JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND HYGIENE
Year:2013 | Volume:3 | Issue:4|Papers Count:12

Background & Objectives: Presence of nutrients in hospital wastewater causes a wide range of environmental problems and that their removal from wastewater is necessary. The newest technology for nutrient removal from wastewater is membrane biological reactors (MBR).This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of nutrient removal from hospital wastewater by MBR process in Babol Clinic Hospital.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using a pilot-scale MBR at the wastewater treatment site of the hospital.30 samples were obtained from influent and effluent of pilot-scale and wastewater treatment plants in 62 days. Samples were taken into the laboratory and spectrophotometer was used to analyze samples. Data were analyzed by SPSS Ver.18 software and reported as mean±SD.Results: In Pilot-scale plant, NH3 _N, NO2 _N, NO3 _N, and PO4-P decreased by 82.6, 82.1, 82.1, and 60.2%, respectively. While at the same time respective reduction values for NH3 _N, NO2 _N, NO3 _N, and PO4-P in hospital wastewater treatment plant were 38.6, 35.4, 35.1, and 5.4%.Conclusion: The results of the study showed that MBR is an effective method to remove nutrients from hospital wastewater and it meet the standards set for the release of effluent to water bodies.

Background&Objectives: Population and family planning course is given for university students in order to promote students' knowledge and attitude and improve decision ability of students on fertility, sexual health, and family planning. This study aimed to investigate the effect of population and family planning course on knowledge and attitude of Mohaghegh Ardabili university female students toward related subjects and to determine attitude of students about instructor's gender.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the female students of Mohaghegh Ardabili University (189 individuals) were studied before and after teaching "population and family planning" course using researcher made questionnaire and data were analyzed using SPSS 12.Results: Results showed that 88.9% of students aged from 20 to 25 years.12.7% were married and 2.1% of married students had only one child. There were statistically significant differences between knowledge and attitude of students before and after teaching (p<0.05).The majority of female students (99.5%) preferred female teachers. From the student point of view first year of the study is the best time for this course.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, teaching family planning courses by different, appropriate, and continues methods in universities is the most important approach to increase student knowledge and attitude and motivate them for active cooperation in family planning programs.

Background & objective: Industrial development towards digital technologies has reduced the occupational exposure to high sound pressure levels. Meantime, exposure to low levels of annoying Low Frequency Noise (e.g.=LFN) had become a main concern. Since LFN may be experienced not only in working premises, but also in residential areas, offices, and control rooms, its effects on mental performance have been studied by many researches. This issue has been documented by world health organization. Present study reviewed articles published on the effects of low frequency noise on mental performance due to the controversial results obtained by different studies.Method: More than 90 papers published in national and international journals on mental efficiency, fatigue, and other health effects of low frequency noise and their influencing factors were reviewed.Results: Reviewing the published articles revealed that LFN at low levels increases the responding time and hampers speed of learning comparing with the same level of wide band noise. Low frequency noise reduces the mental performance in the tests where high attention and carefulness are demand.Conclusion: Low frequency noise has higher influencing risk in comparison with the reference noise and therefore, more attention should be paid to LFN in occupational exposure evaluations.

Background & Objectives: Training skilled and proficient human resources is one of the most important targets of an educational system. The aim of this study was designing a curriculum for apprenticeship of public health student in bachelor level based on their future career requirements.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using Delphi method with collaboration of fourteen related experts. Initial framework of curriculum was prepared in concordance with adopted contents in three stages with consensus of between 90 to 100 percent of experts.Priority of titles was determined using weighting coefficient technique.Results: The curriculum was designed for seven units of health center including family health, developing health network, diseases control, environmental health, health education, school health, and biostatistics. The basis of the work relied on educational materials, teaching methods, educational setting, educational period, and evaluation technique using consensus method. Out of above mentioned units the first 5 units attained priority.Conclusion: The curriculum was designed in such way that students to promote their knowledge on health system and to attain required skills for their future needs.

