Azizeh Shajravi; Atefeh chamani; Soheil Sobhanardakani
Abstract
Background & Purpose: Air pollution from particulate matter (PM) negatively impacts maternal and fetal health, particularly in pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PM on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in pregnant women residing in Ahvaz.Materials and Methods: PM data ...
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Background & Purpose: Air pollution from particulate matter (PM) negatively impacts maternal and fetal health, particularly in pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PM on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in pregnant women residing in Ahvaz.Materials and Methods: PM data were derived from the aerosol optical depth (AOD) product of the MODIS satellite, covering five years (April 1, 2019–March 21, 2024). Using biochemical assays, TSH levels were measured in 78 pregnant women during their third trimester. The relationship between TSH levels and PM levels specific to each mother’s residence was analyzed using geographically weighted regression (GWR).Results: The mean TSH level was 6.57 mIU/L (range: 0.3–39.3 mIU/L), exceeding the normal range for pregnant women. AOD values over the five years ranged from 0.28 to 0.39, with levels above 0.30 at the mothers’ residences, indicating high PM pollution. The GWR model revealed that approximately 61% of the variation in TSH levels was attributable to the five-year average PM concentration.Conclusion: High PM concentrations in parts of Ahvaz pose significant risks to maternal health during pregnancy. Air quality monitoring and specialized care are essential to protect pregnant women in this region. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ahmad Makhdoomi; Maryam Sarkhosh; Somayyeh Ziaei
Abstract
Background and Purpose: This study aims to forecast PM2.5 concentrations using four non-linear Machine Learning (ML) models.Materials and Methods: The ML techniques employed include Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM), Extreme Gradient Boosting Regressor (XGBR), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosting ...
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Background and Purpose: This study aims to forecast PM2.5 concentrations using four non-linear Machine Learning (ML) models.Materials and Methods: The ML techniques employed include Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM), Extreme Gradient Boosting Regressor (XGBR), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosting Regressor (GBR). Meteorological and pollutant data were collected to predict the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran, for the period from 2016 to 2022.Results: The ML models performed exceptionally well in predicting PM2.5 concentrations, with approximately 95% of their predictions falling within a factor of the observed values. Additionally, the predicted PM2.5 concentrations were compared with observed values to assess prediction accuracy. Among the four ML models, GBR demonstrated the best performance, achieving high accuracy metrics, including a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.9802, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.54, a mean squared error (MSE) of 5.33, a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 2.31, and a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 1.9%.Conclusion: This study proposes a high-accuracy PM2.5 prediction method using ML, which can be beneficial for global air quality monitoring and improving acute exposure assessments in epidemiological research. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Alireza Saffari; Syed Ghafoor Alavi
Abstract
Background and purpose: Soils in northwest Meshginshahr, influenced by alteration and mineralization processes, exhibit elevated concentrations of toxic and heavy elements, resulting in significant pollution. This study evaluates the environmental sources of soil contamination in alteration and mineralization ...
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Background and purpose: Soils in northwest Meshginshahr, influenced by alteration and mineralization processes, exhibit elevated concentrations of toxic and heavy elements, resulting in significant pollution. This study evaluates the environmental sources of soil contamination in alteration and mineralization zones within the region.Materials and Methods: A combination of library-based research and field investigations was utilized. Hydrographic maps of the region were prepared using topographic maps (1:250,000 and 1:50,000) and aerial photographs (1:20,000). Soil sampling targeted agricultural, orchard, rangeland, and barren soils overlying rocks and mineralized zones, with 70 selective surface soil samples collected from the root penetration zone. Each sample (~1 kg) was divided, retaining 500 g as a reference and sending the remaining portion for chemical analysis. Concentrations of 47 critical elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Results: Comparison of soil analysis data with environmental standards revealed significant contamination, particularly with gold, iron, vanadium, sulfur, and arsenic, alongside other elements exceeding permissible limits. The pollution index (PI) indicated that 55.7% of the samples were classified as polluted (PI > 1).Conclusion: The alignment of elemental concentrations with environmental standards, enrichment factors, and pollution indices suggests extensive pollution in the studied soils. Mitigation strategies, including soil excavation and relocation, physical remediation (e.g., soil washing and flushing), and biological remediation (e.g., slurry bioremediation, in-situ/ex-situ stabilization, and resistance-based bioremediation), are recommended to address the contamination. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sanaz Hemmati Farsani; Hasan Rahmani; Mohammad Bagher Miranzadeh; Gholamreza Hossein Doost; Fatemeh Atoof; Korosh Rahmani
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Acidic dyes, such as Acid Orange 7, pose significant environmental and health risks due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. These pollutants resist biological degradation, remaining persistent in conventional wastewater treatments. This study evaluates the removal ...
