water than in other areas...

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..Public awareness initiatives led by environmentalists, social workers, primary health care providers or home healthcare providers may also help educate children to wear shoes, prevent glass injuries and increase glass litter awareness...

..It is concluded that all stages of healthcare waste management in healthcare centres in the private sector pose a hazard to personnel working in them and also to the general public in Palestine...

..0% for Staphylococcus aureus, 10.3% for moulds, 2.3% for yeasts and 14.3% for Escherichia coli. All the examined samples tested negative for Salmonella spp. Total aerobic counts rose continuously between 2001 and 2004...

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..Additional efforts are required, and some were suggested in this paper, in order to improve the current situation of Palestinian residential solid waste management...

..To enhance sustainable SWM, public awareness, funding, expertise, equipment and facilities and other provisions currently lacking or inappropriate must be provided...

..Many workers had poor personal hygiene practices. Training is needed for restaurant owners and staff to improve food handling practices and standards...

..5% of the tested samples were not contaminated and were suitable for drinking without treatment. The main cause of drinking-water con tamination was the presence of cesspits, wastewater and solid waste dumping sites near the cisterns...

..Systemic and procedural gaps were identified by the analysis that can be addressed to at least contain, if not completely eliminate the presence of foods in the market that are unacceptable for consumption...

..Most of the women do not know the conditions of a healthy house. The study shows the importance of housing reforms on the health of the family in general and women's health in particular, mainly in refugee camps...

..Cold housing, presence of dampness and moulds, dust and smoke, burning of biomass fuel, crowding, poor ventilation and inadequate lighting problems are commonly found in the houses of this refugee camp...

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..The kinds and sites of injuries varied. The data were compared with data from 1997, 1998 and 2001-2003, although only loosley as the available data about work injuries for these years were limited and inaccurate...

..A radical solution for the housing problem is needed to avert further negative health impacts...

..Chemical dependency was not mentioned as a potential hazard...

..Moreover, training of personnel was lacking and protective equipment and measures for staff were not available. No special landfills for hazardous wastes were found within the municipality...

..An average dentist is estimated to place two small, seven medium and nine large amalgam restorations releasing 22.6 grams of mercury each week. The majority of amalgam wastes ended up in trash or drain...

..Formulating rules and guidelines for medical waste and developing strategies for overcoming the obstacles related to waste management should be considered as an urgent matter...

..Only 33.7% felt reassured when they ate in restaurants. This was due to lack of cleanliness of the restaurants, staff and utensils, and the uncertainty regarding the source of the food...

..The budget for MSW management was between 2% and 8% of the total budget of the municipalities studied, indicating a low priority for this issue...

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..To improve the HCWM in the West Bank, a national policy should be implemented, comprising a comprehensive plan of action and providing environmentally sound and reliable technological measures...