نشریه مهندسی بهداشت محیط
سال دهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 41، تابستان 1402)

The effluent from textile industries contains various metal pollutants and organic substances, which have attracted the attention of environmental engineers in recent decades. Methods based on advanced oxidation processes such as peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation are excellent techniques for destroying organic pollutants such as dye with a complex structure. In the present study, copper ferrite nanoparticles (CuFe2O4) loaded on montmorillonite (MMT) were used as PMS activating catalyst in the decomposition of acid red 18 dye.

The MMT-CuFe2O4 catalyst was prepared by sol-gel method, and its properties were determined through TEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, and FTIR analysis. Optimum conditions for maximum dye removal were predicted through response surface methodology (RSM). The effect of anions on the rate of dye decomposition and catalyst stability was carried out as additional tests in the present study.

Diagnostic analyses showed that CuFe2O4 nanoparticles with nanometer size were loaded on the surface of MMT. The results of statistical analysis with R2 = 0.977 and F = 114.27 showed that the parameters were effective on the catalytic decomposition of dye. Maximum dye removal efficiency (99.66%) was predicted by the RSM model in optimal conditions including pH of 8.93, PMS dosage of 1.18 mM, catalyst dosage of 228 mg/L, and reaction time of 9.66 min. The presence of various anions in the reaction medium reduced the efficiency from 100% to 85%.

Based on the results, MMT-CuFe2O4 is a good candidate for treatment of the aqueous solution containing acid red 18 dye.

Soil serves as the primary repository for microplastics, yet their impact on soil-dwelling organisms remains insufficiently understood. This study aims to investigate the influence of varying concentrations of microplastics in soil on the absorption of Cd and Cu by Eisenia fetida within an artificial soil matrix.

The artificial soil consisted of kaolinite clay (20% dry weight), quartz sand (70% dry weight), and Sphagnum peat (10% dry weight). Microplastics, derived from worn-out tire rubber, were incorporated into the soil to establish four concentration levels: 5, 25, 50, and 100 grams of tire microplastics per 500 grams of dry soil. Each treatment was inoculated with ten mature earthworms, weighing between 3.0 and 5.0 grams. After 14 days, samples were collected for ICP analysis.

: The highest accumulation of both metals was observed in treatments with 25, 50, and 100 grams of tire microplastics. The results demonstrated significant disparities in copper and cadmium accumulation in the tissue samples following the introduction of tire wear particles, indicating an augmenting effect of tire particles on metal uptake by the samples. Statistically notable reductions (p < 0.05) in Cd and Cu concentrations were noted in both the control soil and soil containing microplastics, particularly in the 100-gram microplastic treatment for Cd and the 50-gram microplastic treatment for Cu.

Exposure to a combination of microplastics, Cd, and Cu has more pronounced adverse effects on E. fetida, and microplastics enhance the bioavailability of heavy metal ions within the soil environment.

Food hygiene and safety at the production and supply levels are regarded as fundamental principles for disease prevention and pollution prevention. The present aimed to evaluate the effect of special health education courses on promoting the level of personal and environmental health of preparation, distribution, and sale centers food staff in Semirom city.

The present interventional study was conducted from December 1400 to May 1401in 2022. For the health education course, 100 individuals in charge of sale centers food staff in Semirom city were selected and trained by lectures, workshops, and practical demonstrations for 8 sessions. Data was collected before and after training using a valid questionnaire that included four sections: demographic characteristics (gender, age, education level, type of job, and amount of work experience), knowledge (36 questions), attitudes (6 questions), and practices (4 questions). To assess the efficiency of the educational intervention, the obtained data were analyzed based on the paired t-tests, independent tests and bivariate linear regression using SPSS22 software.

 In general, the implementation of health education courses significantly increased the average scores of knowledges, attitude, and practices of participant (P value < 0.05). The findings revealed that the average score of knowledge, attitude, and practices of participant before educational intervention were 14.44 ± 3.78, 17.26 ± 2.59, and 9.2 ± 3.25, respectively, which increased to 25.9 ± 3.07, 25.06 ± 3.60, and 14.9 ± 2.94 after educational intervention, respectively.

