Environmental Health Engineering and Management Journal
Volume:8 Issue: 2, Spring 2021

The presence of toxic heavy metals in cereal grains like rice is one of the main human and environmental health concerns. Their importance is because of their non-biodegradability nature, high half-time, and bioaccumulation ability in the human body. Among heavy metals, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) are most critical, so their concentrations in rice were evaluated in this study. 

In this study, the concentration of Cd and Pb was determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GF-AAS), while the concentration of As was measured by atomic spectrum poll after acid digestion of the milled rice samples. The probabilistic health risk assessment of Cd, As, and Pb through consumption of different types of rice including local rice and two types imported from India (IND) and Pakistan (PAK), was estimated for the adults in Hormozgan province using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) technique. 

It was revealed that the concentrations of all Cd, As, and Pb in the local rice samples were lower than those in the PAK and IND samples. The average concentration of As, Pb, and Cd in the rice samples were 0.045, 0.057, and 0.022 mg/kg, respectively. The estimated total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) for this population was lower than 1, representing negligible non-carcinogenic risk through rice consumption. However, total carcinogenic risk (TCR) via As intake showed a considerable carcinogenic risk (TCR > 1E-4) for this population. 

According to the results, it is necessary to perform continuous monitoring for concentration of Cd, As, and Pb especially in the imported rice samples.

This study combined ground and satellite observations with the results of HYSPLIT model to identify the origin, transport, and deposition of sand and dust storms (SDSs) affecting Western Iran.

Field-measured dust exposure data were obtained during 2000-2014 to analyze variability of dust concentration and dust intensity at annual, monthly, and daily scales. Remote sensing measurements in this research include the analysis of a total of eight (Level 1B Calibrated Radiances 1 km (MOD021KM)) MODIS tiles selected based on interpreting the results of ground observations to capture the major SDS events occurred between 2000 and 2014.

The results, indicating a sharp rise in the number of dusty days from 2008 onwards, were used as a basis to identify the spatial coverage and intensity of SDSs over the central part of the Middle East and the study province using a number of eight MODIS images. According to the back trajectory analysis of Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT), the MODIS-derived SDSs were found to have both national and international sources. The most prevalent and powerful source was likely to initiate from deserts of Syria and Iraq by air masses coming from the Mediterranean Sea and terminate in Western Iran where the Zagros Mountains Chain blocks easterly winds.

Despite the evident link between timing of regional SDSs and in situ observations, the contribution of local dust sources in the west of the province should be also investigated to provide insights into the development and spread of SDS events affecting Western Iran, especially Lorestan Province.

Due to the fact that in the process of car painting in the automotive industry, sludge containing dangerous compounds of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene which cannot be released into the environment without purification, is inevitably produced, this study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of removing BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) from the paint sludge of Saipa Automotive Company using Eisenia fetida worms.

This is an experimental study. First, mixtures with different proportions of sludge were prepared and loaded in suitable boxes. After preparing the desired sludge, their quantitative and qualitative characteristics were determined in terms of type and amount of BTEX, volatile materials, moisture content, and C/N ratio. Then, to check the changes in BTEX, sampling was performed on different days during 90 days. BTEX measurements were performed using GC-MS method (NIOSH Method 1501).

The results showed that in the best mixing ratio of sludge, the amount of benzene decreased from 3 mg to less than 0.01 mg in 30 days, toluene decreased from 1.5 mg to zero over a 45-day period, ethyl benzene was reduced from 7 mg to zero mg over 70 days, and xylene decreased from 18 mg to 0.9 mg over 90 days. In addition, in the same optimal mixing ratio, the amount of volatile organic matter, pH, and C/N ratio also had a decreasing trend in the vermicomposting process.

According to the results, E. fetida worms are able to work in mixed sludge and have the ability to break down BTEX.

Controlling and validating the environmental performance of organizations, is a major problem that has been stated in the international standard ISO 14031. The aim of this study was to present a model for evaluating the environmental performance of Iran’s gas refineries using the environmental performance evaluation (EPE) method, based on the operational performance index (OPI) and management performance index (MPI). This case study was conducted in the ninth refinery of the South Pars Gas Complex (SPGC), Bushehr province, Iran, during 2019-2020.

The research method comprises two stages. The first stage was distinguishing the standards and markers of the MPI and OPI using the Fluffy Delphi strategy and the second one was focusing on and relegating loads to the measures and pointers using the logical analytical hierarchy process (AHP) prior to confirming the outcomes by applying the TOPSIS.

The total normal scores of the total OPIt and OPTt were obtained to be 2.3409 and 2.2647, respectively. Considering these coefficients, the organization is balanced in terms of the environmental performance. The implementation steps of the TOPSIS method in the ninth refinery (A1) with the first (A2), second (A3), and third (A4) refineries, which had the same extraction indices of OPIt and MPIt, were ranked as A1 > A3 > A4 > A2, respectively.

Petrochemical industries have the potential to cause adverse effects on the environment due to the nature of activities and effluents production, emissions, and hazardous wastes. However, they can increase their weight to be more competitive and reach the ranks of mature organizations by planning on important indices.

