IRANIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Year:2020 | Volume:12 | Issue:4|Papers Count:12

Background and Objective: Electroproxone process is a combination of ozonation process and electrolysis in which the production of hydroxyl radical and ultimately degradation of a pollutant occurs. The aim of this study was to estimate the E-Proxone process in removing ceftriaxone from a synthetic solution. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, a semi-continuous reactor equipped with four graphene electrodes having 2 × 10 cm dimension and 3 mm thickness was used. The effect of pH (3-11), concentration of ozone gas (1-5 mg/min), direct electric current (1-3 A), initial concentration of ceftriaxone (5-50 mg/L) and radical scavenger dose (tertbutanol = 20 mmol/L) was studied in a 0-60 minutes reaction time. The Ceftriaxone concentration was measured by HPLC, COD was measured with spectrophotometer (DR6000) and TOC with a TOC analyzer. Results: The results of this study indicated that this process had sufficient performance in the degradation of the antibiotic and diminishing of COD and TOC. The excellent condition was pH = 3, the electric current of 3 A, the ozone concentration of 5 mg/min, and the sodium sulfate as an electrolyte was 50 mmole/L. The ceftriaxone concentration was 5 mg/L in the duration of the 30 minutes experiment. 99. 39% of the Ceftriaxone was destroyed. The process efficiency in COD and TOC removal was highest at 90 minutes. The presence of tertbutanol reduced the process efficiency to 83%. Conclusion: The E-Proxone process, as one of the advanced oxidation processes, has the ability to reduce the pollution load of pharmaceutical industry, especially the ceftriaxone in this wastewater. This process is considered an environmentally friendly process.

Background and Objective: Global macro trends on the one hand, and domestic trends and effective factors on the other, have put the future of the Iran’ s environment in a state of uncertainty with concern. In a complex and unpredictable environment, the use of scenario thinking (based on identifying and detecting future drivers and uncertainties) can provide tangible and comprehensible images of consistent or probable futures in multiple scenarios. The purpose of this study was to describe the stories and develop images of the future of the Iran’ s environment in the form of consistent and probable scenarios. Materials and Methods: The method used in this study was a scenario-based planning which was designed and implemented in eight steps. The method of data collection in this study was qualitative using interview, expert panel and Delphi survey. Micmac software and Scenario wizard software were used for data analysis. Results: The findings of this study can be divided into two parts. The first section included identifying and classifying key factors, driving forces and related uncertainties. In this regard, five driving forces including “ population” , “ global warming” , “ environmental discourse” , “ development process management” and “ technologies” were identified and the influence/dependence relationships among the factors were analyzed. The second section identified and described possible and consistent scenarios based on the relevant drivers and uncertainties. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, five probable and consistent scenarios including: (a) the secret of survival, (b) management against the land, (c) climate migration, (d) the return of the cranes and (e) technology against the land, were explained and compared. Understanding the narratives of each scenario and comparing their desirability enable actors and decision makers to influence the process of creating the future. Accordingly, the development of environmentally friendly technologies as well as eco management, are the basis for planning future actions in this field.

Background and Objective: Petroleum compounds are major contributors to aquatic environmental pollution. In recent years, biological treatments as environmental-friendly and cost-effective techniques have been used alongside the various physico-chemical methods. Microbial cell immobilization in hydrogel carriers has been the focus of researchers due to various advantages such as ease of microbial species control, non-direct exposure of pollutants to the cells, increasing cell resistance during different types of stresses and reusability. The main goals of this study were introduction to electrospraying technique in order to size reduction of alginate beads and comparison of heavy crude oil biodegradation using an isolated strain of Bacillus licheniformis in free and immobilized cells. Materials and Methods: The oil-degrading strain was isolated from oil-polluted site on Kharg Island. Microbial cells were examined in both free and immobilized systems under different conditions (pH=5, 7) and initial crude oil concentration (1500, 3500 ppm). Electrospraying technique was used for alginate beads production. Residual crude oil content was analyzed by gas chromatograph and gravimetrically method. Results: The maximum oil removal (61%) was obtained for the immobilized cells at a concentration of 3500 ppm in neutral medium. Overall, according to the results, after the 14th day, the biodegradation through the immobilized cells was significantly (p<0. 05) higher than the free cells. Moreover, the cell immobilization caused the microorganisms to be more resistant to the harsh environments. Conclusion: This study showed that the immobilized microbial cell system has a great potential for oil wastewater treatment. The electrospraying technique can be used to overcome to the mass transfer limitations.

