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Aquaponics and Zooarchaeology in Antigua & Barbuda

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Monica Saw-Aung: Blog Post 1
For most New York City residents, access to fresh food is just a short walk to the grocery store. We take the fruits and vegetables that line the aisles of our supermarkets for granted. Even if we don’t choose to eat these nutritious foods, we know that we have the option to do so.
For the inhabitants of Antigua and Barbuda, healthy food is a luxury. In 2011, the country spent EC$240 million – about $92 million in US dollars – on imported food, greatly outweighing local food production. Sanctions and diminishing ocean resources restrict the residents from fishing nearby, and the island suffers from a lack of fertile land due to housing construction waste and low water supply. This situation is especially dangerous for Antigua and Barbuda because it is a small island susceptible to hurricanes, droughts, and other natural disasters. Any shock to the system could interrupt shipments and leave the country vulnerable.

This is where the Barbuda Research Complex (BRC) comes in. Hailing from Brooklyn College, Dr. Sophia Perdikaris and her team combine the field work of zooarchaeology with the goal of food security.  Students interested in the program commit hours in the lab learning how to differentiate between species, rocks, and pottery shards. As a freshman, I had the pleasure of working in Dr. Perdikaris’ lab sieving and sorting through the excavation samples from the seaview location at Antigua and Barbuda. From a medical perspective, the hands-on experience offers insight into the anatomy and physiology of animals from snakes to land turtles. From an anthropological perspective, pottery burn and other artifacts allow researchers to glean information about past cultural practices. From a sustainability perspective, zooarchaeology helps form a better ecological profile of Antigua and Barbuda and builds the foundation for the Barbuda Aquaponics Facility next door to the BRC.

The Barbuda Aquaponics Facility breeds tilapia and grows edible plants. Using rainwater and local seeds, the facility focuses on agriculture without introducing potentially harmful invasive species. In the drought of March and April 2014, the facility was even able to continue operating with very little rainwater, producing lettuce and other leafy greens. Although the aquaponics grows enough to offer produce to local markets, the project is still being tweaked and refined to match the climate conditions. In the field of sustainability, aquaponics has so much more room to expand and help other communities like the ones in Antigua and Barbuda. I hope that the future brings more funding for facilities similar to the Barbuda Aquaponics Facility and more interest in local food production.

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Sources

http://infoagro.net/programas/seguridad/politicas/RegionCaribe/politica_antigua.pdf

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/international/opportunities/past/AntiguaBarbuda_Winter2016.php

http://barbudaresearchcomplex.weebly.com/aquaponics.html

Special thanks to Reaksha Persaud, the most enthusiastic and learnèd research supervisor I could have asked for.

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Causes and Effects of lead in drinking water

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Water is the basic necessity of life. Almost 75% percent of the human body is made up of water; thus the quality of water is unequivocally a major element in playing an imperative role in our good health.

Before the discovery of the adverse health hazards of lead to the human body it was utilized in the manufacturing of everyday household objects, just as aluminum and steel are used today in making cooking utensils. In fact, Lead pipes/waterworks were quite abundant up until the mid 20th century and are still present in numerous old buildings. This is a problem because the Lead from the pipe contaminates the water flowing through it, even though Under normal circumstances lead does not react with water, nevertheless when it makes contact with moist air, it’s reactivity escalates. This is represented in the following reaction:

2Pb(s)+ O2(g) + 2H2O(l) -> 2 Pb(OH)2(s)

This shows us the the lead reacts with the oxygen in air and water to form lead hydroxide, which is somewhat corrosive in nature and causes damage to the major organ systems of the human body. Another major source of lead contamination was mining; i.e. when silver or other ores were mined lead was a byproduct which usually contaminated the soil and in turn the water table when it rained or when mines near rivers were flooded.

Until recent years (in some cases it still is), lead had been widely used in paints as a pigment or as a base, this lead mixed in with the water table when it rained because the paint ran off with the water ultimately ending up in our drinking water supply. Conversely organic lead was also pragmatically used in petroleum products ending up as a major source of lead because as the fuel was used the lead was released into the atmosphere which in turn mixed in with the water table/drinking water when it rained.

Recent Studies have shown that Lead in drinking water reduces the IQ of the consumer especially in children below the age of six, furthermore; overexposure to lead can cause: colics, skin pigmentation, paralysis, lead poisoning, necrosis of neurons, axonal degeneration, demyelination, cerebral edema and congestion.

Asad Ilyas.