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Background and Purpose: Acidic dyes, such as Acid Orange 7, pose significant environmental and health risks due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. These pollutants resist biological degradation, remaining persistent in conventional wastewater treatments. This study evaluates the removal of Acid Orange 7 using a combined UV/Alg@Fe₃O₄-ZnO/O₃ process.Materials and Methods: A 300 mL laboratory-scale reactor was used with a UVA lamp and Fe₃O₄-ZnO nanoparticles synthesized on alginate. Structural characteristics of the nanocomposite were analyzed using XRD, VSM, and FTIR. Catalyst concentration (0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 g/L), pollutant concentration (100, 200, and 300 mg/L), reaction time (20, 40, and 60 minutes), and pH levels (3, 7, and 11) were evaluated for their impact on degradation efficiency.Results: Optimal removal efficiency of 97% was achieved with 0.2 g/L catalyst concentration, 100 mg/L pollutant concentration, 40 minutes of reaction time, and a neutral pH. Removal efficiency increased with higher catalyst concentrations, longer reaction times, and neutral-to-alkaline pH but decreased with increasing pollutant concentrations.Conclusion: The UV/Alg@Fe₃O₄-ZnO/O₃ process effectively degrades Acid Orange 7 in aqueous solutions, demonstrating high efficiency and potential for dye wastewater treatment. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Adeleh Hajihosseini Beitari; Akram Ghorbani; Mohammad Ghafoori
Abstract
Background and purpose: unfortunately according to the importance of separating infectious and non-infectious waste and using special containers for storing waste, these instructions are not implemented in most hospitals in Mashhad. Therefore, it is inevitable to investigate these units in order to reduce ...
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Background and purpose: unfortunately according to the importance of separating infectious and non-infectious waste and using special containers for storing waste, these instructions are not implemented in most hospitals in Mashhad. Therefore, it is inevitable to investigate these units in order to reduce the transmission of pathogens to the environment.Materials and Methods: 15 hospitals were selected as hospitals were examined as samples that include the most important and necessary departments. The sample size of 180 people was randomly designed based on that questionnaire. The extracted factors were analyzed using the hierarchical analysis process model. In order to compare the correlation, Pearson's test was used with a significance level of 1% and 5%. Results: The comparison of correlation coefficient showed that all the investigated criteria in different sections were significant at (P<0.05) and (P<0.01) percentage levels. The results of selecting the best hospital waste management option using the AHP method revealed that the autoclave decontamination method with a weight of (248) got the highest score among the five investigated methods. Sanitary burial in the ground with weight (217) is in the second place. Using the incinerator with a weight of (148) has been ranked fifth or last.Conclusion: The most important factor in hospital waste management is attention and mportance to environmental criteria. In the case of proper management of hospital waste, environmental pollution will be significantly reduced. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Fatemeh Sahraei; Alireza Rahmani; Zahra Aghababaei; Samira Khamutian; Hamid Reza Soheil Arezoomand
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Contamination of drinking water sources with heavy metals poses significant environmental and public health concerns. This study aimed to assess the non-carcinogenic risk associated with exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and zinc (Zn), ...
