Investigation of the association between pesticide exposure and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Shahedieh population in Yazd

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to pesticides and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a cross-sectional study with a...     

Daily dietary intakes of zinc,copper, lead,and cadmium as determined by duplicate portion sampling combined with either instrumental analysis or the use of food composition tables,Shiraz, Iran

Estimation of essential and toxic element intakes is crucial to evaluate the risks of deficiency or toxicity. The purpose of this study was to investigate and also to compare the dietary intakes of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) by adults living in Shiraz, Iran, determined by two procedures: duplicate portion sampling of 21 hospital meals combined with either instrumental analysis (voltammetric measurement) or the use of food composition tables (FCTs). The level of exposure to lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) was evaluated as well. The daily Zn intakes of both methods were not significantly different and were higher than the RDA values except the value measured by the instrumental analysis which was lower than the RDA established for a male adult. Daily intake of Cu determined by instrumental analysis was significantly lower and closer to RDA for adults compared with the value estimated by FCTs. The dietary intakes of Pb and Cd were 313 and 61 % of the respective provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs), respectively. The accuracy of two methods used for estimation of Zn intake was similar. In the case of Cu, the use of FCTs, in which the influence of environmental conditions and dietary habits of meal preparation is not taken into account, overestimated dietary intake. The risk of zinc deficiency was found in adult males. Moreover, the estimated intake of Pb, but not Cd, could be a cause of concern for Shiraz population. Thus, conducting regular periodic studies to assess the dietary intake of mentioned elements are recommended.     

Salinity modulates biochemical and histopathological changes caused by silver nanoparticles in juvenile Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of salinity on the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in Persian...     

Risk assessment for hazardous lubricants in machining industry

Knowing that over two-thirds of lubricant disposals return to the environment with no purification process, adequate strategies are demanded to reduce their risks. For this reason, the main focus of the present study is to describe an environment-friendly approach. In the first part, two widely used lubricants (mineral-based and vegetable-based) were introduced, and the reasons for their hazards were investigated. The composition of mineral-based lubricant was characterized by x-ray fluorescence elemental analysis. The result showed the presence of phosphorus, chlorine, and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate in its composition that many scholars considered them to be the leading risk factor in the chemical composition of mineral-based lubricants. It has been focused on the potential risks of vegetable-based lubricants, which many researchers have identified as a safe lubricant. The Pseudomonas microbe was cultivated in the vegetable-based sample, and the result showed that although vegetable-based lubricants are compatible with humans, bacteria colony can quickly grow there without making any apparent changes that lead to harm to operators in a mysterious way. In the present work, the hypothesis of the safety of unreinforced vegetable-based lubricants has been rejected, and a new window on the environmental issues of vegetable-based lubricants has been presented. In the final, to eliminate environment-human risks and to reduce consumption of lubricant and natural resources to green manufacturing, a comprehensive study on the possibility of completely removing lubricant was performed. The results showed that the machining without lubricant could be replaced with the traditional method.

     

Predominance of clade D <Emphasis Type="Italic">Symbiodinium</Emphasis> in shallow-water reef-building corals off Kish and Larak Islands (Persian Gulf,Iran)

Scleractinian coral species harbour communities of photosynthetic taxa of the genus Symbiodinium. As many as eight genetic clades (A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H) of Symbiodinium have been discovered using molecular biology. These clades may differ from each other in their physiology, and thus influence the ecological distribution and resilience of their host corals to environmental stresses. Corals of the Persian Gulf are normally subject to extreme environmental conditions including high salinity and seasonal variation in temperature. This study is the first to use molecular techniques to identify the Symbiodinium of the Iranian coral reefs to the level of phylogenetic clades. Samples of eight coral species were collected at two different depths from the eastern part of Kish Island in the northern Persian Gulf, and Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Partial 28S nuclear ribosomal (nr) DNA of Symbiodinium (D1/D2 domains) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were analyzed using single stranded conformational polymorphism and phylogenetic analyses of the LSU DNA sequences from a subset of the samples. The results showed that Symbiodinium populations were generally uniform among and within the populations of eight coral species studied, and there are at least two clades of Symbiodinium from Kish and Larak islands. Clade D was detected from eight of the coral species while clade C was found in two of species only (one species hosted two clades simultaneously). The dominance of clade D might be explained by high temperatures or the extreme temperature variation, typical of the Persian Gulf. Publication of this article was held up owing to technical problems. The publisher apologizes sincerely for this lengthy delay.     

Application of water extract of slippery elm tree leaves as a natural reagent for selective spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of molybdenum(VI) in environmental water samples

A novel spectrophotometric method for the determination of molybdenum(VI) by using a natural reagent, water extract of slippery elm tree leaves, is developed. Molybdenum(VI) reacts with this natural reagent to form an orange colored product. The formed product shows maximum absorbance at 418 nm with a molar absorptivity value of 0.57 × 10⁴ L mol^?1 cm^?1, and this method is linear in the 0.4–10 mg L^?1 concentration range. The detection limit value was found to be 0.0350 mg L^?1. The proposed method is simple, clean, low cost, selective, and sensitive. It was applied to the analytic samples with satisfactory results.     

Designing a mixed performance measurement system for environmental supply chain management using evolutionary game theory and balanced scorecard: A case study of an auto industry supply chain

This paper proposes a mixed performance measurement system using a combination of evolutionary game theory and the balanced scorecard (BSC) in environmental supply chain management (ESCM) that measures and evaluates business operations using the four different perspectives of finance, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth. ESCM plays an important role in the supply chain which leads to the reduction, reuse and recycling of resources involved in both upstream and downstream activities. This paper presents guidance for practical managers in evaluating and measuring ESCM by developing a knowledge-based BSC and evolutionary game theory. The primary purpose of this paper is to apply the proposed method in a case study to one of Iran's biggest auto industry supply chain SAIPA Company. The results of this study indicate that the adoption of ESCM, in the absence of regulatory pressures and cost-saving measures is triggered by public pressures and its implementation is limited by organizational factors and strategic myopia.     

What have we known so far about microplastics in drinking water treatment? A timely review

• 23 available research articles on MPs in drinking water treatment are reviewed. • The effects of treatment conditions and MP properties on MP removal are discussed. • DWTPs with more steps generally are more effective in removing MPs. • Smaller MPs (e.g.,<10 μm) are more challenging in drinking water treatment. Microplastics (MPs) have been widely detected in drinking water sources and tap water, raising the concern of the effectiveness of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in protecting the public from exposure to MPs through drinking water. We collected and analyzed the available research articles up to August 2021 on MPs in drinking water treatment (DWT), including laboratory- and full-scale studies. This article summarizes the major MP compositions (materials, sizes, shapes, and concentrations) in drinking water sources, and critically reviews the removal efficiency and impacts of MPs in various drinking water treatment processes. The discussed drinking water treatment processes include coagulation-flocculation (CF), membrane filtration, sand filtration, and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Current DWT processes that are purposed for particle removal are generally effective in reducing MPs in water. Various influential factors to MP removal are discussed, such as coagulant type and dose, MP material, shape and size, and water quality. It is anticipated that better MP removal can be achieved by optimizing the treatment conditions. Moreover, the article framed the major challenges and future research directions on MPs and nanoplastics (NPs) in DWT.     

The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor air of dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the indoor environment of dental clinics, dental personnel and patients are exposed to a risk of infection because of the transmission of...