کاظم ندافی

The current study was designed to investigate PM2.5 status in Tehran from 2011 to 2022.

Hourly data of particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in the air of Tehran city were examined from all air quality monitoring stations belonging to the Department of Environmental and the Air Quality Control Company. The health effects of this air pollutant were estimated, including the number of attributed deaths, using BenMAP-CE and the latest version of AirQ+ software. Additionally, the economic costs associated with health impacts were calculated using the Value of Statistical Life approach.

During the 12-year period under study (from 2011 to the end of 2022), PM2.5 concentrations in of Tehran city consistently exceeded the established standards by a significant margin. The annual values were approximately 5 to 8 times higher than the new guidelines of the World Health Organization and 2.5 to 3.5 times higher than the national standards. As a result, the citizens of Tehran have been exposed to a considerably high level of this cancer-causing risk factor. The number of deaths attributed to PM2.5 in the year 2022 reached around 9,241 (with a range of 8,583 to 9,647) in individuals over 25 years of age. Furthermore, the economic loss resulting from these deaths due to PM2.5 in the ambient air of Tehran in the year 2022 were estimated to be around 2.5 billion dollars.

Considering the undesirable air quality in Tehran city, planning and implementing scientific and practical programs to reduce air pollutant concentrations in this city are considered vital necessities.

In this study, we aimed to assess Iran’s position and trends for environmental health status among the countries of “Iran’s perspective document in 1404” according to the indicators used in Environmental Performance Index (EPI) report in 2018.

The score of indicators in environmental health area; air quality (including household solid fuels, exposure to PM2.5, and PM2.5 exceedance), water and sanitation (including drinking water and sanitation) and heavy metals (including lead) were extracted for all studied countries as well as for the last and baseline (generally ten years prior to last report) years from EPI 2018 database. According to EPI scores, the performance of the studied countries in each indicator was ranked. The percent change in the score of each indicator from baseline to current year was calculated and compared with the mean percent change for all studied countries.

Iran ranked 7th regarding air quality in 2016. Also, it ranked 6th, 8th, and 9th in terms of household solid fuels, exposure to PM2.5, and PM2.5 exceedance, respectively. The EPI score for Iran regarding water and sanitation was 54.4 in 2005 and 58.74 in 2016 (percent change=7.98%). Iran ranked 21st in 2005 regarding lead exposure index. Although this index showed a growth of 100% in 2016, which is very desirable compared to the average growth of all countries (34.47%), but only leads to one step up in the ranking of Iran and was ranked 20th in comparison with other countries.

Totally, according to EPI 2018, Iran ranked 6th in the field of environmental health issues among 23 countries of “Iran’s perspective document in 1404”. However, there is uncertainty in the accuracy of the EPI raw data used for calculating index scores. Hence, caution should be exercised in their interpretation.

Risk communication (RC) and community engagement are perquisite for management of epidemics. Triumph of RC depends on adjustment of message and considering the characteristics of the sender and the audience according to the context and situation.

This article has been prepared using scientific and relevant articles and guidelines.

For effective RC , the essential steps include public participation; planning; credibility ; deference of other sources of communication ; financing & ethical considerations. For success in RC one should consider community culture, people's beliefs and their understanding of the event . The people’s right to be  worried in epidemics should be recognized by the authorities and participatory strategies rather than compulsive one should be prioritized.

In the pandemic of COVID-19, series of successful and nonsuccessful experiences happened. The of review of these experiences may help the policy makers in their future efforts .

Environmental standards are quantitative criteria for protecting the environment from pollution and degradation. One of the solutions to improve air quality status is to use reasonable limits to prevent excessive release of airborne contaminants from their various sources. On the other hand, these standards are effective in evaluating air pollution reduction strategies.

In this study, we reviewed different standard setting frameworks using a theoretical analysis. First of all, we studied the ambient air quality guidelines and standards which developed by the World Health Organization(WHO), the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the European Air Quality Management Agency, the Australian National Council for Medical and Health Research and the Canadian federal government. In addition, a framework to set the national air quality standards in Iran was proposed according to international efforts and national-specific conditions.

By investigating the status of standards and guidelines in some parts of the world, it was found that all of them have reasonable and rational methods for standards setting, despite some different in standard setting methods across organizations. All these standards were set on epidemiologic studies and the effects of air pollutants on human health. Except WHO, other organizations had used a quantitative risk assessment methodology to develop their own standards. Also, for developing national standards based on its guideline, WHO has recommended considering the economic, social, and health conditions.

