نشریه مهندسی بهداشت محیط
سال نهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 35، زمستان 1400)

Air pollution is an important environmental issue due to its proven serious impacts on human health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of suspended particles (PM2.5 and PM10) and its relationship with the rate of death due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Susangard during 2014-2016.

This study was performed cross -sectional to assess health impacts of PM2.5 and PM10 by using Air Q software.

The results showed that the highest annual average concentration was of PM2.5 and PM10 in 2016, which consisted of 58.07 and 356.89 μg/m3, respectively. The highest and lowest average concentration of PM2.5 was observed in April and December, respectively, and the highest and lowest average concentration of PM10 in July and November. Daily analysis showed that there was 178 dusty out of three years of the study, the most severe dust day occurred in 2016. Percentage of overall mortality attributed to PM2.5 in people over 30 years of age according to the estimate of the average relative risk in 2014-16 equal to 25.23%, 20.6% and 24.21%, The mortality attributed to ischemic heart disease was 62.87%, 60.74% and 43.62%, respectively.

The results indicate that the health effects attributed to PM2.5 included mortality for all-causes, cardiovascular and respiratory deaths in the city of Susangerd, which requires more attention from officials and specialists to control air pollution.

Using wastewater as a renewable water source to irrigate plants is a safe and effective solution. In contrast, the accumulation of heavy elements in soil and plants is one of the concerns of the use of wastewater in agriculture. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of urban wastewater use on the most important physiological parameters related to the growth of corn (Zea mays L., KSC 704) and the accumulation of heavy metals lead and cadmium in the soil in a field Bushkan area of Dashtestan, Bushehr in a pot.

This study was performed in 4 treatments: wastewater of the treatment plant, wastewater diluted with drinking water (1/2), Irrigation one on one with wastewater and drinking water and drinking water treatment, in 3 replications in a completely randomized design. Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) content in soil and plants were measured by ICP. pH and Electrical conductivity (EC) of soil and wet and dry weight of the Corn organs were measured. The means were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Duncan test was used to determine the differences between groups (p <0.05).

The results of this study showed that irrigation with EC wastewater increased the soil by 1.1 (ds.m-1), also increased soil cadmium by 0.03 (mg.kg-1) and lead by 0.02 (mg.kg-1). Dilution of the wastewater reduced the negative effects of the wastewater on the soil. The highest wet weight added of 1500 g was related to irrigation treatment with diluted wastewater. The highest dry weight added was observed with 600 g of irrigation treatment with diluted wastewater. The lowest total wet weight added of 1100 g and total dry weight added of 400 g were observed in the wastewater treatment.  The accumulation of lead and cadmium in the corn seed was (0.6 lead, 0.5 cadmium) <stem (0.9 lead, 0.8 cadmium) <root (lead 1.9, 0.95 cadmium), respectively. The highest accumulation of lead and cadmium was related to wastewater treatment and the lowest was related to drinking water treatment.

The higher the cadmium levels in the soil, the higher the concentration and content of cadmium in the roots and shoots. The results showed that the corn plant has a high ability to absorb and transport cadmium and lead. Due to the pattern of accumulation of heavy elements of lead and cadmium in the roots of corn, this plant can be used for accumulation of fields irrigated with wastewater. The continuation of this study is recommended to evaluate the long-term effects of municipal treated wastewater on the concentration of heavy elements in soil and plants, and soil properties, although it should be noted that based on technical recommendations, the use of treated wastewater are not recommended, however, in necessary cases, diluting of wastewater by reducing the destructive effects and providing the necessary elements for the growth of the Corn can be used as an indicator treatment in irrigation. Also, it is suggested that in order to use the wastewater in corn cultivation, while increasing growth and yield, the risk of using the wastewater in corn cultivation should be evaluated from an environmental point of view.

Leishmaniasis, a common parasitic disease between humans and animals, which is currently one of the major health problems in many parts of Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Aran and Bidgol and the effects of climatic factors on that during 2016-2019.

This cross-sectional study was performed by referring to the health records of 964 cutaneous leishmaniasis patients in Aran and Bidgol during 2016-2019 and epidemiological information was recorded. In addition, the climatic characteristics of the study area, including temperature, humidity, and precipitation were collected from the meteorological station of the study area. Then correlation analysis was performed between meteorological elements and the incidence of the disease. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.

60% of the patients were male. The age group of 0-10 years had the highest frequency (23.9%) among patients. Also, 47.7% of the patients had a history of traveling to endemic areas and the highest rate of leishmaniasis was related to urban residents. There was also a weak positive correlation between humidity and rainfall with leishmaniasis incidence (r = +0.55).  A weak negative correlation was also observed between temperature of the environment and leishmaniasis incidence (r = -0.42).

Due to the significant increase in cutaneous leishmaniasis in recent years in the area, as well as the appropriate ecological conditions of the area for sand fly activity, it is recommended to conduct the necessary training to observe health in hot seasons and field controls, such as baiting.

Air pollution is one of the most important environmental problems and various industries are sources of air pollutants, especially particulate matter. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the health effects of particulate matter released in the automotive industry.

In this research, after measuring the concentrations with the WESTECH, monthly during 2021, the distribution of PM2.5 around Saipa was modeled with AERMOD, the population of given area was determined through Zonal statistic of Arc GIS and finally health risk assessment was assessed through Air Q+ model.

