Long-term immune and cytogenetic effects of high level natural radiation on Ramsar inhabitants in Iran

Ramsar, a northern coastal city of Iran, overlooking the Caspian Sea, has some high level natural radiation areas (HLNRAs) as well as over 50 hot springs with low and high radium contents used as spas by the public and vacationers. The average whole body dose received by population in these areas is about 5 times higher than the normal background radiation level. Studies on the long-term effects of high level natural radioactivity on some immunological and cytogenetical parameters, in the Ramsar inhabitants are summarized in this paper. Our results showed a significant increase of CD69 expression on TCD4+ stimulated cells (P < 0.004) and a significant increase of total serum IgE (P < 0.05), and also higher incidence of stable and unstable chromosomal aberrations in the HLNRA group compared to the control group with normal background radiation (P < 0.05).Other humoral immune parameters, did not show significant differences between the two groups.     

A Critical Review on Natural Fibers Modifications by Graft Copolymerization for Wastewater Treatment

Graft copolymerization is a distinctive approach to modify the inherently cheap natural fibers (NFs) using different initiators to incorporate synthetic polymer side chains allowing development of novel types of hybrid materials. This method has been widely applied to develop a variety of NFs based adsorbents for decontamination of toxic pollutants from the aqueous environment. However, the development of high-performance adsorbents from NFs is steady challenged by the need to preserve the sustainability during graft modifications and applications. This article critically reviews the progress on modifications of NFs by graft copolymerization of polar monomers on NFs using various initiating methods and their applications in wastewater treatment. Particularly, the applications of the grafted NFs in removal of heavy metal ions, synthetic dyes, oil spills and extraction of precious metals from wastewater are elaborated. The critical challenges to the viability and sustainability of NFs-based adsorbents with respect to functionalization by graft copolymerization and environmental impacts are discussed and the future research directions are also outlined.