Background & Objectives: In the nuclear industry, aerosols play an important role on emission and dispersion of pollutants. Nuclear reactors are the principal sources for pollution in fuel cycle and emit different radioisotopes into the environment. The radioactivity and size distribution of aerosols were measured using Anderson cascade Impactor (ACI) at three workstations in Tehran Research Reactor safety enclosure.Methods: Mass concentration and distribution of airborne particles in the chamber environment were determined using ACI. In order to identify radionuclides present in airborne particles of chamber fiber filters were used. Element identification and mass concentrations were performed using ICP-MS. To identify radionuclide type and determine their radioactivity in suspended particles, -ray spectrometry and liquid Scintillation spectrometer were used, respectively.Results: Pb212, Pb214, Be212, Be214, Tl208, Ac228 and k40 radionuclides were determined by gamma spectrometry. Maximum mass was related to fine particle of 0 to 0.4 μm. The greatest portion of alpha and beta particle were adsorbed on aerosols with the aerodynamic diameter of less than 0.4mm.Conclusion: Majority of radioactivity was related to the particles in storage and nucleation areas (fine particles). The origin of these particles may be coagulation of mode particles "nucleation" and concentration growth in the particle size of studied.

Background & Objectives: Maintaining and improving health and elimination of harmful effects of social determinants of health, especially social conditions in which people live and work, are personal, societal, and international responsibilities that require attempts of individuals and organizations. This study aimed to identify social determinants of health and organizations influencing these determinants.Methods: This original study used qualitative methods to collect data. SID database for Persian papers and Pub Med database and WHO website for English written papers were searched for the term "Social Determinants of Health". Identification of related organizations was achieved through consultation with health specialists and managers of social organization in two stages using Delphi technique.Results: 25 Social Determinants of Health were recognized which include: education, work and work environment, food and agriculture, income and poverty, housing, providing health care services, demographic status, safe water and wastewater, environment, culture and life style, social supporting network, transportation, social exclusion, economy and business, health behaviors, government and urbanization, social services, social gradient, equity, technology and communication, marginalization and condition of indigenous residents, violence, victims and crime, physical infrastructures and industries. Furthermore, state government, medical sciences university, broadcasting organization, education, social security, Environmental Protection Agency, trading, agricultural organization, water and sanitation, sport, Imam Khomeini Relief committee, industries and mines, transportation, housing, welfare organization, police, and Medical Council were the organizations affecting health status.Conclusion: Any action taken on SDH should engage governmental body, civil society and local societies, business agencies, and international organizations. Health system has an important role on SDH changes and can support the SDH approach at all levels of society and coordinate other organizations to improve health equity.

Background & Objectives: People spend more than 90 percent of their time in indoor environments. Indoor air pollution is responsible for more than 2.2 million deaths per year worldwide.769 Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning occur in Iran annually. The aims of this study were to measure CO concentrations in outdoor air due to traffic, compare the results with air quality standards, and determine indoor to outdoor ratio for CO concentration.Methods: Measurements were conducted over a period of one year (from winter 2007 to autumn 2008) at 11 selected stations within the city. A single probe gas detector was used for measuring CO concentrations in indoor and outdoor environments.Results: Maximum CO concentrations in outdoor air for winter and summer were determined as 11 ppm (station 8, a commercial area) and 10 ppm (station 9, state office building area), respectively. Minimum CO concentrations were determined at stations 3 (i.e.4 ppm) and 1 (i.e.4 ppm). Respective values for indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of CO concentration were from 0.2 to 1.6and from 0.2 to 1 ppm for winter and summer.Conclusion: It is difficult to estimation indoor CO levels through measuring its concentration in outdoor air. In all cases, CO concentrations in winter were higher than the summer and 1st floor were more polluted than the 4th floor.

Background & Objectives: Different methods can be used for ventilation of tunnel during construction. Each method has advantages, limitations, and disadvantages that should be considered in selection of methods. Inefficient ventilation can lowered production rate and provide undesired work conditions for employees. This issue is critical in gaseous tunnels and may imperil the workers lives and the whole project. This paper presents a series of guidelines for selection of ventilation system, optimal implementation, and aspects of ventilation system design in gaseous tunnels based on common ventilation standards.Methods: Common ventilation systems in tunnels during construction were compared for selection of Alborz tunnel ventilation system. Air-supply ventilation system was selected as the best design. Whereas air-supply ventilation system may be applied in different forms, six distinct designs were compared for Alborz tunnel. In order to determine tunnel ventilation capacity, air volume required was calculated based on different criteria.Air volume required for diesel equipment was considered as the air requirements of tunnel ventilation.Considering advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of the small and large diameter channel applications, ventilation system calculations were conducted for the diameters 100, 140, and 180 cm to select optimum size.Results: The results from comparison of different ventilation variants showed that using two parallel jet fans on tunnel surface in a joint canal (140 cm) is the most appropriate design for tunnels with these characteristics.Conclusion: Poor ventilation is a critical factor in deep underground and gaseous tunnel drilling and improper ventilation may substantially affect the work environment, life, and production rate.