The effect of diazinon on blood glucose homeostasis: a systematic and meta-analysis study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Though evidence exists on the association between diazinon (DZN), an organophosphate pesticide, with hyperglycemia, contrasting reports also exist....     

Association between perceived demands and musculoskeletal disorders among hospital nurses of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences: a questionnaire survey.

Excessive demands on nurses may result in high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study was conducted among hospital nurses of Iran's Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) to determine the prevalence of MSDs and to examine the relationship between perceived demands and reported MSDs. In this study, 641 randomly selected nurses from 12 SUMS hospitals participated. The Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire and Job Content Questionnaire were used as collecting data tools. The results showed that 84.4% of the participants had experienced some form of symptoms of MSDs during the past 12 months. Lower back symptoms were found to be the most prevalent problem. Perceived physical demands were significantly associated with MSDs (OR = 1.5-2.7). No association was found between perceived psychological demands and reported symptoms. It was concluded that any intervention program for preventing MSDs among SUMS hospital nurses had to focus on reducing physical demands, particularly excessive postural demands.     

The interactions of Cr (VI) concentrations and amendments (biochar and manure) on growth and metal accumulation of two species of Salicornia in contaminated soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heavy metals are among the most dangerous contaminants in the environment. Organic components and plant species that can accumulate and stabilize...     

The evolving trends of landfill leachate treatment research over the past 45 years

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Landfilling is one of the most prevalent waste management strategies on a global scale. However, one major drawback of landfills is the production of...     

Effects of long-term exposure to PM2.5 on years of life lost and expected life remaining in Ahvaz city,Iran (2008–2017)

Ambient air pollution is one of the most significant environmental problems, and many individuals around the world die each year prematurely from diseases caused by this type of pollution. PM_2.5 can transpire deep to the lungs and induce some dangerous health effects in humans. In this study, the health effects of long-term PM_2.5 were estimated on expected life remaining (ELR) and years of life lost (YLL) indices in Ahvaz city during the years 2008–2017 using the AirQ+ software developed by WHO. Values obtained from the PM_2.5 averaging, ELR, and YLL data were processed for the whole population in the age range of 0–64 and over 64. These values were entered into AirQ+ software. The mean annual concentration of PM_2.5 was highly variable, with the highest concentration being 70.72 μg/m³ in 2010 and the lowest 41.97 μg/m³ in 2014. In all studied years, the concentration of PM_2.5 with the variations between 4.2 to 7.07 times was higher than the WHO standard (10 μg/m³). Ahvaz city also did not experience any clean day during the 10-year period, and in 2010, there were 47 very unhealthy days and 27 dangerous days, i.e., the highest number of very unhealthy and dangerous days during the period. The results estimated that the highest and lowest YLL in the next 10 years for all ages groups would be 137,760.49 (2010) and 5035.52 (2014), respectively. Also, the ELR index was lower than the Iranian standard and EPA which was significantly correlated with the concentration of PM_2.5.

     

The influence of association of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and zero-valent iron nanoparticles on removal of antimony from soil by Trifolium repens

Using association of plants, nanomaterials, and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) is a novel approach in remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. Co-application of nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) and PGPR to promote phytoremediation of Sb-contaminated soil was investigated in this study. Seedlings of Trifolium repens were exposed to different regimes of nZVI (0, 150, 300, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) and the PGPR, separately and in combination, to investigate the effects on plant growth, Sb uptake, and accumulation and physiological response of the plant in contaminated soil. Co-application of nZVI and PGPR had positive effects on plant establishment and growth in contaminated soil. Greater accumulation of Sb in the shoots compared to the roots of T. repens was observed in all treatments. Using nZVI significantly increased accumulation capacity of T. repens for Sb with the greatest accumulation capacity of 3896.4 μg per pot gained in the “PGPR+500 mg/kg nZVI” treatment. Adverse impacts of using 1000 mg/kg nZVI were found on plant growth and phytoremediation performance. Significant beneficial effect of integrated use of nZVI and PGPR on plant photosynthesis was detected. Co-application of nZVI and PGPR could reduce the required amounts of nZVI for successful phytoremediation of metalloid polluted soils. Intelligent uses of plants in accompany with nanomaterials and PGPR have great application prospects in removal of antimony from soil.

     

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.     

Strong correlations between metal in mollusk soft tissue and nonresistant sediment fraction: a tool for biomonitoring intertidal zone of the Persian Gulf,Iran

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were determined in three species of mollusks and associated sediment. Samples were collected from two locations along the intertidal zone of the Persian Gulf near Bandar Abbas. The study was conducted during the spring of 2011, 10 sediment samples and 15 mollusks from each of the following species: Saccostrea cucullata, Solen brevis, and Callista umbonella, were simultaneously collected. Soft tissue, shell, and sediment were tested for metals using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Geochemical fractions of the sediment were examined for metals using a sequential extraction technique. Our results indicate that over half of Cd and Pb in the sediment had natural origins. Independent sample t test showed statistically significant (p?<?0.05) inter-tissue differences in accumulation of Cd and Pb. Soft tissue of C. umbonella contained highest levels of Cd. Pb accumulation was highest in S. brevis shell. Significant correlations (p?<?0.05) were found between Cd in the soft tissue of C. umbonella and its levels in the geochemical fractions of the sediment. Lead levels in the resistant geochemical fractions of the sediment and S. brevis shell were significantly correlated. Our results suggest that soft tissue of C. umbonella and shell of S. brevis are reliable biomonitoring tools for Cd and Pb, respectively.     

Origination and assessment of metal pollution in Qarechay River bed sediments

In the present investigation, bulk and chemical partitioning of elements (Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, Fe, Ca) together with organic matter as a loss in ignition in the Qarechay River bed sediments have been studied. The concentration of metals in Qarechay River bed sediments is governed by the geological units of the study area. The study of anthropogenic portion shows that a small proportion of elemental concentration belongs to this phase. However, Mn has a large portion of anthropogenic sources (43 %). Also, Mn has a share of 13.6 % in sulfide fractions. This result indicates that Mn is a highly mobile element and can easily enter the water column. The presence of Mn in sulfide fraction might be indicative of initial stages of conversion of oxidation state into reduction in Qarechay River. Share of metals in anthropogenic portion is in the following order: Mn (43 %)?>?Cu (19 %)?>?Zn (10 %)?>?Ni (3 %)?>?Fe (0 %). Organic metallic bonds are not significantly present in the study area. Geochemical index (I _geo), pollution index (I _poll), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution load index (PLI) values are indicative of a clean environment throughout the river course. These values are in well agreement with results of chemical partitioning data. Eventually, based on the results of chemical partitioning, regional standard of elements for Qarechay River bed sediments has been established.