Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research
Volume:3 Issue: 4, Autumn 2015

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) and copper ions (Cu) on guppy (Poecilia reticulata), in order to assess Cu uptake in the gill, and histopathology of gill and intestinal organs in semi-static regimes for 10 days. Guppy fish were assigned into three groups; one control group, and two experimental groups receiving 20 µg/l of either Cu or CuO-NPs in a semi-static aqueous culture for 10 days. Gill and intestinal tissue samples were obtained under a standard protocol for further histopathological examinations. The notable alterations observed in gill tissues in the experimental groups were aneurism, fusion, gill epithelial hyperplasia, increased mucous secretion, and necrosis. Noticeable anomalies in intestinal tissue were increase in the number of goblet cells, swelling of goblet cells, degeneration, vacuolation, necrosis, and erosion. Moreover, copper accumulation in gill tissue in the Cu treated group was higher than that in the CuO-NPs treated group. In contrast, the severity of histopathological damages in gill and intestinal tissues was greater in the CuO-NPs experimental group.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a modified sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) using fixed Kaldnes carriers fed with acclimated sludge for ammonium removal via simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) in synthetic wastewater. The results exhibited a SND of 82.3% within a 450-minute cycle time which was higher than that of a SBR without carrier (69.83%). Nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) increased from 16.94% to 32.83% until 120 minutes of cycle time, and then, decreased to 1.17% by 450 minutes. The biomass concentration in the bio-film (674 ± 6 mg/l) was lower than suspended biomass (1984 ± 12 mg/l). However, the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of the bio-film (5.24 ± 0.28 mg O2/mg MLVSS.d) was greater than suspended biomass (1.89 ± 0.12 mg O2/mg VSS.d), indicating the higher bioactivity of the bio-film than that of suspended biomass. Up to 3% salinity had no significant effect on MSBR performance for both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium removal. These results illustrated the high efficiency of the MSBR in the treatment of wastewater containing high salinity as well as the removal of nitrogen compounds via SND.

The aim of this research was to investigate concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in the muscle, gill, and liver of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), tuwini (Capoeta trutta), and Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) from Sirvan River, Kermanshah Province, Iran, during November to December 2014. This investigation was conducted in order to determine the potential health risk of the intake of these metals through the consumption of the edible parts of fish and also to assess the safe dietary intake levels of these metals. The results of the present study indicated that the highest and lowest accumulated metal concentrations were related to Zn and Cd, respectively. Moreover, the metal concentrations in the gill and liver were higher than in the muscles of the three fish species. The target hazard quotients (THQs) for an adult with mean body weight of 71.5 kg were below 1 based on Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn levels. In conclusion, the obtained results indicated that the levels of metals in the edible muscle of fish species in this study were below the level of concern for human consumption.

Pelareh Dairy Industry (PDI) is located in the west of Iran. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality and quantity of PDI wastewater and compare the results with the regulations. PDI has a wastewater treatment plant that consists of sewage collection system, screening system, equalization tank, clarification tank, anaerobic system for pretreatment, activated sludge processing, disinfection, and solids drying beds. In this research, seven quality parameters, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), nitrate (NO3), total suspended solids (TSS), phosphate (PO4), temperature (Tºc), and pH, were measured as qualitative variables. Thus, 20 samples were collected from influent and effluent zones. Wastewater samples were collected using random grab sampling during peak hours. Based on the results, the average (SD) COD concentration of the raw wastewater in wet season and dry season was 2152.22 (1384.00) and 1813.38 (518.33) mg/l, respectively. The results revealed that the removal efficiency of BOD5, COD, and TSS at the studied plant was 89.22%, 88.79%, and 71.72%, respectively. Based on achieved results, the pollution load of PDI effluent wastewater was determined and presented. Based on the obtained results, the pollution load based on BOD5 variable was 15.71 kg/day. The obtained results indicate that the treatment plant was not efficient enough to be considered as a treatment process for the removal of suspended solids and organic matter.

Copper and hexavalent chromium are heavy metals that are harmful to human health. Natural adsorbent chitosan, due to its considerable properties such as the presence of functional groups of –NH2 and -OH, non-toxicity, low cost, and biocompatibility, has gained much attention in pollutant removal. Therefore, in the present study, adsorption of chromium (VI) and copper (II) ions was conducted in a batch system using magnetic chitosan/Fe-Zr nanoparticles. In addition, the effect of different variables such as contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration of heavy metals, and temperature were investigated. The results of the present study indicated that the highest efficiency in removal of chromium (VI) and copper (II) in pH of 4 were 99.52% and 97.72%, respectively. Moreover, adding 0.4 g of the composite at concentration of 5 mg/l can result in up to 97.43% removal of copper (II) and adding 1 g of this composite at the same concentration can result in more than 91% removal of chromium (VI). In addition, it was concluded that increasing the density of the heavy metals did not have a remarkable effect on the removal efficiency. The equilibrium related to adsorbent capacity and the amounts of nanoparticles were obtained using the plots of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms for chromium (VI) and copper (II), respectively. The studied adsorbent had a high level of efficiency in the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.

Among the numerous air pollutants, the strongest proof for adverse health effects has been reported for particulate matter (PM). The aim of this study was the exploration of short-term associations of air pollution with mortalities due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Tehran, Iran, based on hospital and census data from 2007 to 2013. This descriptive and analytical research was conducted in 2015. Daily and hourly pollutant concentration was obtained from Tehran Metropolitan Municipality. Mortality rate records were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Central Municipal Cemetery, and Forensic Organization. In this study, data were analyzed using R software. Zoo, Time series, Stats, ts model, and Splines software packages were installed on R platform in order to outline the trend of different variables. The results showed that accidental mortality did not follow a particular trend and non-accidental mortality followed a descending or ascending trend. However, mortality pattern showed a decreasing trend from 2011 until the end of 2012. From the beginning of 2013, mortality pattern showed increasing trend. Moreover, the direct correlation of mortality rate and PM2.5 concentration can be observed in a yearly and weekly time scale. Proof of a determined effect of airborne particles on mortality was found with PM2.5. In addition, it was found that mortality rate shows a strong seasonal pattern, with a peak in winter and a minimum in fall. The peak the mortality rate in winter is most probably due to the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza as well as temperature-related phenomena in cold weather areas.