EShayina, yayibizwa ngokuthi “qi,” uphawu lwempilo. EGibhithe yayibizwa ngokuthi “ankh,” uphawu lokuphila okuphakade. KwabaseFenike, ukubhekisela kwakufana no-Aphrodite—unkulunkulukazi wothando nobuhle.
Lezi zimpucuko zasendulo zazibhekisela ethusi, into amasiko emhlabeni wonke ayiqaphele njengento ebalulekile empilweni yethu iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-5,000. Lapho imikhuhlane, amagciwane afana ne-E. coli, ama-superbugs afana ne-MRSA, noma ngisho nama-coronavirus efika ezindaweni eziningi eziqinile, angaphila izinsuku ezine kuya kwezinhlanu. Kodwa uma efika ethusi, kanye nezinsimbi zethusi ezifana nethusi, aqala ukufa ngemizuzu embalwa futhi awabonakali emahoreni ambalwa.
“Sibone amagciwane ehlukana,” kusho uBill Keevil, uprofesa wezempilo yezemvelo eNyuvesi yaseSouthampton. “Awela phezu kwethusi futhi liyawalimaza.” Akumangalisi ukuthi eNdiya, abantu bebelokhu bephuza izinkomishi zethusi iminyaka eyizinkulungwane. Ngisho nalapha e-United States, umugqa wethusi uletha amanzi akho okuphuza. Ithusi liyinto yemvelo, engenzi lutho, elwa namagciwane. Lingazihlanza ubuso balo ngaphandle kwesidingo sikagesi noma i-bleach.
Ithusi lachuma ngesikhathi seNguquko Yezimboni njengento yokwakha izinto, izinto zokwakha kanye nezakhiwo. Ithusi lisasetshenziswa kabanzi kumanethiwekhi kagesi—empeleni imakethe yethusi iyakhula ngoba into yokwakha iyisiqhubi esiphumelelayo. Kodwa le nto iye yasuswa ezicelweni eziningi zokwakha ngenxa yegagasi lezinto ezintsha kusukela ngekhulu lama-20. Amapulasitiki, ingilazi eqinisiwe, i-aluminium, kanye nensimbi engagqwali kuyizinto zesimanje—ezisetshenziswa kukho konke kusukela ekwakhiweni kwezakhiwo kuya emikhiqizweni ye-Apple. Izinkinobho zeminyango yethusi kanye nezibambo zokubopha zaphelelwa yisitayela njengoba abakhi bezakhiwo nabaklami bekhetha izinto ezibukeka kahle (futhi ezivame ukushibhile).
Manje uKeevil ukholelwa ukuthi sekuyisikhathi sokubuyisa ithusi ezindaweni zomphakathi, kanye nezibhedlela ikakhulukazi. Njengoba sibhekene nekusasa elingenakugwenywa eligcwele ubhubhane lomhlaba wonke, kufanele sisebenzise ithusi ekunakekelweni kwezempilo, ezokuthutha zomphakathi, ngisho nasemakhaya ethu. Futhi nakuba sekwephuzile kakhulu ukuvimba i-COVID-19, akusesekuseni kakhulu ukucabanga ngobhubhane lwethu olulandelayo. Izinzuzo zethusi, ziyalinganiswa
Bekufanele ngabe sikubonile kuza, futhi empeleni, othile ukubonile.
Ngo-1983, umcwaningi wezokwelapha uPhyllis J. Kuhn wabhala ukugxekwa kokuqala kokunyamalala kwethusi ayekubonile ezibhedlela. Ngesikhathi sokuqeqeshwa kokuhlanzeka eHamot Medical center ePittsburgh, abafundi basula izindawo ezahlukene esibhedlela, okuhlanganisa nezitsha zangasese nezinkinobho zeminyango. Waqaphela ukuthi izindlu zangasese zazihlanzekile ngaphandle kwamagciwane, kanti ezinye zezinto zazingcolile kakhulu futhi zazikhula ngamabhaktheriya ayingozi uma zivunyelwe ukwanda emapuletini e-agar.
“Izinkinobho zomnyango zensimbi engagqwali ezicwebezelayo nezicwebezelayo namapuleti okucindezela abukeka ehlanzekile ngokuqinisekisayo emnyango wesibhedlela. Ngokuphambene nalokho, izinkinobho zomnyango namapuleti okucindezela ethusi elingcolile abukeka engcolile futhi engcolisa,” wabhala ngaleso sikhathi. “Kodwa noma engcolile, ithusi—ingxubevange evame ukuba nethusi elingu-67% kanye ne-zinc engu-33%—[ibulala amagciwane], kuyilapho insimbi engagqwali—cishe insimbi engu-88% kanye ne-chromium engu-12%—yenza okuncane kakhulu ekuvimbeleni ukukhula kwamagciwane.”
Ekugcineni, waphetha iphepha lakhe ngesiphetho esilula esanele ukuthi lonke uhlelo lwezempilo lulandele. “Uma isibhedlela sakho silungiswa, zama ukugcina izinsimbi zethusi ezindala noma uziphinde; uma unezinsimbi zensimbi engagqwali, qiniseka ukuthi zihlanzwa nsuku zonke, ikakhulukazi ezindaweni zokunakekelwa okubucayi.”