The results of this study indicate that for developing ambient air quality standards in Iran, a rational and scientific framework is needed.

Environmental burden of disease (EBD) studies are one of the most important needs for determining the current situation, increasing the effectiveness of health policies and programs and prioritizing environmental health interventions. This review article was evaluated the status of the EBD in Iran based on the results of the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, other international studies and national estimates in the country. In this study, the researches on the EBD in Iran were identified by searching in the international and national scientific databases and the search results were studied and analyzed. The review of the EBD studies showed that based on the results of the GBD study, the share of environmental risk factors in the total burden of diseases in the country in 2017 according to the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths were about 8 and 13%, respectively. According to the results of the GBD study, the contributions of environmental risk factors in the attributable DALYs in the country in 2017 (a total value of 1,648,329) were as follows: ambient air PM2.5 for 45.0%, occupational risk factors for 25.1%, exposure to lead for 19.4%, unsafe water source for 5.0%, tropospheric ozone for 1.7%, lack of access to handwashing facility for 1.5%, unsafe sanitation for 1.4%, residential radon for 0.6%, and household air pollution from solid fuels for 0.3%. The total DALY rate and death rate attributable to solar ultraviolet radiation in Iran in 2000 were estimated to be 46.2 and 0.7, respectively. The DALY and the DALY rate attributable to elevated levels of fluoride in drinking water due to dental fluorosis in the country in 2017 were 3,443 and 4.14, respectively. The evaluation of the effect of water fluoridation as an environmental protective factor showed that the intervention by reducing the risk of dental caries could fall the DALY and DALY rates in the country by 14,971 and 18.73, respectively. In the period of 2005-2017, the DALY rate (per 100,000 people) attributable to ambient air PM2.5, tropospheric ozone, residential radon, and occupational risk factors rose that the result increases the importance of the preventive measures and controls of these risk factors. There was a considerable difference in the burden of disease attributed to each risk factor in various international studies as well as between national and international studies. The results of national studies on the burden of diseases attributable to environmental risk factors are considered to be more reliable and practical due to the application of more detailed data and conducting subnational evaluations; therefore, the strengthening and continuing these studies at the national and sub-national levels with regard to priorities, needs, and spatiotemporal trends using domestic reliable data and information are necessary and strictly recommended.

Air pollution is a leading environmental risk factor on health and it is the major cause of death and disease at global level. Air pollution has been shown to have a significant share in the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden. After smoking, it is the second cause of deaths due to NCDs, associated with an increased risk of developing acute and chronic diseases and mortality.  In this study, a review was initially conducted on the basis of indices conducted in the world, the status of ambient air pollution and its effects on health in Iran and other countries, and then the status of ambient air quality and its effects on health in Tehran metropolitan between 2006 and 2017 were shown, based on the results of the studies conducted by the Environmental Research Institute of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The results showed that the annual mean of ambient air population-weighted PM2.5 exposure concentration in Iran was about 48 μg/m3, which is relatively lower than its global mean concentration (51 μg/m3). Based on the most recent study (in 2018) about 8.9 (7.5-10.3) million deaths in those aged above 25 years were attributed to exposure to outdoor air PM2.5 in the world. Although there are substantial differences between the results of studies have been done regarding the number of air pollution attributed deaths, numerous studies showed that air pollution is a major cause of death. Results regarding temporal variations of air quality in Tehran that is performed by the Institute for Environmental Research (IER) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), indicated that PM concentration had an increasing trend from 2006 to 2011. The maximum mean concentration of PM2.5 over the past 12 years has occurred in 2011, which was 38 μg/m3. The PM concentration had a decreasing trend from 2012 to 2015, reaching about 30 μg/m3. However, in the years 2016 and 2017, the annual mean PM2.5 concentration in Tehran was increased compared to its corresponding value in 2015. Furthermore, results of this study demonstrated that, in Tehran, not even one day was classified as "good” (AQI=0-50) from 2011 to 2017 based on the air quality index (AQI), but the number of days in which AQI was “moderate” (AQI=51-100) was increased from 2011 to 2015, and the number of days with the AQI of “moderate” reached 80 in 2015, while the rest of the days having an unhealthy air quality. In 2017, AQI was “moderate” in 20 days, “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in 237 days, “unhealthy” in 107 days, and "very unhealthy” in 1 day. The obtained results indicated that about 4878 (3238, 6359( of deaths due to all (natural) causes were attributable to long-term exposure to PM2.5 in Tehran in 2017. Studies showed that air pollution has a considerable share in the number of attributed deaths. Moreover, there were substantial differences between the results of national and international studies in the burden of disease attributed to air pollution. Therefore, there is a crucial need for accessing to reliable data on air pollution as well as baseline mortality and morbidity in order to study the status of air quality and its effects on health over the country.

