Water quality indices appraisal and health risk assessment of nitrate,mercury and lead in water distribution network: A case study of Robat Karim in Tehran,Iran

Groundwater is a basic source of drinking water supply for urban and rural areas. This is especially the case for communities located in arid and semi-arid regions that rely on groundwater for drinking purposes. The present study set out to assess the potential health impacts of water impurities and to investigate the qualitative status of drinking water in Robat Karim rural areas, located in southwest Tehran, Iran. A total of 66 samples were collected from the water distribution network of 11 villages (33 sampling points, on two occasions) during September 2020 and were tested in terms of the most common quality parameters such as pH, mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chloride (Cl^–), chlorate (ClO₃^–), nitrite (NO₂^–), nitrate (NO₃^–), and flouride (F^–). Multiple methods and indexes including water quality index (WQI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI), were worked out to assess the quality of water and health risk assessment of NO₃^– Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺. The results revealed that 33% and 90% of sampling sites have significantly high nitrate and total hardness (TH) concentrations, exceeding the maximum permissible limits set by World Health Organization (WHO; 50 and 200 mg/L, respectively). Furthermore, five sampling points exhibited poor WQIs mainly related to NO₃^– and TH. HQ values higher than 1 for nitrate were noticed in most sampling locations. Except for one sampling point, the HQ obtained for Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ were below 1 indicating no obvious health hazard. This study represents that children and infants are at higher risk of chronic toxicity by excess NO₃^– intake. The health hazard that is yet imposed on the community by NO₃^– necessitates regular monitoring of drinking water, the use of advanced technologies to purify water or otherwise alternative resources should be proposed.     

Cross-Linked Chitosan-Glyoxal/Kaolin Clay Composite: Parametric Optimization for Color Removal and COD Reduction of Remazol Brilliant Blue R Dye

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Kaolin clay (KN) was employed as an inorganic filler to modify a cross-linked chitosan-glyoxal as Schiff’s-based chitosan composite derivative...     

Cigarette butt littering consequences: a study of pollution rate on beaches and urban environments

Cigarette butts are hazardous wastes that are not properly discarded by most smokers. They are one of the most abundant litters in the environment and a threat to various organisms because they leak numerous pollutants. This study aimed to assess the distribution of cigarette butts in a coastal city south of the Caspian Sea in Mazandaran Province, Iran. Observations were performed using the visual survey technique based on standardized protocol. The results showed 11,261 littered cigarette butts in 15 studied urban areas ( an average of 0.306 units per square meter). Also, the average density of littered cigarette butts on the studied beaches was 0.106 per square meter. The littered cigarette butts had significant spatial variation, and the number of counts was 135 to 2090. The land-use has a significant effect on the density of littered cigarette butts due to its population density. The inquiry’s index demonstrated that 33.3% of the studied urban areas are high pollution and severe pollution, while all beaches are high and severe. Therefore, a significant focus must be considered to reduce cigarette butts littering due to the collection problems and challenges of cigarette butt management. Because the pollution on the beaches is higher than in urban areas, improving waste management services and establishing a regular cleaning program are essential.

     

Optimization of electrochemical process for phenanthrene removal from aqueous medium by Taguchi

Discharge of refinery effluents containing phenanthrene (Phe) may exert carcinogenic effects on aquatic organisms. The aim of the current investigation was to investigate electrochemical removal of Phe from urban drinking water using a batch reactor. Phe removal efficiency was examined under different operating conditions including current density (1–8 mA/cm²), electrode composition materials such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), steel (AS), or zinc (Zn), pH (4–10), and duration (20–60 min). Phe concentration was determined utilizing standard techniques. Steel–Steel (AS–AS) as anode–cathode electrodes resulted in the least Phe removal (not detected), while Zn–Cu anode–cathode electrodes produced the highest Phe removal (100%) under similar experimental conditions. The increase in current density from 1 to 8 mA/cm² at optimum electrode and pH enhanced Phe removal from 56% to 100%. The rise in duration from 20 to 60 min at optimum electrode and pH increased Phe removal from 32% to 100%. These findings indicated that Phe removal efficiency was elevated with increasing current density, electrolysis time, and pH. Batch experiments indicated that the electrochemical reactor might be effective in removing Phe from drinking water.     

Fullerenes for the treatment of cancer: an emerging tool

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cancer is a most common cause of mortality globally. Available medicines possess severe side effects owing to their non-specific targeting. Hence,...