JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ENGINERING
Year:2020 | Volume:8 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Background: Oil is vital in many industries and is the most important source of energy supply internationally, accounting for 32% of energy supply in Europe and Asia and more than 53% in the Middle East. Given the position that the petrochemical industry has found today, its damage to human health and the environment should not be overlooked. Refineries today emit millions of pounds of pollutants into the air, which poses a serious threat to human health and the environment, and seriously damages the quality of life of people living in industrial communities. Therefore, in this study, using the logic and algorithm used in the artificial neural network model, the weight prioritization of the strategies and the prediction of future conditions governing the plan have been done, and finally the final ranking was done with the TOPSIS model. Methods: In this study, air pollutants were measured by gas chromatography and using artificial neural network ANN (Artificial Neural Networks) to prioritize the scenarios of removal of volatile organic pollutants from ROP (Recovery Oil Compound) of Abadan Oil Refinery It was done in 2019 to 2020. The method of using artificial neural network in the present study was MLP (Multi Layer Perceptron). The final ranking was done with TOPSIS model. Results: Based on the results obtained from the measurement of air pollutants adjacent to the ROP unit of the refinery, the highest emission of volatile organic compounds compared to the amount announced by WHO belongs to benzene emission with values of 8865. 88 μ g/m3 in spring, 1701. 04 μ g/m3 in summer, 8061. 72 μ g/m3 in autumn and 8447. 62 μ g/m3 was in winter. Conclusion: Based on the model outputs and its ranking with the TOPSIS model, minimization of production effluent in the factory through more effective control of water consumption, optimization of production processes, reuse of condensate water of indirect converters, control of leakage in connections, valves and equipment The refinery with an impact factor of 1 purity was the first priority and the most ideal. hen return the sludge from the aeration tank to provide a sufficient number of microorganisms to prevent anaerobic activation of the sludge, as well as increase the hydraulic retention time of wastewater every two hours with 0. 7798 second priority and use of uniformity ponds with 0. 6964 to the ideal state. The third strategy was identified.

Background & Objective: Volatile organic compounds are one of the most important air pollutants in cities that are caused by cars, chemical and petrochemical industries. A very important component of volatile organic compounds is PAHs, which have an aromatic structure and are formed by many natural processes and human activities. These compounds are widely used in petroleum and petrochemical products and industries, as solvents in paint and adhesive industries and have important health effects on humans, such as cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of Poly Cyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor and outdoor air during the hot and cold seasons. Materials and methods: Sampling of this study was performed by selecting 12 stations from Tehran in a one-year period using absorbent tubes and individual sampling pump with a flow rate of 200ml / min at a distance of 1-2. 5 meters from the ground. From each station, three samples were taken in dry period and three samples in wet period (72 sample). The collected samples were stored in the refrigerator and then transferred to the laboratory and after extraction from the adsorbent surface were read by Gas Chromatographic. Results: The results showed that during the sampling period in dry in ambient air, the average concentration of PAHs was equal to 20. 2 ppb and in wet outdoor environment( ambient air), the average concentration of PAHs was equal to 23. 6 ppb. Also, in the sampling period in dry (indoor air), the average concentration of PAHs was equal to 20. 6 ppb and in wet (indoor air), the average concentration of PAHs was equal to 23. 8 ppb. Conclusion: In general, the average concentration of PAHs in the cold season(wet) is more than the hot season (dry), which is due to pollution of domestic and commercial canters with the creation of inversion in Tehran in the cold season and increased photochemical reactions in the hot season and become faster This material is to other materials. The amount of these compounds in high-traffic areas and the city centre is more than other places, and by moving away from these high-traffic points, the concentration of these compounds is gradually reduced.

