Human Health
latest news & developments
Beyond the bin: Rethinking bioplastic waste for a circular future
Stellenbosch University has developed a process involving enzymes that can break down bioplastics
The hazardous legacy of Krugersdorp’s abandoned mines
Experts say the government must fund acid mine drainage clean-ups to protect the right of citizens to a healthy environment and clean water
Scientists say pharmaceutical pollution is devastating wildlife
Greener drug design, rather than wastewater treatment, is crucial to combating the pharmaceutical pollution crisis
Invasive alien species driving animal and plant extinctions
A major new report warns that invasive alien species wreaking havoc on nature and thus on nature’s contribution to people
Sewage pollution in the Northern Cape is killing the province’s lifeline – the Orange River
Criminal charges have been filed against the municipal managers of a number of towns for polluting the Vaal and Orange rivers
Plastic waste is a planetary crisis
A United Nations meeting in Kenya is a step towards developing a legally binding global treaty that will decisively tackle plastic pollution
Environment department slammed for suspending regulations on trade in hazardous chemicals
South Africa has ‘no real gumption’ when it comes to making tough decisions to protect the environment, says UCT academic
South Africa unprepared for intense heatwaves of the next 20 years
Garrith Jamieson and his paramedic colleagues were on high alert days before a scorching heatwave struck Durban earlier this month. With the mercury expected to soar to 40°C and…
Plastic pollution in 2019 cost South Africa staggering R885bn
Yet plans are underway to import more plastic waste into the country and it has not signed global plastics treaty
Scientists find microplastics in women’s placentas
Researchers are concerned that the plastic particles in the placenta, which provides the foetus with oxygen and nutrients, could potentially harm its development