Statistical analysis of arsenic contamination in drinking water in a city of Iran and its modeling using GIS

In this research, probable arsenic contamination in drinking water in the city of Ardabil was studied in 163 samples during four seasons. In each season, sampling was carried out randomly in the study area. Results were analyzed statistically applying SPSS 19 software, and the data was also modeled by Arc GIS 10.1 software. The maximum permissible arsenic concentration in drinking water defined by the World Health Organization and Iranian national standard is 10 μg/L. Statistical analysis showed 75, 88, 47, and 69% of samples in autumn, winter, spring, and summer, respectively, had concentrations higher than the national standard. The mean concentrations of arsenic in autumn, winter, spring, and summer were 19.89, 15.9, 10.87, and 14.6 μg/L, respectively, and the overall average in all samples through the year was 15.32 μg/L. Although GIS outputs indicated that the concentration distribution profiles changed in four consecutive seasons, variance analysis of the results showed that statistically there is no significant difference in arsenic levels in four seasons.     

Spatial and temporal variability of fluoride concentrations in groundwater resources of Larestan and Gerash regions in Iran from 2003 to 2010

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - There is discrepancy about intervals of fluoride monitoring in groundwater resources by Iranian authorities. Spatial and temporal variability of fluoride in...     

Comparative cancer risk assessment of THMs in drinking water from well water sources and surface water sources

This research evaluates the lifetime cancer risks from trihalomethanes in Tehran's drinking water. The Trihalomethanes were measured in seven different water districts. Sixty-three samples were taken from tap water across the city for 7 months. The samples were analyzed for trihalomethanes using US EPA method 524.2. The average concentration of total trihalomethanes in different districts were between 0.81 and 9.0 μg/L, and the highest concentrations were detected in district 2 at 19.5 μg/L. Total lifetime cancer risks assessment from exposure to trihalomethanes in drinking water (ingestion, inhalation, and skin routes) were performed for people living in different districts in Tehran. The lifetime cancer risk was 7.19 × 10(-5) in district 2 (a more affluent neighborhood) where mostly surface water sources is used to supply drinking water and 9.38 × 10(-6) in district 7 (a less affluent neighborhood) which is mainly supplied with well water sources. Based on the population data, the total expected lifetime cancer cases from exposure to trihalomethanes are 104, 108, 81, 81, 41, 27, and three for districts 1 through 7, respectively. The average lifetime cancer risk was 4.33 × 10(-5) which means a total of 606 lifetime cancer cases for the entire province of Tehran. The highest risk from THMs seems to be from the inhalation route followed by ingestion and dermal contacts.     

Subnational exposure to secondhand smoke in Iran from 1990 to 2013: a systematic review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Every year, almost eight million people die from tobacco-related diseases, among which around 1.2 million die from secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure....     

National and sub-national drinking water fluoride concentrations and prevalence of fluorosis and of decayed,missed, and filled teeth in Iran from 1990 to 2015: a systematic review

Fluoride intake, fluorosis, and dental caries could affect quality of life and disease burden worldwide. As a part of the National and Sub-national Burden of Disease Study (NASBOD) in Iran, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate province-year-specific mean drinking water fluoride concentrations and prevalence of fluorosis and of decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT) in Iran from 1990 to December 2015. We did electronic searches of all English and Persian publications on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Iranian databases. Results revealed that the weighted mean drinking water fluoride concentration in Iran from 1990 to 2015 has been about 0.65?±?0.38 mg/l. However, based on the WHO guideline value (1.50 mg/l) and the maximum permissible Iranian national fluoride standard (1.40 to 2.40 mg/l depending on the region's climate), there have been some regions in Iran with non-optimum fluoride concentrations in their drinking water (up to 7.0 mg/l). Overall, concentrations have been higher in southern parts of Iran and in some areas of Azerbaijan-e-Gharbi Province in the northwest and lower in the rest of the northwest and central parts of Iran. In addition, some hotspots have been found in Bushehr Province, southwest of Iran. The highest prevalence of dental flourosis has been reported in normal index while the lowest prevalence has been expressed in severe index. The lowest DMFT (about 0.1) was in Arsanjan City in Fars Province, and the highest (about 6.7) was for Najaf Abad City in Isfahan Province. Prevalence of fluorosis has been rather high in studied areas of Iran (e.g. 100 % in Maku City in Azarbaijan-e-Gharbi Province), and there was discrepancy for DMFT, but a lack of studies renders the results inconclusive. Further studies, health education and promotion plans, and evidence-based nutrition programs are recommended.     

Characterization of ionic composition of TSP and PM10 during the Middle Eastern Dust (MED) storms in Ahvaz, Iran

Because of the recent frequent observations of major dust storms in southwestern cities in Iran such as Ahvaz, and the importance of the ionic composition of particulate matters regarding their health effects, source apportionment, etc., the present work was conducted aiming at characterizing the ionic composition of total suspended particles (TSP) and particles on the order of ～10?μm or less (PM(10)) during dust storms in Ahvaz in April-September 2010. TSP and PM(10) samples were collected and their ionic compositions were determined using an ion chromatography. Mean concentrations of TSP and PM(10) were 1,481.5 and 1,072.9?μg/m(3), respectively. Particle concentrations during the Middle Eastern Dust (MED) days were up to four times higher than those in normal days. Ionic components contributed to only 9.5% and 11.3% of the total mass of TSP and PM(10), respectively. Crustal ions were most abundant during dust days, while secondary ions were dominant during non-dust days. Ca(2+)/Na(+) and Cl(-)/Na(+) ratios can be considered as the indicators for identification of the MED occurrence. It was found that possible chemical forms of NaCl, (NH(4))(2)SO(4), KCl, K(2)SO(4), CaCl(2), Ca(NO(3))(2), and CaSO(4) may exist in TSP. Correlation between the anionic and cationic components suggests slight anion and cation deficiencies in TSP and PM(10) samples, though the deficiencies were negligible.     

Effect of fertilizer application on soil heavy metal concentration

A large amount of chemicals is annually applied at the agricultural soils as fertilizers and pesticides. Such applications may result in the increase of heavy metals particularly Cd, Pb, and As. The objective of this study was to investigate the variability of chemical applications on Cd, Pb, and As concentrations of wheat-cultivated soils. Consequently, a study area was designed and was divided into four subareas (A, B, C, and D). The soil sampling was carried out in 40 points of cultivated durum wheat during the 2006–2007 periods. The samples were taken to the laboratory to measure their heavy metal concentration, soil texture, pH, electrical conductivity, cationic exchange capacity, organic matter, and carbonate contents. The result indicated that Cd, Pb, and As concentrations were increased in the cultivated soils due to fertilizer application. Although the statistical analysis indicates that these heavy metals increased significantly (P value < 0.05), the lead and arsenic concentrations were increased dramatically compared to Cd concentration. This can be related to overapplication of fertilizers as well as the pesticides that are used to replant plant pests, herbs, and rats.