Background & Objective: Nowadays, soil contamination with heavy metals is among the main world concern, and therefore, special attention to protecting soil quality is vital. In this regard, the decrease of bioavailability and mobility of these elements in the soil are very important to control their toxicity and their acute and chronic effects. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of natural zeolite for the immobilization/stabilization of lead and cadmium in a contaminated soil sample. Materials & Methods: In this study, first, the control and experimental (containing 5% of natural zeolite) soil treatments were contaminated with 150, 500 and 1500 mg/kg of Pb and 10, 30 and 100 mg/kg of Cd. Then the contents of Pb and Cd in the soil samples were determined in various fractions (i. e. exchangeable and acid-soluble fraction (F1), the reducible fraction (F2), the oxidisable fraction (F3) and the residual fraction (F4)) of both soil treatments were extracted using the BCR sequential extraction procedure and finally, the mobility rates of the elements were computed at different incubation periods (i. e. 1, 7, 14, 28 and 56 days). Results: The results showed that the mobility of Pb in the experimental treatment containing 150, 500 and 1500 mg/kg added lead was decreased 51%, 23% and 15% at 56th day of incubation compared to the control treatment. While, the mobility of Cd in the experimental treatment containing 10, 30 and 100 mg/kg added cadmium was decreased 12%, 9% and 5% at the 56th day of incubation compared to the control treatment. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, although with increasing in the added amounts of Pb and Cd in the soil the efficiency of natural zeolite as an amendment agent in the immobilization and solidification of these elements was reduced, natural zeolite can be used for chemical fixation of heavy metal-contaminated soils due to its acceptable efficiency in heavy metal uptake, reasonable price, abundance and minimal adverse environmental impact.

Background & Objective: Traditional pastries are the favorite common food items of people at all ages, especially children who consume them in large amounts. Since raw materials and manufacturing processes may be the main sources of contamination of foodstuffs by hazardous compounds particularly toxic heavy metals, this study was conducted to health risk assessment of Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu through consumption of two famous traditional pastries (i. e. "Nan-e Berenji" and "Kak") which marketed in city of Kermanshah in 2019. Materials and Methods: After the purchase of 21 samples of each pastry of seven popular brands and acid digestion of the samples according to standard methods, the content of studied elements was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) in 3 replicates. Also, all statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software. Results: Based on the results the mean contents of Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu (mg/kg) in Nan-e Berenji samples were 0. 770, 0. 034, 1. 21 and 1. 14, respectively, while the mean contents of elements in Kak samples were 0. 200 for Pb, 0. 035 for Cd, 1. 02 for Cr and 1. 23 mg/kg for Cu. Besides, the results obtained showed that TTHQ values were 2. 57 ⨯ 10-2 and 5. 29 ⨯ 10-3 for children and adults, respectively, who consuming Nan-e Berenji and were 1. 1 ⨯ 10-2 and also 2. 33 ⨯ 10-3, respectively, for children and adults who consuming Kak. Also, the mean contents of Pb in Nan-e Berenji samples were higher than the WHO maximum permissible limits (MPL). Besides, THQ values were within the safe limits (THQ < 1), and there is no potential health risk for adults and children via the consumption of analyzed traditional pastries. Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, the controlled consumption of traditional pastries under the current consumption rate hasn't an adverse effect on the consumer's health. While, the mean contents of Pb in Nan-e Berenji samples were higher than the MPL, and due to the persistent and bioaccumulation potential of heavy metals in the body tissues, regular periodic monitoring of the content of toxic metals in popular foodstuffs for maintaining human health and achieve food security is recommended.

Background and objectives: Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the world and one of the authorities’ concerns of officials in this area is to improve their safety. This study was carried out so as to investigate the causes of unsafe behaviors in a combined cycle power plant. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire for 300 workers of the combined cycle power plan were used. The obtained information was divided into criteria and subcriteria affecting the causes of unsafe behaviors. Criteria and sub-criteria were distributed as a pairwise comparison questionnaire among 19 people who worked on the safety and they were supposed to answer based on their experiences as well as the distance scale. Criteria and sub-criteria were ordered by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and using Expert Choice software. Results: the results showed that the criterion of individual characteristics (34 %) is the most effective factor for unsafe behaviors and followed by employer (22%), teaching 915%), education (12%), specialization and experience (7. 8%), age (7. 6%), job characteristics (3%), and weather condition (2%) respectively. Conclusion: the most important sub-criterion of individual characteristics is a one's susceptibility to accident. Hence, it is necessary to prevent unsafe behaviors by employing vulnerable people in less dangerous occupations.

