Journal of Research in Environmental Health
Year:2021 | Volume:6 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

The supervision of food preparation, distribution, and supply centers to maintain the health of users is the responsibility of inspectors and environmental health experts of medical universities across the country. Proper inspection and control of these centers play an important role in preventing the occurrence and prevalence of infectious diseases and protect the health of people in the community. Therefore, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the increasing number of patients with this disease, stricter control measures should be applied to food preparation, distribution, and supply centers, and health protocols should be inspected in these centers. Due to the shortage of environmental health forces, as well as the expansion of food preparation, distribution, and supply centers, the inspection of these centers and training of people in all centers regarding the observance of coronavirus prevention protocols are not possible. Therefore, the authors in this article suggest health volunteers as participants in overseeing food preparation, distribution, and supply centers. The active involvement and participation of health volunteers increase the sense of social responsibility and eliminate the sense of authority and dominance of formal organizations. After receiving face-to-face and virtual training on coronavirus prevention health protocols in food preparation, distribution, and supply centers, and visiting and monitoring several food centers alongside environmental health experts, health volunteers can carry out their activities for disease prevention and control. In this way, there will be a comprehensive determination to control the coronavirus in centers for the preparation, distribution, and supply of food. The results of these activities will have a positive effect on the health of people and society and ultimately the control of the disease.

Background and Aim: Today, air pollution, with an impact on a global scale, is an important concern of the modern world. It has many adverse effects on human health and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to find sustainable and environment-friendly solutions that prevent the increase of pollution levels and help eliminate them. One of the newest ways to reduce air pollution and absorb particulate matter, as well as improve air quality, is to use green walls in urban spaces. The present study investigated the potential of green walls in reducing air pollutants. Materials and Methods: In this research, two green walls were installed at the Khayyam intersection in Mashhad for three months. Finally, the Air Pollution Tolerance Index was determined for all the plants by measuring chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, leaf-related water content, and pH. Results: All of the plant species planted on the walls were classified as intermediate in the tolerance. Among all the plants, Carpobrotus edulis and Rosmarinus officinalis had higher APTI, which makes them more resistant and suitable for planting in polluted areas. Considering the statistical analysis, the APTI of the plants was correlated with ascorbic acid and leaf-related water content. Conclusion: Our findings suggest the suitability of the above-mentioned plants for plantation in areas with high levels of pollutants.

Background and Aim: The interior of airport lounges is often exposed to a lot of noise, which can increase the risk to human health. Due to the dangers of high noise pollution for airport users, the present study was conducted to reduce noise pollution in the transit lounges of Ahvaz International Airport. Materials and Methods: This is an interdisciplinary, applied study that used a combination of experimental, simulation, and case study methods. First, the acoustic status of Ahwaz International Airport was determined experimentally by measuring the amount of noise pollution during the test period (8 AM to 2 PM) by the Brü el & Kjæ r sound level meter (model 2260 B&K) in 12 places. Then, the sound-absorbing plates were tested with different geometric models. After proving the validity and reliability of the research, the experiments were performed by simulation using EASE 4. 4 software. Results: In this study, the noise level of the airport lounge was considered a dependent variable and four sound indices including Reverberation Time (RT; the main index), Indirect Sound Index (STI), total Sound Pressure Level (SPL), and auditory error coefficient (ALCONSE ) were evaluated according to the international standards ISO3382 and ISO 3382-1. Conclusion: After the simulation, it was found that the use of raster pattern sound-absorbing plates (Model A in research) in walls and ceilings with different frequencies had the lowest sound pressure and the above-mentioned indices were at desirable levels. As a result, Model A had the greatest effect on reducing noise in the tested space.

Background and Aim: Environmental noise pollution can cause physical and mental disorders, especially in cities. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Low-Frequency (LF) and High-Frequency (HF) noise on anxiety and sleep disorder in male rats. Materials and Methods: Fifteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: 1) control group (no exposure to noise), 2) group exposed to lowfrequency traffic noise (LF group), and 3) group exposed to high-frequency traffic noise (HF group). Sleep duration was monitored by CCTV. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured using the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM). Results: The results of the EPM test showed that time spent in the open arm was significantly lower in the HF group than in the control (P <0. 05). Sleep duration was significantly lower in rats exposed to LF and HF noise (P <0. 01). There was no significant difference in sleep duration between the HF and LF groups. Conclusion: Exposure to high and low-frequency noise can reduce sleep duration and high-frequency noise can increase anxiety-like behavior in rats.