The use of poisonous agrochemicals is both necessary and menacing for a farmer. The long-term hazards of chemicals can even be life threatening to many people. Recently, the adverse effects of such chemicals on the environment and human health received serious attention throughout the world. In an Indian context, the usage of the chemical sprays has costed many lives and influenced vital organs to the greatest extent. This serious situation advocates the search for ways to prevent the inhalation and absorption of these chemicals into the body. The present study was conducted to evaluate different types of chemical sprays, their impact, and explore remedial ways to neutralize their toxic effects.

Alpha-cypermethrin, phorate, fenobucarb, buprofezin, and mancozeb were selected for binding based on the feedback of severity in actions reported by the respondents and statistical analysis of different physical and chemical parameters. Chemical similarity analysis of the 39 cidal chemicals was performed to predict the binding similarity with respect to the above-mentioned 5 seed molecules. These five chemicals were docked with three different proteins 121p GTPase HRas, Torpedo acetylcholinesterase, and trypanosoma phosphoglycerate kinase, selected based on the common target prediction.

Common target prediction revealed that these chemicals have an affinity to bind these proteins with a higher binding interaction towards the aromatic amino acid residues and those capable of H-bonding, escorted by a predilection towards acetylcholinesterase.

The in-silico findings are the basis to propose that acetylcholinesterase can be considered as a potential binding agent to trap fatal agrochemicals.

A hand-held portable direct-reading monitor, including photoionization detector (PID) is renowned for its good sensitivity, considerable dynamic range, and nondestructive vapor detection ability in comparison to the tardy response of the PID in gas chromatography (GC), which its application has been restricted. In this study, the performance of a PID system (MultiRAE Lite) was evaluated as a replacement of GC in the measurement of toluene in a dynamic adsorption system.

The test was done at different relative humidity levels (30%, 50%, and 80%), temperatures (21, 30, 40°C), and toluene concentrations (20, 100, 200, and 400 ppm).

The PID achieved 48% of all measurements meeting the comparison criterion. The results showed that the performance of the PID could be altered by the variables. The best performance of the PID was at temperature of 21°C, the relative humidity of 50%, and concentration of 200 ppm with the percentage of readings achieving the criterion of comparison to 58%, 54%, and 52%, respectively. The averages of the PID readings (mean ± SD at 200 ppm= 207.9 ± 8.7) were higher than the reference method measurements averages (mean ± SD at 200 ppm= 203.5 ± 5.8). The regression analysis of the toluene results from the PID and the reference method results indicated that the measurements were significantly correlated (r2 = 0.93).

According to the results, the device response is linear. Therefore, the findings are acceptable in adsorption studies. In this way, the measurement of the sample concentration should be performed using the same instrument before and after the reactor in order to calculate the adsorption efficiency.

Groundwater protection against pollution is a very important issue. Groundwater vulnerability maps are useful tools for protecting aquifers and assessing the potential for contamination. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to prepare vulnerability maps and perform sensitivity analysis to identify the most influential factors in the vulnerability of the studied aquifer.

In this study, groundwater vulnerability to pollution was evaluated using DRASTIC, composite DRASTIC, and nitrate vulnerability (NV) models. Drastic is an index for the systematic assessment of potential groundwater pollution. In this method, the drastic index was calculated from the total weight and rank of the factors. For this purpose, first the factors affecting the pollution transfer, were weighted, ranked, and merged using GIS software. Then, using the overlapping techniques and after applying the necessary weight coefficients on each layer, a map of the vulnerability area of the study aquifer was prepared.

It was revealed that there is a significant linear relationship between all three models with the distribution of nitrate concentration. Accordingly, it was the most efficient NV model, followed by the composite DRASTIC (CD) and DRASTIC models, respectively. Also, in the studied aquifer, the DRASTIC index was between 147 and 136, the combined DRASTIC index was between 70 and 190, and the nitrate index was between 13 and 132.

Vulnerability assessment of the studied aquifer using DRASTIC, and combined DRASTIC, and NV indices shows that, according to the DRASTIC index, 69.7% of the studied aquifer was in the medium vulnerability class. Also, according to the combined DRASTIC index, the largest area (53.62%) has low vulnerability and 31.56% has moderate vulnerability. But according to the nitrate index, 77.16% of the aquifers had very low vulnerability.

The impacts of lockdown on air pollution have been examined in various parts of the world. The concentration of main air pollutants has been decreased owing to a decline in anthropogenic activities like fossil fuel burning, etc. The main aim of this research was to assess the impacts of lockdown
on air pollution of the main urban areas of Pakistan.

The present study was conducted to assess the air quality index (AQI) of the main urban areas of Pakistan based on the pre- and post-lockdown effects and mortality rate due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Hotspot analysis was conducted to assess the most vulnerable spots at the country
level.

The AQI greatly improved in all the main cities of Pakistan which ranges from 51 to 87. The pre- and post-lockdown AQI were categorized from unhealthy for sensitive groups to hazardous and moderate, respectively. There are noticeable hotspots in the vicinity of Lahore and Karachi. The level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) dropped 45%, 49%, 20%, 35%, and 56% in Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, respectively.

Nature healed due to lockdown, which is the only good face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The temporary lockdown greatly improved air quality which may stimulate the policymakers, researchers, and governments for the smart use of resources to minimize emissions to heal the nature.The present study also suggests the application of hotspot analysis in different contexts for the evidencebased care services decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.