Background & Objective: Considering the development of industries and the importance of industrial waste production and its environmental hazards, it is important to survey the quantity and quality of waste. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of properties investigation of waste produced from industrial units in Ure and Shoja Abad. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 2018. A questionnaire was used for quantitative and qualitative survey of industrial waste. For this purpose, after referring to the industrial units and completing the questionnaires, the data were analyzed to determine the status of industrial waste. Results: A total of 59730 and 168620 tons per year of industrial waste are respectively produced in Ure and Shoja Abad. Waste from non-metallic minerals has the highest amount of total production waste at 29460 and 151490 tons per year in Ureh and Shoja Abad, respectively. On-site recycling in the industries of Urea and Shoja Abad towns with 1212. 74 and 434. 91 tons per year, respectively, is the main method of waste management. Conclusion: According to the results the main method of industrial waste management is on-site recycling. Non-metallic minerals are used and recycled in the production process to a greater extent than other production wastes in Urea and Shojaabad industrial plants.

Background: The discharge of a large volume of colored wastewater into receiving water sources has caused widespread concern around the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of pumice as an adsorbent in removing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The adsorption process was also modeled and optimized by the methods as follows: central composite design-central composite design (RSM-CCD) and artificial neural network-genetic algorithm (ANN-GA). Methods and Materials: The independent variables in the study were included pH (3-11), contact time (10-50 minutes), adsorbent dose (0. 1-2 g/L), and MB concentration (20-100 mg/l). The effect of these parameters on the efficiency of pumice in MB uptake was modeled and optimized by RSM-CCD and ANN-GA methods. A spectrophotometer at 620 nm was used to measure the residual MB concentration in solution. Results: The results showed that the RSM-CCD method has the ability to develop a quadratic polynomial model with high validity (R2 = 0. 9997) for the adsorption process. Similarly, the ANN-GA method fitted well with experimental data to develop a model with high validity (R2 = 0. 9978). The results of optimization process by RSM-CCD and ANN-GA methods obtained the highest adsorption efficiency at pH = 11, contact time = 50 minutes, adsorbent dose = 1 g/L, and concentration MB = 20 mg/L. Adsorption efficiency shows a direct relationship with pH, contact time and adsorbent dose and inversely with contaminant concentration. The linear effect of pollutant concentration and adsorbent dose variables had the greatest effect on adsorption efficiency. Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that pumice as a cheap and available adsorbent can be considered as a suitable choice for absorbing dye pollutants from aqueous media. RSM-CCD and ANN-GA methods can also be used to model and optimize adsorption processes.

Background: Using available water resources, protection and monitoring of water resources is essential and vital. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in water quality in Lake of Kalan Malayer Dam in Hamedan province during the year 2017-2018. Methods: Using GIS software and land use maps, sampling locations in the dam lake were selected. In samples was carried out on 5 occasions, pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO4, PO4, NO3, TDS, TSS, DO, BOD, COD, TOC, Turbidity and concentration of common pesticides used in the area were measured. Results: The results showed that according to WHO guidline, turbidity in May and electrical conductivity, BOD and COD in all sampling times, limit the consumption of drinking water. The average concentration of BOD and COD was higher in the primary stations and decreased from the average concentration in the lake and stations near the dam wall, that be related to the discharge and route of pollutants upstream of the river, which increases the amount of biochemical and chemical oxygen demand. Nutrient concentrations (NO3, Cl, SO4 and Na) in all samples were within the allowable range determined by WHO. Conclusion: Water in winter was of better quality due to increased river flow and water stored behind the dam, lowering the temperature and reducing agricultural activities.