Background and Objective: Non-biodegradation in nature and creation of adverse health effects in humans is important features of heavy metals. The main objective of this study was to determine the level of contamination, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of falling dust containing heavy metals on residents around the industrial areas of Ardakan. Another objective was to identify potential sources of heavy metal release into the environment. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, the falling dust was collected in summer around Tile and Ceramic, Khak-e-chini, sand and gravel and glass industries by installing 35 Inverted Frisbee traps with artificial grass cover. The concentration of Cd, Ba, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn and V were measured by ICP-MS. Probable sources of the heavy metal of the dust were evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficient and cluster analysis. Ecological risk indices for determining the level of contamination and proposed relationships proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency were used to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. Results: The highest and lowest mean concentrations of heavy metals were measured for Cd and Ba, respectively. The results of Pearson correlation analysis and cluster analysis revealed three anthropogenic and also natural sources for heavy metals of the falling dust. According to the Ecological Risk Potential Index, Cd in 45. 10% of the samples was in a very high class and in 54. 88% of the samples was a high class. Pollution class of the ecological risk index of all the heavy metals was medium to high. The carcinogenic risk of Cr and Ba in children and adults was estimated to be higher than 10– 4. In both age groups, the Hazard index for each metal was less than 1 and its sum was measured as 1. 29 for children and 0. 16 for adults. Conclusion: Cd increases the ecological risk of the falling dust in the area. Ther heavy metal carcinogenic risk results showed that the concentrations of Cr and Ba were higher than standard. Also, the non-carcinogenic risk was higher in children than in adults.

Background and Objective: Air pollution, especially the portion related to Motor vehicles, is a serious problem in many heavily polluted areas in the world. This investigation was conducted to study the effects of the air pollution on the anatomical structure of leaf in some valuable fruit-bearing trees in Traditional Qazvin gardens. Materials and Methods: In this study, 72 leaf samples were randomly collected from the contaminated and control areas from traditional Qazvin gardens in 2018. Three leaves of each sample were selected randomly and were submerged into the fixative solution. Then the samples were sliced using a microtome after embedding in the paraffin. Staining was carried out with hematoxylin and eosin. Measurements at cellular levels were performed by Image J. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software. Comparison of the means was done by Duncan’ s test and the charts were drown using Excel. Results: The thickness of the lower cuticle of the main leaf’ s vein was significantly increased in both plants. The leaf thickness and length of palisade parenchyma in the polluted areas were increased in Juglans regia in comparison to Pistacia vera. In addition, the resin duct’ s diameter of the leaves of the P. vera was significantly decreased as compared with those of the control areas. Conclusion: The results revealed some of the negative effects of air pollution on the anatomical structure of the leaves, and on several various resistance mechanisms of them. In conclusion, the metabolism of the plants can be affected by air pollution and consequently their consumers health may be at risk.

Background and Objective: one of the major challenges in urban management in human societies is related to the collection, recycling and disposal of solid waste and sewage. Poor waste management causes pollution of water, soil and air. It will have a major impact on public health. The aim of present study was to investigate the current status and select the best options of management of municipal solid waste in Noor city (Mazandaran, Iran) using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Materials and Methods: This research considered with five scenarios: 1) Recycling, composting and unsanitary landfilling; 2) Recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling; 3) Recycling, incineration and sanitary landfilling; 4) Recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, incineration, sanitary landfilling; 5) Recycling and unsanitary landfilling. The required data for life cycle assessment inventory were collected through reviewing resources, preparing of questionnaires, completing the questionnaire by staff, and field inspections. The life cycle inventory was approved by the IWM model. Results: The scenario 5, which is the current situation in the region, had the highest environmental impact in terms of toxic emissions and ecological indicators among all the scenarios. Energy consumption in the scenarios 1 and 5 was higher than the unsanitary landfilling in comparison to the other scenarios. Accordingly, the scenarios 5 and 4 had the most and the least impact on methane gas production. Conclusion: According to the ecological index, the fourth scenario including recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, and sanitary landfilling was the best scenario. Fifth scenario with the highest pollution load was the worst scenario evaluated.