According to the findings of this study, a combined educational intervention consisting of lectures, workshops, and practical demonstrations was effective in improving the awareness, attitude, and practices of the food staff in Semirom city, which can improve food preparation processes in the future.

The examination of the quality of surface water, which is crucial for water supply, has attracted the interest of numerous researchers for a long time. Various indicators are employed to evaluate the quality of water in rivers, and among these indices is the Iran Surface Water Quality Index (IRWQISC).

In this study, water quality changes of Zayandehroud River located in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces were evaluated using IRWQISC yearly. Physicochemical parameters including BOD5, COD, DO, pH, EC, nitrate, phosphate, ammonium, temperature and total hardness were used to calculate the IRWQISC index in 7 selected stations for 12 years (2004-2015).

 Comparison electrical (EC) values in the stations showed that, EC increased from the upstream to the downstream of Zayandehroud River, and the concentration of parameters in the first station (Kouhrang tunnel) was much lower than the other stations in most years. The results of IRWQISC index showed that values was relatively good in all stations. The best and lowest water quality according to this index were good and moderate in 2006 and 2010 with the values of 73.2 and 49.6, respectively.

Overall, based on the twelve-year average of IRWQISC index, in the selected stations water quality was moderately good in Gharaghush, Cham-nar, Zamankhan Bridge, Kouhrang tunnel, Sudegan and Horeh stations, and was medium in Azadegan station. Identification of pollution sources and controlling inputted pollutants is necessary to protect and prevent the water quality decreasing of the Zayandehroud River.

Air pollution is one of the most important problems facing people all over the world today, especially in big cities. The ever-increasing population growth, as well as the increase in vehicles and the number of industrial factories in the city of Isfahan, have led to this city being considered one of the largest industrial cities in Iran. Therefore, this city is considered the second most polluted city in Iran after Tehran. The city of Isfahan faces the crisis of air pollution on many days of the year, which directly and indirectly affects all aspects of people's lives in this city. Among these impacts is the quality of rainwater in the area, which joins the surface and groundwater in the region and affects its quality. This cycle will continue and air pollution will affect the quality of drinking water, agriculture, respiratory diseases and, in a word, the health of the people in this region.

In this study, the effects of air pollution in Isfahan on the quality of rainwater in the 10th district of Isfahan city were investigated. The quality of rainwater was studied based on the World Health Organization standard for drinking water, APHA standard for running water, Chinese standard for agricultural use, and Iranian standard for drinking water and agricultural use. To evaluate the air quality of the region, the statistics of the Isfahan Meteorological Organization station were used and the meteorological parameters were analyzed based on the American Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The results showed that the EC value of rainwater is more sensitive than pH to determine the suitability of rainwater quality for drinking uses, so when considering pH, many samples have favorable quality, but when considering EC value of the same sample, the quality of rainwater is unfavorable. The results of air quality monitoring based on the amount of PM2.5 on rainy days showed that 5 days were clean, 13 days were acceptable, and 6 days were unsanitary for sensitive groups.

Isfahan urban runoff needs to be treated for drinking but it is suitable for agriculture. The results showed that the EC of rainwater is more dependent than pH to the rainfall depth. The results show that rainfall with a relatively small depth caused a significant increase in EC of stormwater. This decrease in the amount of precipitation has led to an increase in the amount of CO and PM2.5 in the atmosphere. The amount of rainfall did not affect the pH of rainwater, while with the increase of rainfall depth, the EC of rainwater has decreased significantly. In general, rainfall depth has a significant effect on EC concentration of rainwater. The results showed that in all the rainy days, the amount of CO, SO2 and O3 pollutants are in a clean state.

One of the major problems of aquatic ecosystems is eutriphication or enrichment of water with nutrients. In this study, the phytoplankton communities in the Karun 4 reservoir were investigated in spring and summer in 2018.