Radon is a radioactive, odorless gas. Radon gas with the emission of alpha radiation and sticking to aerosols in the air can cause lung cancer. This study evaluated the concentration of radon in residential houses and public places in Firuzkuh city and compared the values with the recommended international guidelines. Radon gas concentration was measured by passive measurements using CR-39 detectors. The detectors were placed in houses and schools of the city for three months. After this time, the detectors were located and placed in a 6.25% normal solution at 85 °C for 4 hours in a laboratory. After preparation, using an automatic scan and appropriate statistical method, the concentration of radon gas was determined. The results indicated that the average concentrations of radon gas in homes and public places were 137.74 and 110.17 Bq/m3, respectively. Comparing the results with the WHO guideline showed that 76.3% of the homes and 66.7% of the sites had a concentration above the guideline (100 Bq/m3). The results of this study can be used to prepare the National Radon gas map in the country.

Radon gas is one of the environmental risk factors which can increase the risk of lung cancer and it is well known as the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. The aim of the present study was to investigate indoor radon gas concentration in residential and public environments of Nourabad Mammasani city and to estimate the effective dose due to radon exposure. In this study, 52 homes and 8 public places were investigated to measure the concentration of indoor radon gas. Indoor radon concentrations were measured using passive sampling approach, alpha-track detectors (CR-39) for three months, and after that, detectors were sent to the laboratory to count the number of tracks. The results of this research showed that the average radon concentration (± SD) in the homes and public places was 42.4(±14.7) and 32.9(±20.1) Bq/m3, respectively. All radon concentration values were lower than the US Environmental Protection Agency standard and WHO guideline. The average of annual effective dose due to the radon exposure in homes was estimated to be 1.07 mSv. The evaluation of the results showed that there was a significant relationship between the room type and the number of floors with radon concentration in the residential buildings. The results indicated that the indoor radon concentration as an environmental risk factor in the studied places was lower than the WHO guideline levels. Consequently, the indoor radon is not likely a major environmental risk factor in the studied environments.

Rapid health assessment of war refugees is mandatory for optimal planning and effective delivery of public health services. Data collection is essential. We sought to assess: A: Information on demography, mortality, nutritional status, provision of drinking water, environmental conditions, hand washing facilities, immunization status, special needs of vulnerable groups such as children, patients, pregnant women and the elderly. B: Information on shelter site planning, weather forecast, energy resources, threatening incidents, and seasonal epidemics. C: Health Information System (HIS) designed to plan for control of diarrhea and epidemics, assess the required human resources, mobilize the Volunteer health personnel and train them before providing service, and Coordination of operations in different sectors. The most effective measures to prevent mortality and reduce morbidity were: Protection from violence, mass vaccination against measles, ample food supplies; special nutritional rehabilitation programs, safe water supply, and sanitation; prevention and control of diarrhea, communicable diseases and potential epidemics, and provision of maternal and child healthcare programs. Rapid health assessment of war refugees is necessary for optimal planning and effective delivery of public health services.

The coastal area of ​​Ramsar in northern of Iran located in the province of Mazandaran has been known as the highest levels of natural radiation background in the world. The background radiation is mainly due to the presence of radioactive isotopes of the radium element and its decay products, which is brought to the surface by hot springs. In this study, the indoor gamma dose rate in Ramsar was directly measured and the public annual effective dose due to indoor gamma radiation was calculated. To measure the gamma dose rate, a portable gamma spectrometer with sodium iodide detector (Na I) was used. 100 houses are randomly selected and the measurements were carried out at one meter height above the ground surface in each place, which was mostly occupied by people in each house. The public annual effective dose due to indoor gamma exposure was calculated. The maximum, minimum, and average dose rates were 222 nSv h-1, 44 nSv h-1 and 94 nSv h-1, respectively. The highest, lowest, and average public annual effective dose of Ramsar residents due to indoor gamma exposure were 1.55, 0.31 and 0.66 mSv, respectively. The results of this study indicate that average of the public annual effective dose of Ramsar people due to indoor gamma exposure is equal to 0.66 mSv and it is approximately 1.6 times greater than the worldwide average exposure to indoor gamma radiation reported by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (0.41 mSv). In addition, it is not significantly different from the other reported results (average of 0.7 mSv) for the homes in normal radiation background areas in Ramsar.