Background and Objective: Farmers in agricultural activities deal with various forms of chemical pesticides and thus their knowledge level can have a positive or negative impact on the food health of a community and the environment. Understanding their knowledge about the consequences of poisoning will provide an effective extension for promoting environmentally friendly methods in farms and maintaining food security. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the farmers’ knowledge of Moghan plain about the consequences of chemical pesticides use for community health, the environment and food security in 2017. Materials and Methods: The method of this study is descriptive and survey. The statistical population consisted of all farmers (water cultivation) in the Moghan plain. The sample size of 400 was determined by multi-stage sampling method and using Kerjesi and Morgan table (1970). The study tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’ s alpha coefficient. Results: The findings showed that the majority of the farmers had relatively poor knowledge about the consequences of using chemical pesticides. The results of structural equation modeling (using Lisrel software) showed that the use of information resources, in total, predicted 24% of variance of farmers’ knowledge about the consequences of chemical pesticides. Conclusion: Given that more favorable safety behavior and cultivation of more healthy crops are based on the farmers’ knowledge about the use and consequences of chemical pesticides, hence, the attention of authorities and planners for conducting various workshops in line with farmers’ perceptions about the use of knowledge and the consequences chemical pesticides are needed.

Background and Objective: This study was designed to assess the safety and health risk in Ilam gas refinery and evaluation of TOPSIS method performance in risk assessment. Materials and Methods: After identifying 955 hazards case, the risks were ranked separately in the health and safety sectors using criteria such as exposure level, severity and probability of the occurrence and use TOPSIS multi-criteria evaluation method. Due to the impossibility of determining the level of risk using TOPSIS method, the FEMA method was used for this purpose, and the risk number (RPN) options was calculated. Results: In the field of safety assessment, personal injury, financial, burns and death from fire due to storage flammable materials in the warehouse, with a similarity to the ideal solution (Cli) of 0. 56 was identified as the highest risk. In assessing the health risk, poisoning and impact on the health of employees caused by microbial agents due to the use of expired food in cooking in the restaurant unit as well as respiratory injuries of drivers due to inhalation and gas leakage in the process area and traffic of drivers in the site Cli = 0. 66 was identified as the highest risk. Conclusion: TOPSIS, as a new approach, is capable of being used in the industry’ s risk ranking and assessment. All the risks were placed at a moderate to low level. Despite the necessity of determining the measures to control the risks, these risks were not an emergency.

Background and Objective: Rangeland forage is the main source of feed for sheep and goats in many countries and the concentration of heavy metals in these plants is very important. Bushehr province is also affected by environmental pollution due to its proximity to the Persian Gulf, the occurrence of different wars and the existence of different oil and gas resources. The environment and rangelands, which feed on various livestock, are also exposed to these contaminants. Therefore, knowing the composition of the compounds and health of grassland forages will greatly help experts to better understand the health of meat and milk of animals that graze on these pastures. Materials and Methods: Based on the rangeland area and the number of livestock in the coastal strip, two rangelands of Bashi and Rostami were selected and their grassland forage was randomly sampled. Plants were sampled at three grazing stages (first, middle and end of grazing season). Samples were dried in shade, then mixed and milled and sent to the laboratory. Results: The results showed that the average of lead, cobalt, cadmium and chromium were 0. 30, 0. 15, 0. 017 and 3. 73 mg/kg dry matter in total rangeland, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the amount of cobalt element in the two study areas and the amount of other elements was not significantly different. The amount of cadmium was significantly different in the various stages of grazing, with the highest concentration in the first stage of grazing. Conclusion: In general, the concentrations of these elements in the fodder of coastal rangelands of Tangestan area of Bushehr province were at permissible level for grazing animals. No risk of shortage or poisoning for the animals was observed and hence no danger to human health.