Background and Aim: Air pollution is one of the most significant environmental problems that has a remarkable impact on the incidence of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality. It is essential to comprehend air pollution effects and the ways of emission and predict the number of patients with acute respiratory problems to eliminate and reduce air pollutants and associated mortality. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between different air pollutants and the number of cardiovascular disease patients in Mashhad. Materials and Methods: This study applied a neural network to model and analyze the relationship between CO, NO2, SO2, PM2. 5, and PM10 and the number of patients with acute respiratory problems. The inputs were average temperature, humidity, wind direction, and wind speed and the output was the number of people referred per day by gender and age. The data set used included meteorological data from the Iran Meteorological Organization, air pollution data from the Mashhad Meteorological Organization, and the number of daily referrals of heart disease patients to the emergency department of Mashhad. Results: According to this study, the most effective air pollutants in Mashhad were PM2. 5 and PM10, followed by NO2, CO, and SO2, respectively. Conclusion: Neural networks can be applied in the modeling of the relationship between environmental parameters and cardiovascular disease patients because they have a high ability to model nonlinear phenomena. These models show that the more airborne particles, the more rate of cardiovascular diseases in Mashhad.

Background and Aim: Increasing levels of toxic heavy metals in the environment have led to risks to the health of humans and living organisms. Materials and Methods: First, some characteristics of rock wool including pH, EC, pHZPC, chemical composition, structure, and morphology were determined using XRD, XRF, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Adsorbing tests were then conducted in a non-continuous reactor using synthetic solutions containing nickel. Optimum adsorption conditions were determined concerning pH, metal initial concentration, contact time, and adsorbent dose. The data were analyzed in a completely randomized block design. Results: The highest adsorption was seen at pH=5 and the lowest at pH=3, with a significant difference. The absorption rate was significantly higher in the 5 mg/l solutions than in other concentrations and the lowest was observed at 100 mg/l concentration. The lowest nickel adsorption rate was observed in 5 min and the highest adsorption efficiency was observed in 90 min, with a significant difference. The adsorption percentage of rock wool waste at the 10 g/l doses was significantly higher than that in other adsorbent doses and the lowest adsorption percentage was observed at the 1 g/l dose. The isotherm studies showed that the adsorption of nickel by rock wool waste was consistent with the Freundlich model. Conclusion: It can be concluded that rock wool waste could remove nickel from industrial effluents.

Background and Aim: One of the major global concerns about the environment is the pollution of aquatic ecosystems by heavy metals. These elements contaminate aquatic environments and accumulate and concentrate at through bioaccumulation in the tissues of living organisms at higher levels of the food chain consumed by humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentrations of three heavy metals, lead, nickel and cadmium, in the muscle tissue of two species of fish Otolithes ruber and Sphyraena forsteri in the fishing ports of Konarak and Pozm were investigated. Material and Methods: 36 fish samples were collected from Konarak and Pazm ports. After preparation of the samples by acid digestion, the concentrations of heavy elements lead, nickel and cadmium were measured by Contr-AA-700 atomic absorption spectrometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software, version 20 and ANCOVA (covariance) tests and Pearson correlation test at the significance level of 0. 05. Results: According to the results of the study, there was no significant difference between the amounts of lead, nickel and cadmium in the muscle tissue of Otolithes ruber and Sphyraena forsteri (P> 0. 05). Lead levels in Otolithes ruber and Sphyraena forsteri 0. 59 and 0. 55, respectively, and cadmium concentrations were 0. 07 and 0. 09 mg/kg, respectively. Also, the concentrations of heavy metals lead and nickel Sphyraena forsteri fish were lower than those of Otolithes ruber samples. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the levels of lead and cadmium in the muscle tissue of Otolithes ruber and Sphyraena forsteri were lower than the standards of FDA, MAFF, FAO and USEPA. The concentration of nickel in the muscle of Otolithes ruber and Sphyraena forsteri was higher than the permissible limit WHO.

Background and Aim: Despite advances in science and technology to save patients, nosocomial infections are not currently possible to completely eliminate around the world. Undoubtedly, the most effective, least expensive, and most desirable way to fight infections at any time and place is to prevent them. In this study, due to the importance of the issue and the lack of studies in this regard, we investigated the prevalence of nosocomial infections in a hospital in Damghan. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital in Damghan between 2011 and 2015. After referring to the hospital and reviewing the records of all patients, people with nosocomial infections were identified and their data were extracted. Then, the data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software. Results: In the present study, out of 34, 663 hospitalized patients, 116 cases of nosocomial infections were identified. Most infections belonged to the year 2014 (27. 6%), the autumn season (27. 27%), surgical wards (32. 8%), and respiratory infections (39. 7%). Conclusion: A review of the documents in this study shows that the prevalence of nosocomial infections is relatively high in Iran. Therefore, the development of appropriate evidence-based control and training programs should be considered by policy-makers to reduce the prevalence of nosocomial infections in Iran.