The results showed that the maximum concentrations of PM2.5 in the hourly and annual time periods were 1015.03 and 581.10 µg/m3, respectively. The results of quantitative risk assessment show that with increasing particulate matter from 25 µg/m3, the relative risk of respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease was increased by 1.9 and 91%, respectively, and with increasing particulate matter by 10µg/m3 The relative risk of mortality was increased by 6.2%.

Short-term exposure to fine particles increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and in case of long-term exposure, the risk of cancer, non-cancer, and mortality are increased.

The dust pollution in the air of cities is one of the environmental problems in the western and southwestern regions of Iran, which can have many effects on the environment and human life. The purpose of this study is the assessment of dust pollution, the effect of climatic parameters on it and the field of view in the southwestern regions of Iran.

In this study, different statistical periods of four cities in southwestern of Iran including Ahvaz, Abadan, Khorramabad and Poldakhtar were studied during the years 2010 to 2019. The number of dusty days, speed and direction of maximum wind and reduction of field of view were evaluated as annual and seasonal climatic parameters

The results showed that the maximum of dusty days accured in the spring and summer in the cities of Ahvaz, Abadan, Khorramabad and Poldakhtar, respectively. The minimum of dusty days in the all stations occurred in autumn. The results also showed that in all cities, except Ahvaz, the seasons with the highest amount of dusty days (spring and summer) do not correspond to the seasons of maximum wind speed, which indicates the external sources of the dust phenomenon.

According to the results, increasing the distance from external dust sources of Arab countries such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the dust sources become local and internal sources. Vegetation around cities reduces the entry of dust into cities and is considered as an effective factor in reducing pollution in the region.

In recent years, due to water shortages and rapid industrial growth, the treatment and reuse of industrial wastewater has become of great importance. Phenol and its derivatives can be mentioned as wastewater pollutants that have a destructive effect on the environment. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is one of these derivatives that may be carcinogenic to humans, and wastewater treatment containing PCP is required. Therefore, the aim of this study was to remove PCP from aqueous media.

Effective operating parameters such as initial PCP concentration (25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/L), persulfate concentration (25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/L), solution pH (5, 7, 9, and 11), and reaction time (10, 20, 30, and 40 min) were investigated. After the removal of PCP, an experimental design based on an orthogonal array using the Taguchi method was proposed.

Based on the results, 98.78% of PCP in the optimal conditions (initial concentration of PCP of 25 mg/L, concentration of sodium sulfate (Na-PS) of 20 mg/L, pH = 11, and reaction time of 40 min) was removed. In this process, the COD and TOC removal rates were 82.3% and 61%, respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that persulfate is the most effective factor in the removal of PCP in the persulfate/UV process.

Persulfate/UV processes as an advanced oxidation process, powerful and environmentally friendly, can be used in wastewater treatment containing phenolic compounds, including PCP.

The development of industry has recently led to the release of 2 × 105 tons of colored wastewater into the environment. The presence of these solutions due to their toxicity and carcinogenic potential can be a threat to human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of MWCNTs-CuNiFe2O4 nanocomposite in activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for degradation of reactive black 5 dye (RB5).

In this study, nanocomposites were characterized by diagnostic techniques of SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. Influence of operating parameters such as pH (2-11), nanocomposite concentration (10-750 mg/L), PMS concentration (0.25-8 mM), dye concentration (10-250 mg/L), and reaction time (0-60 min) was evaluated. Stability and scavenging tests of reactive species under optimal conditions were studied.

The results showed that the MWCNTs-CuNiFe2O4/PMS system has a high performance in RB5 degradation compared to systems such as PMS, MWCNTs-CuNiFe2O4 and CuFe2O4/PMS.  RB5 degradation complete was obtained at pH of 7, the composite concentration of 250 mg/L, the PMS concentration of 4 mM, and the reaction time of 15 minutes. Suitable treatment of real solutions due to the presence of interfering materials requires a reaction time above 240 min. Stability tests for 5 reaction cycles showed that MWCNTs-CuNiFe2O4 could be a recyclable catalyst in PMS activation.

The synthesized composite can be used as a catalyst to activate PMS in RB5 dye removal due to its recyclability and high efficiency.

Air pollution in large cities is one of the main difficulties that have harmful effects on humans and cause various diseases including cancers. So, present study with aim of determination the relation between air pollution and Incidence rate of two most common cancer in Tehran were performed.

at first, hourly data of pollutants including of CO, NO2, O3, SO2, PM10 were  taken  from  the  environmental  protection  agency  Tehran  and  Air  Quality  Control  Company and Archived documents of Disease data were acquired from Iran University of Medical Sciences .Then, descriptive studies were performed on criteria air pollutants and dependent variable . Finally, inferential tests such as Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression were used to determine the relationship between air pollution and the incidence rate of Lung and Hematologic Neoplasms.

Results showed there was significant relationship between PM10/O3 and among men and women. The correlation of coefficients between PM10 and O3 with Number of cases of disease in men  and women were 0.904, 0.882, 0.924, 0.931, 0.856, 0.949, 0.976, 0.860 respectively.

According to the results, there were positive relationship between PM10/O3 and incidence rate of Lung and Hematologic Neoplasms among men and women. Due to the high level of ozone and airborne particles and their health consequences, Continuous and further prevention and control measures should be developed to alleviate the situation of the two air pollutants.