Background and Objective: Regular use of household cleaning products and cosmetics can result in adverse consequences for human health. Therefore, the knowledge of consumption pattern of these products can help to evaluate the effects and finally control the consequences of their inappropriate application. As there is not an appropriate tool for evaluating public use-pattern for these products in Iran, we studied the reliability and validity of a questionnaire designed for the use-patterns of these products. Materials and Methods: In the present study, a questionnaire, which was to previously applied in similar studies for this purpose, was first translated Persian. Then, some changes were made in the questionnaire according to the studied population. In the next step, the assessment of both content validity and face validity of the instrument was performed. Finally, the questionnaire reliability was studied in two test-retest steps at a 14-day interval with 40 subjects. older than 14 years old being resident in Tehran city Results: Total Content Validity Index (CVI) of this questionnaire ranged 0. 66-1 for all question items. Cronbach’ s alpha coefficient was 0. 814. The correlation assessment of each question item based on the total correlation score showed that all questionnaire items had a direct and strong correlation with the total instrument score. Conclusion: Given the acceptable validity and reliability obtained for the questionnaire in Persian in this study, it can be used in those investigations that evaluate use patterns or asses the exposure risks to chemical pollutants from cosmetic products or detergents.

Background and Objective: Nowadays, water shortage crisis leads to wastewater reuse in agriculture sector. The presence of pollutants such as heavy metal in wastewater results in the accumulation of them in vegetables, and it will finally be transferred to consumers and will have irreversible effects on their health. Therefore, the present study was performed to do a systematic review along with meta-analysis on heavy metal accumulation in mint plant that is irrigated with wastewater. Materials and Methods: Related articles were collected from databases like SID, Magiran, Iranmedex, IranDoc, Embase, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google scholar between 1982 and 2019 and the required data were extracted. Then, due to the heterogeneity of studies entered in the research, a random effect model was applied to analyze them using STATA 14 software. Non-carcinogenic risk was assessed for children and adults. Results: According to the search results, 1693 articles were entered in the review process until the beginning of 2019 and finally only 12 articles were included in the research. According to the results of the meta-analysis, the order of the metals based on concentration (mg/kg) were: Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Pb > Cd. Also, based on the non-carcinogenic risk assessment results, mint consumption showed a significant health effects on children age group compared to adults, especially in India and Pakistan. Conclusion: wastewater reuse in agriculture sector leads to increase concentration of metals in vegetables like mint. This increased the risk of non-carcinogenicity in the age groups, especially children. Therefore, it is recommended that continuous monitoring of irrigation sources, soils, and vegetables is done to prevent the transmission of these pollutants to the human food cycle.

Background and Objective: 2, 4 dinitrophenol is observed in sewage produced from chemical and petrochemical industries. Contamination of drinking water with these pollutants causes toxicity, health problems and change in taste and odor. The present study was developed to evaluate the efficiency of removal 2, 4-DNP through dried sludge adsorbent and modified calcium chloride sludge adsorbent. Materials and Methods: At first, sludge was dried at temperature of 60 ° C. Next, CaCl2 was used to improve adsorption capacity. The removal efficiency of 2, 4 dinitrophenol were determined by HPLC at wavelength of 360 nm. The effects of influencing factors including pH, initial pollutant concentration, contact time, and adsorbent dose were examined. Results: The optimum pH of adsorption for both adsorbents was found to be 7. The optimum concentration of 2, 4-DNP was 10 ppm. The results obtained from the present research showed that the removal of the contaminant using dried and modified sludge sorbent was increased from 72. 6% to 86% at a dosage of 1. 5 g. The adsorption kinetics were fitted with the pseudo second order kinetics model for both adsorbents. The isotherm data also showed that the adsorption of this pollutant on both adsorbents is fitted with the Freundlich model. Conclusion: Results obtained from the present study indicated that the efficiency of the modified sludge ash is more than the non-modified sludge in 2, 4 dinitrophenol removal. This can reduce adsorbent consumption in industrial treatment plants.