ETshayina, yayibizwa ngokuba yi-“qi,” uphawu lwempilo. EYiputa yayibizwa ngokuba yi-“ankh,” uphawu lobomi obungunaphakade. KumaFenike, intsingiselo yayifana no-Aphrodite—uthixokazi wothando nobuhle.
Ezi mpucuko zamandulo zazibhekisela kubhedu, into ebonwa ziinkcubeko kwihlabathi liphela njengebalulekileyo kwimpilo yethu kangangeminyaka engaphezu kwe-5,000. Xa ii-influenza, iibhaktheriya ezifana ne-E. coli, ii-superbugs ezifana ne-MRSA, okanye ii-coronavirus zifika kwiindawo ezininzi eziqinileyo, zinokuphila iintsuku ezine ukuya kwezintlanu. Kodwa xa zifika kubhedu, kunye nee-alloys zobhedu ezifana nobhedu, ziqala ukufa kwimizuzu embalwa kwaye azibonakali kwiiyure ezimbalwa.
“Sibone iintsholongwane ziqhekeka,” utshilo uBill Keevil, uprofesa wezempilo yokusingqongileyo kwiYunivesithi yaseSouthampton. “Ziwela phezu kobhedu kwaye ziyawohloza nje.” Akumangalisi ukuba eIndiya, abantu bebesela kwiikomityi zobhedu kangangeminyaka emininzi. Kwanalapha eMelika, umgca wobhedu uzisa amanzi akho okusela. Ubhedu yinto yendalo, engasebenziyo, elwa neentsholongwane. Ingazibulala iintsholongwane kumphezulu wayo ngaphandle kwesidingo sombane okanye i-bleach.
I-Copper yachuma kakhulu ngexesha le-Industrial Revolution njengezinto zokwakha izinto, izixhobo zokwakha, kunye nezakhiwo. I-Copper isasetyenziswa kakhulu kuthungelwano lwamandla—imarike ye-copper, eneneni, ikhula kuba le nto ingumqhubi osebenzayo. Kodwa le nto iye yasuswa kwizicelo ezininzi zokwakha ngenxa yezixhobo ezintsha ezivela kwinkulungwane yama-20. Iiplastiki, iglasi eqinisiweyo, i-aluminium, kunye nentsimbi engagqwaliyo zizinto zanamhlanje—ezisetyenziswa kuyo yonke into ukusuka kuyilo lwezakhiwo ukuya kwiimveliso ze-Apple. Izikhonkwane zomnyango we-brass kunye nee-handrails zaphelelwa sisitayile njengoko abakhi bezakhiwo kunye nabayili bekhetha izinto ezibukeka zintle (kwaye zihlala zingabizi kakhulu).
Ngoku uKeevil ukholelwa ukuba lixesha lokubuyisela ubhedu kwiindawo zikawonke-wonke, ngakumbi kwizibhedlele. Xa sijongene nekamva elingenakuphepheka elizele ziintsholongwane zehlabathi, sifanele sisebenzise ubhedu kwimpilo, kwiindlela zikawonke-wonke, kwanakwiikhaya zethu. Nangona kusemva kwexesha ukunqanda i-COVID-19, akukabi kudala kakhulu ukucinga ngobhubhane wethu olandelayo. Iingenelo zobhedu, ziyalinganiswa
Bekufanele ukuba sikubonile kuza, kwaye eneneni, kukho umntu okwenzileyo.
Ngo-1983, umphandi wezonyango uPhyllis J. Kuhn wabhala ugxeko lokuqala lokunyamalala kobhedu awayelubonile ezibhedlele. Ngexesha loqeqesho lococeko kwiziko lezonyango laseHamot ePittsburgh, abafundi baxubha iindawo ezahlukeneyo esibhedlele, kuquka izitya zangasese kunye nezikhonkwane zeminyango. Waphawula ukuba izindlu zangasese zazicocekile ziintsholongwane, ngelixa ezinye zezinto ezisetyenzisiweyo zazingcolile kakhulu kwaye zivelisa iintsholongwane eziyingozi xa zivunyelwe ukuba zande kwiipleyiti ze-agar.
“Izikhonkwane zeminyango zentsimbi engagqwaliyo nezikhazimlayo kunye neepleyiti zokutyhala zibukeka zicocekile ngokuqinisekisayo emnyango wesibhedlele. Ngokwahlukileyo koko, izikhonkwane zeminyango kunye neepleyiti zokutyhala ezenziwe ngethusi elimdaka zibukeka zingcolile kwaye zingcolisa,” wabhala ngelo xesha. “Kodwa nokuba zimdaka, ithusi—ingxubevange edla ngokuba yi-67% yobhedu kunye ne-33% ye-zinc—[ibulala iintsholongwane], ngelixa intsimbi engagqwaliyo—malunga ne-88% yentsimbi kunye ne-12% ye-chromium—ayenzi nto ingako ekuthinteleni ukukhula kweentsholongwane.”
Ekugqibeleni, uqukumbele iphepha lakhe ngesiphelo esilula esaneleyo ukuba yonke inkqubo yezempilo ilandele. “Ukuba isibhedlele sakho siyahlaziywa, zama ukugcina izixhobo zobhedu ezindala okanye uziphinde; ukuba unezixhobo zentsimbi engagqwaliyo, qiniseka ukuba zicocwa iintsholongwane yonke imihla, ingakumbi kwiindawo zokhathalelo lwabantu abagula kakhulu.”