The current conventional effective elements on transporting or reducing of airborne aerosols and building indoor air quality are natural ventilation systems. Natural ventilation is supplying fresh air and cooling down by replacing ambient air which is one of the effective parameter on social hygiene and health aspect through controlling airborne pathogens and their related nosocomial infections in different part of life particularly in hospitals; and is known as one of the cost-effective solutions in this field. The aim of this study is investigation of natural ventilation potential in the different ward of Tehran University of Medical Sciences affiliated hospitals.
In this cross-sectional study, humidity, temperature, wind speed and room characteristics of 35 wards of 12 hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences which consisted a total of 269 rooms were investigated, and results were compared with related standards and guidelines. Investigated wards included infectious, blood, gastrointestinal and tuberculosis wards which have importance from airborne pathogens perspective. The correlation between ACH index and altitude, temperature and humidity along with wards classification to airborne and non-airborne sections, and evaluation of their ACH mean were conducted with Kruskal–Wallis and Fligner-Killeen test by R (version 3.2.0) and Excel 2013 software.
The minimum, maximum and average values of wind speed, humidity and temperature in airborn and non-airborn sections were measured as (0 and 2.9 m/s), (13.5% and 40%) and (24 and 30.7 ºC), respectively. Also, the means of ACH in airborne and non-airborne were 20.5 and 31, respectively. In addition, significant relations among the different parameters of study according to the Kruskal–Wallis test were observed (P-value According to the obtained results of present study and comparing the results with related standards (ACH=12) indicated that opening of the doors and windows of rooms have high potential in reducing the nosocomial infection in studied hospitals. Furthermore, more energy costs can be saved by using natural ventilation in different wards.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic pollutants that are mostly generated during the incomplete combustion. The main objective of this study was to characterize potential sources of PAHs in Tehran.
Samples of PM10 were collected at 10 monitoring stations belonging to Tehran Air Quality Control Company (AQCC) and transferred to laboratory for analysis. Besides, a SKC Flite 2 Air Sampling Pump (SKC, USA) equipped with a sampling head and PM10 size-selective inlet was used at four stations to compare the results obtained by collecting AQCC monitors (AQCCMs) tapes with the standard sampling procedures for assessing the interchangeability of two field sampling methods. The principal component analysis (PCA) and diagnostic ratios were applied to identify emission sources and source contribution.
The average diagnostic ratios of phenanthrene (Phe)/ (Phe橻憭ꜞ (Ant)), benzo(a)anthracene (BaA)/ (BaA爚 (Chry)), fluorantene(Flu)/ (FluꜪ� (Py)), and indeno(1,2,3cd) pyrene (IcP)/(IcP淩(ghi)perylene (BghiP)) in samples were 0.79, 0.52, 0.43 and 0.38, respectively. These ratios showed that the combustion, especially fossil fuels and motor vehicles, was the main sources of PAHs emission in Tehran. The results of PCA analysis also indicated that 49, 29 and 22% of PAHs sources in Tehran atmosphere were attributed to gasoline-driven vehicles, diesel vehicles and other sources, respectively.
According to the results, the combustion, especially fossil fuel and motor vehicle, was the main sources of PAHs emission in Tehran.

Currently, about 70% of the Iranian population are living in cities. Considering the increase in population of the cities and outskirts, the need to improve health indicators in an equitable way in this complex environment is more crucial than ever. The aim of this study was to design a guideline for health ranking of Iranian cities.
This study was a system design with qualitative approach. The data were collected from three sources: literature review, interviews with experts and stakeholders, and focus group discussions. Intentional sampling method was chosen. Based on a thematic analysis, the results were summarized into the guideline and a table of indicators for ranking.
A total of 12 interviews were conducted and a consensus was reached on three subjects in two group 1) the conceptual model and designing principles 2) the table of indicators for health ranking 3) the charter of accreditation and health ranking system for cities. Eventually 43 indicators were determined in three components including city, citizens and urban management.
The results of this study were rectified in the fourteenth session of the Supreme Council for Health and Food Safety. By implementation of the results of this study, it can be expected that a positive movement occur among municipalities and urban councils, and the accountability of mayors and responsible authorities will be increase.