Chlorophyll A and 19 water physicochemical parameters were measured and analyzed at the reservoir in 26 stations. Statistical analysis of data was done in SPSS software. In order to investigate the biological indicators, Simpson and Shannon-Wiener indices were used, and Trophic State Index (TSI) was used to determine the eutriphication status of the lake.

Among the 35 identified genera, the phytoplankton populations mostly belonged to the Nephrocitium, Oonephris, Peridinium, Pyrophacus, Dinobryon, Cyclotella, Diatoma, and Chlorella genera. Also, the population of phytoplankton was more in summer than in spring. The Simpson and Shannon-Wiener biodiversity indices were calculated as 0.835±0.031 and 2.01±0.174 in spring and 0.819±0.041 and 2.02±0.21 in summer, respectively. According to the TSI index, the trophic status of the studied reservoir was in the eutrophic range (50-75). The analysis of the main components of principal component analysis showed that in spring, six components explained 80.847% of the total variance, while in summer, eight components explained 83.287% of the total variance.

The results showed that the Karun 4 reservoir, which is an important water source in Iran, is in a eutrophic state. This may be due to the increase in temperature in spring and summer, the growth of phytoplankton populations, and the increase in the amount of released ions of industrial and agricultural wastewater, which leads to the eutrophic condition in the reservoir.

Traffic noise is one of the most important causes of noise pollution and also one of the environmental problems in today's societies. According to the World Health Organization, traffic noise is the cause of physiological and psychological disorders. Psychological disorders include impaired mental function, disruption of daily activities, increased rates of traffic accidents, and decreased concentration. Physiological disorders include sleep disorders, hearing loss, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, and effects on job performance. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between mental performance of introverts and extroverts in the face of traffic noise.

This study was performed on 40 students of Alborz University of Medical Sciences. The Mental Health Questionnaire were administered to all individuals. Also, traffic noise was recorded by a tape recorder for 15 minutes. Then, the participants were exposed to traffic noise in two modes of calm environment, and in both modes, a strope test was performed while playing the recorded sound. Finally, statistical analysis was performed to find the relationship between exposure to traffic noise and changes in mental function.

The results showed that after playing the sound in all participants, the mean consonant time decreased (p = 0.143), while the number of correct consonant responses increased after exposure to sound. (p=0.640)

Conclussion: 

The results of this study showed that traffic noise does not have different effects on the mental function parameters, and there is no significant relationship between voice and age, as well as voice and gender.

Effluents discharged from pharmaceutical industries contain toxic and persistent compounds, which have raised concerns among environmentalists in recent decades. Recently, various methods have been used to treat pharmaceutical wastewater, among which the electrooxidation process with its unique features, including high efficiency, low secondary pollutant production, and environmental friendliness, has received more attention. In the present study, the efficiency of heterogeneous electro-Fenton process based on Fe@Fe2O3 nanoparticles loaded on CNTs (CNTs/Fe@Fe2O3) in amoxicillin removal was evaluated.

In this experimental-laboratory study, CNTs/Fe@Fe2O3 nanoparticles were synthesized as particle electrode and Ti/PbO2 as anode electrode, and their characteristics were determined by scanning electron microscope and X-ray scattering pattern. The effect of operating parameters on the amoxicillin removal rate was evaluated by the heterogeneous electro-Fenton process. Comparative tests were conducted between the adsorption and oxidation processes in antibiotic removal, and finally, the stability of the process based on new electrodes was studied in the cycle of successive electrooxidation reactions

The results showed that the electrochemical and adsorption processes have a lower removal efficiency than the heterogeneous electro-Fenton process at pH close to neutral. The maximum removal efficiency of amoxicillin was obtained at pH of 6, particle electrode dosage of 250 mg/L, current density of 25 mA/cm2, and electrolysis time of 120 min. The stability of the electrodes was confirmed by the cycle of successive reactions.

Based on the findings, the electro-Fenton process based on newly synthesized electrodes can be suggested in the electrooxidation analysis of antibiotics.