Kwiminyaka emininzi kamva, kwaye kuvunyelwene ukuba ngenkxaso-mali evela kwiCopper Development Association (iqela lorhwebo lweshishini lekopolo), uKeevil uqhubele phambili uphando lukaKuhn. Esebenza kwilebhu yakhe nezinye zezona zifo zoyikekayo ehlabathini, ubonakalise ukuba ikopolo ayibulali nje kuphela iintsholongwane ngokufanelekileyo; ikwabulala neentsholongwane.
Kumsebenzi kaKeevil, ufaka ipleyiti yobhedu kwi-alcohol ukuze ayibulale iintsholongwane. Emva koko uyifaka kwi-acetone ukuze asuse naziphi na ii-oyile ezingaphandle. Emva koko uphosa intwana ye-pathogen phezu komphezulu. Kwimizuzu embalwa yomile. Isampuli ihlala naphi na ukusuka kwimizuzu embalwa ukuya kwiintsuku ezimbalwa. Emva koko uyishukumisa kwibhokisi egcwele iiglasi kunye nolwelo. Ii-beads zikhupha iibhaktheriya kunye neentsholongwane kulwelo, kwaye ulwelo lunokutsalwa isampuli ukuze lubone ukuba zikhona. Kwezinye iimeko, uphuhlise iindlela ze-microscopy ezimvumela ukuba abukele—kwaye abhale phantsi—i-pathogen etshatyalaliswa yi-copper kwangoko nje xa ifika kumphezulu.
Isiphumo sibonakala ngathi similingo, utsho, kodwa ngeli xesha, izinto ezenzekayo ziyaziwa kakuhle yisayensi. Xa intsholongwane okanye intsholongwane ibetha ipleyiti, igcwala zii-ion zekopolo. Ezo i-ion zingena kwiiseli kunye neentsholongwane njengeembumbulu. Ubhedu aluzibulali nje ezi pathogens; luyazitshabalalisa, ukuya kuthi ga kwi-nucleic acids, okanye iiplani zokuzala, ngaphakathi.
“Akukho thuba lokuguquka [okanye ukuvela kwendalo] kuba zonke iijini ziyatshatyalaliswa,” utshilo uKeevil. “Elo lelinye lawona mancedo okwenene e-copper.” Ngamanye amazwi, ukusebenzisa i-copper akuhambi nomngcipheko, masithi, wokunika amayeza okubulala iintsholongwane ngokugqithisileyo. Licebo elihle nje.
Kuvavanyo lokwenyani, ithusi libonakalisa ixabiso lalo Ngaphandle kwelebhu, abanye abaphandi baye balandela ukuba ithusi lenza umahluko na xa lisetyenziswa kwiimeko zonyango zokwenyani – ezibandakanya izikhonkwane zeminyango yesibhedlele ngokuqinisekileyo, kodwa neendawo ezifana neebhedi zesibhedlele, iindawo zokubeka iingalo zezihlalo zeendwendwe, kwaneendawo zokuma ezine-IV. Ngo-2015, abaphandi abasebenza kwisibonelelo seSebe lezoKhuselo bathelekisa amazinga osulelo kwizibhedlele ezithathu, baza bafumanisa ukuba xa kusetyenziswa ii-alloys zethusi kwizibhedlele ezithathu, lanciphisa amazinga osulelo ngama-58%. Uphononongo olufanayo lwenziwa ngo-2016 ngaphakathi kwiyunithi yokhathalelo oluphezulu lwabantwana, olubonise ukwehla okufanayo okumangalisayo kwinqanaba losulelo.
Kodwa kuthekani ngeendleko? I-Copper isoloko ibiza kakhulu kuneplastiki okanye i-aluminium, kwaye idla ngokuba yenye indlela ebiza kakhulu endaweni yentsimbi. Kodwa ekubeni usulelo oluthwalwa esibhedlele lubiza inkqubo yezempilo ukuya kuthi ga kwi-$45 yeebhiliyoni ngonyaka—singasathethi ke ngokubulala abantu abafikelela kwi-90,000—ixabiso lokuphucula i-copper alinakuthelekiswa nanto.
UKeevil, ongasafumani nkxaso-mali kwishishini lekopolo, ukholelwa ukuba uxanduva luwela kubakhi bezakhiwo ukukhetha ikopolo kwiprojekthi ezintsha zokwakha. Ikopolo yayiyeyokuqala (kwaye okwangoku yeyokugqibela) umphezulu wesinyithi othintela iintsholongwane ovunyiweyo yi-EPA. (Iinkampani kwishishini lesilivere zizamile kodwa zasilela ukuthi yayichasene neentsholongwane, nto leyo eyakhokelela kwisohlwayo se-EPA.) Amaqela oshishino lwekopolo abhalise ngaphezulu kwama-400 ee-alloys zekopolo kwi-EPA ukuza kuthi ga ngoku. “Sibonise ukuba i-copper-nickel ilungile njengekopolo ekubulaleni iintsholongwane kunye neentsholongwane,” utshilo. Kwaye i-copper nickel akufuneki ibonakale njengexilongo elidala; ayifani nentsimbi engagqwaliyo.
Ngokuphathelele ezinye izakhiwo zehlabathi ezingakhange zihlaziywe ukuze zikrazule izixhobo ezindala zobhedu, uKeevil unecebiso: “Musa ukuzisusa, nokuba wenza ntoni na. Ezi zezona zinto zibalaseleyo onazo.”
Ixesha lokuthumela: Novemba-25-2021