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Background and Purpose: Contamination of drinking water sources with heavy metals poses significant environmental and public health concerns. This study aimed to assess the non-carcinogenic risk associated with exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and zinc (Zn), in the drinking water of Hamadan Province.Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted across nine cities in Hamadan Province. Data on heavy metal concentrations in drinking water were obtained from the Vice-Chancellor of Health at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Non-carcinogenic risk was evaluated for two age groups using risk assessment indicators provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).Results: The mercury hazard index (HI) exceeded that of other metals. The oral hazard quotient (HQoral) was generally higher than the dermal hazard quotient (HQdermal). Overall, the total risk for children (0.35) was higher than for adults (0.1466).Conclusion: The total non-carcinogenic risk index for all metals in both age groups remained below 1, indicating no significant non-carcinogenic threat to the exposed population. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Samaneh Dehghan; Fatemeh Mortezazadeh; Asal Heyranpour
Abstract
Background and purpose: Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by arthropods. Given its significance in society's health and environmental sanitation's impact on its outbreak, it is important to increase awareness, monitoring, and prevention of this disease. Due to insufficient information in this ...
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Background and purpose: Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by arthropods. Given its significance in society's health and environmental sanitation's impact on its outbreak, it is important to increase awareness, monitoring, and prevention of this disease. Due to insufficient information in this field, this review article aims to provide insights into the factors influencing the spread of dengue fever.Materials and Methods: The current review was conducted by searching the Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus databases using the keywords "Dengue fever," "environmental sanitation," "Aedes mosquito," "Drainage of water reservoirs," and "Waste Management" and articles published between 2000 and 2023 were reviewed and analyzed.Results: The findings of the study indicated that changes in environmental improvement factors affect the spread and prevalence of dengue fever. Additionally, the presence of stagnant water in ponds and pits, along with the accumulation of waste materials such as cans, plastic containers, and especially worn tires, has been identified as factors that increase the population of Aedes mosquito larvae. The study also determined that implementing measures such as emptying and weekly washing water tanks, as well as establishing a waste management program, can effectively control this disease.Conclusion: The implementation of environmental sanitation measures in waste management systems, sewage collection, drainage, and water storage in reservoirs is an effective strategy for reducing the population of dengue carriers, and consequently, mitigating the spread of the disease. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Morteza Esfandyari; Hossein Delavari Amrei; Hamed Azami
Abstract
Background and purpose: Milk and dairy products are essential components of human nutrition; however, traditional dairy products often pose a high risk of transmitting pathogenic agents due to inadequate hygiene conditions. This study aimed to assess the food safety of raw milk and traditional dairy ...
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Background and purpose: Milk and dairy products are essential components of human nutrition; however, traditional dairy products often pose a high risk of transmitting pathogenic agents due to inadequate hygiene conditions. This study aimed to assess the food safety of raw milk and traditional dairy products in Bojnord and provide recommendations for their standardization.Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on several raw milk samples from traditional dairy distribution centers in Bojnord. Physical tests (fat content, pH, acidity), chemical tests (aflatoxin M1), and microbial tests (total microbial count and coliform levels) were performed according to national standards. Data were analyzed using statistical methods.Results: The results indicated that 70% of the raw milk samples had fat content below the standard level (average: 63.2%), while pH (average: 6.76) and acidity (average: 0.15% lactic acid) were within the permissible range. Aflatoxin M1 was not detected in any of the samples. Microbiological analysis revealed that 60% of the samples had a microbial load exceeding the permissible limit, and only 10% met the standard for coliform count. Additionally, 40% of the samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli.Conclusion: The findings indicate that raw milk distributed in Bojnord does not fully comply with national standards regarding chemical composition and microbial load. The reduced fat content and high microbial contamination underscore the need for improvements in production, storage, and distribution processes. Ensuring strict adherence to health standards, implementing quality control measures in distribution centers, continuously monitoring microbial contamination, and utilizing appropriate equipment are essential for enhancing the safety and quality of these products. Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/