Mancozeb and its main metabolite ethylene thiourea (ETU) may alter thyroid function; thyroid hormones are essential for fetal brain development. In Costa Rica, mancozeb is aerially sprayed at large-scale banana plantations on a weekly basis. The objectives of the study was to (1) evaluate urinary ETU concentrations in pregnant women living nearby large-scale banana plantations; (2) compare their estimated daily intake (EDI) with established Reference Doses (RfDs); and (3) identify factors that predict their urinary ETU concentrations.
India ranks 69th in the Global Energy Architecture Performance Index 2014, that analyses how well energy systems in countries promote economic growth, sustainability and access to energy.
Central American coffee industry officials say the region's arabica crop is weathering an outbreak of leaf-rust fungus, but try telling that to small-hold farmers like Graciela Alvarenga.
For countries with rich culinary traditions that date back to the Aztecs and Incas, Mexico and Peru have developed quite a taste for modern food fashions.
Forest protection policies potentially reduce deforestation and re-direct agricultural expansion to already-cleared areas. Using satellite imagery, we assessed whether deforestation for conversion to pasture and cropland decreased in the lowlands of northern Costa Rica following the 1996 ban on forest clearing, despite a tripling of area under pineapple cultivation in the last