Emashumini eminyaka kamuva, futhi kuvunyelwene ukuthi ngezimali ezivela kwi-Copper Development Association (iqembu lokuhweba ngemboni yethusi), uKeevil uqhubekisele phambili ucwaningo lukaKuhn. Esebenza elabhorethri yakhe nezinye zezifo ezibangelwa amagciwane ezesatshwa kakhulu emhlabeni, ukhombisile ukuthi ithusi alibulali nje kuphela amagciwane ngempumelelo; liphinde libulale namagciwane.
Emsebenzini kaKeevil, ucwilisa ipuleti lethusi otshwaleni ukuze alihlanze. Bese elicwilisa ku-acetone ukuze asuse noma yimaphi amafutha angaphandle. Bese ephonsa igciwane elincane ebusweni. Ngezikhathi ezithile uma lomile. Isampula ihlala noma kuphi kusukela emizuzwini embalwa kuya ezinsukwini ezimbalwa. Bese elishukumisa ebhokisini eligcwele ubuhlalu beglasi kanye noketshezi. Ubuhlalu bukhipha amabhaktheriya namagciwane oketshezini, bese uketshezi lungathathwa ukuze kutholakale ukuthi lukhona. Kwezinye izimo, usungule izindlela ze-microscopy ezimvumela ukuthi abuke—futhi aqophe—igciwane elibhujiswa yithusi ngokushesha nje lapho lifika ebusweni.
Uthi umphumela ubukeka njengomlingo, kodwa kulesi sigaba, izenzakalo ezihilelekile ziyisayensi eqondakala kahle. Lapho igciwane noma igciwane lishaya ipuleti, ligcwala ama-ion ethusi. Lawo ma-ion angena emaseli namagciwane njengezinhlamvu. Ithusi aligcini nje ngokubulala lawa ma-pathogen; liyawabhubhisa, kuze kufike kuma-nucleic acid, noma amapulani okuzala, ngaphakathi.
“Akukho ithuba lokuguquka kwezakhi zofuzo [noma ukuziphendukela kwemvelo] ngoba zonke izakhi zofuzo ziyabhujiswa,” kusho uKeevil. “Leyo ingenye yezinzuzo zangempela zethusi.” Ngamanye amazwi, ukusebenzisa ithusi akuhambi nengozi, ake sithi, yokunquma ama-antibiotic ngokweqile. Kungumqondo omuhle nje.
Ekuhlolweni kwangempela, ithusi lifakazela ukubaluleka kwalo Ngaphandle kwelebhu, abanye abacwaningi balandele ukuthi ithusi liyawenza yini umehluko uma lisetshenziswa ezimweni zezokwelapha zangempela - okuhlanganisa izinkinobho zeminyango yesibhedlela ngokuqinisekile, kodwa futhi nezindawo ezifana nemibhede yesibhedlela, izindawo zokuphumula zezihlalo zezivakashi, kanye nezitendi ze-IV. Ngo-2015, abacwaningi abasebenza kwisibonelelo soMnyango Wezokuvikela baqhathanisa amazinga okutheleleka ezibhedlela ezintathu, futhi bathola ukuthi lapho kusetshenziswa izinsimbi zethusi ezibhedlela ezintathu, kwehlisa amazinga okutheleleka ngo-58%. Ucwaningo olufanayo lwenziwa ngo-2016 ngaphakathi kweyunithi yokunakekelwa okujulile kwezingane, okwabonisa ukwehla okumangalisayo okufanayo ezingeni lokutheleleka.
Kodwa kuthiwani ngezindleko? Ithusi lihlala libiza kakhulu kunepulasitiki noma i-aluminium, futhi livame ukuba yindlela ebiza kakhulu esikhundleni sensimbi. Kodwa uma ubheka ukuthi izifo ezithwalwa esibhedlela zibiza uhlelo lwezempilo imali efinyelela ku-$45 billion ngonyaka—ingasaphathwa eyokubulala abantu abangafika ku-90,000—izindleko zokuthuthukisa ithusi azinakuqhathaniswa.
UKeevil, ongasatholi uxhaso embonini yethusi, ukholelwa ukuthi umthwalo wemfanelo uwela kubakhi bezakhiwo ukukhetha ithusi kumaphrojekthi amasha okwakha. Ithusi laliyindawo yokuqala (futhi kuze kube manje liyiyokugcina) yensimbi elwa namagciwane evunyelwe yi-EPA. (Izinkampani embonini yesiliva zazama kodwa zehluleka ukusho ukuthi yayilwa namagciwane, okwaholela ekuhlawulisweni kwe-EPA.) Amaqembu embonini yethusi abhalise ama-alloy ethusi angaphezu kuka-400 ne-EPA kuze kube manje. “Sikhombisile ukuthi ithusi-nickel lihle njengethusi ekubulaleni amagciwane namagciwane,” usho kanje. Futhi i-nickel yethusi akudingeki ibukeke njengecilongo elidala; ayihlukaniseki nensimbi engagqwali.
Ngokuphathelene nezinye izakhiwo zomhlaba ezingakavuselelwa ukuze kukhishwe izinto zokwakha zethusi ezindala, uKeevil uneseluleko: “Ungazisusi, noma ngabe wenzani. Lezi yizinto ezinhle kakhulu onazo.”
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Novemba-25-2021