This study aimed at assessing and economic analysis of the existing market of treatment devices of infectious waste in Iranian hospitals.
Material and In the current descriptive- analytical study which was performed in 2013, the data resulting from national cross- sectional study in Center of Environmental and Occupation Health in 2012 and interview with relevant authorities in 14 Tehran's hospital with at least three years experience using the facilities were utilized.
Until 2012, 883 hospitals have been active in nationwide that more than 64% of them owned by university of medical sciences and SBMU and TUMS with 114 and 45 centers have the highest number of hospitals respectively. Also hospital beds per 1000 population in the country were calculated 1.78. About 80% of hospitals utilized wet thermal and mostly based on autoclave machines for treatment which market share of domestic products is about 55% that Koosha Company, TEM and KAZU have the largest share with 39%, 23.5% and 12.9% respectively.
Existence a large heterogeneity in the type and function of the studied devices has created possible of Cartel in an oligopoly atmosphere which with a targeted regulation and policy making toward protectionism, it can be observed price decreasing, enhancing effectiveness, quality and safety increasing of infectious waste treatment facilities

The performance of in-vessel composting process, as one of the most effective methods of oily sludge treatment, depends on factors such as nutrients and temperature. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the trend of changes of these factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the trend of changes of organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and temperature during the composting of bottom sludge of crude oil storage tanks.
The sludge was mixed with the immature compost at the various ratios of sludge to compost including 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, and 1:10 with the initial C/N/P of 100/5/1 and then was composted for a period of 10 weeks. The process of mixing and moisture adjustment of the mixtures was done 3 times a day during the composting period. Sampling and analysis were performed every week for organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus and every day for temperature.
The research indicated that the concentrations of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were decreased sharply during the first weeks of the process and then they were decreased gently. At the final stage of the composting, the ratios of C/N and C/P increased from 20:1 and 100:1 to 26:1 and 166:1, respectively. In addition, the temperature of the reactors was kept in the mesophilic range during the process period.
The similar trend of decrease of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the composting reactors is an indication of decreasing the activity of the microorganisms involved in petroleum hydrocarbons degradation.

Ahvaz has become one of the most polluted cities in the world. Only on 11 November 2013, over one thousand residents in Khuzestan Province attended the nearest health center with severe symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and high blood pressure. During a week, more than 7 thousand patients were registered with this syndrome. This study was conducted to investigate the evidence for the confirmation of an epidemic in acute respiratory syndrome among the residents of Ahwaz in November 2013.
In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the data of the use of drugs related to acute respiratory attacks from November 2008 to 2013 in Ahvaz. Then, we conducted a descriptive study on the general population. The sample size was 120 and the study participants included different segments of the general population. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire and the data were analyzed using SPSS.18.
The use of the respiratory drugs increased from 2008 to 2013. The drug consumption was markedly higher in November 2013. In the study of the general population, 93% of the participants declared that they had never seen a similar event, and 92.5% mentioned that they had never heard of a similar occurrence.
Due to the significant increase in respiratory medicine in November 2013 and the unexpected nature of the event, an epidemic seems to be obvious.

Air pollution from particulate matters and dust storms is considered one of the most challenging of health problems in our country, nowadays. Most of the epidemiological studies have shown a relationship between health outcomes and airborne particles. The main aim of this study was the assessment of health impacts of PM10 in Tabriz.

In this cross sectional study, PM10 levels were monitored in fixed stations of air monitoring and its adverse health effects were estimated for one year. We applied the approach proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) using the AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO European Center for Environment and Health on air pollutants in Tabriz.

The results showed that 5.94% (CI 95% 5.02% ; 6.83%) of natural death, 6.39%(CI 95% 4.09%; 13.31%) of cardiovascular death, 9.28% (CI 95% 6.39%; 23.98%) of respiratory death, 7.13% (CI 95% 4.87%; 9.98%) of hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease and 6.39%(CI 95% 3.93%; 8.72%) of hospital admissions for respiratory disease can be attributed to PM10 concentrations over 10 μg/m3.

Based on the output of this model, air pollution due to airborne particles is a serious problem that necessitates attention and preventive measures by authorities and decision-makers.

Formaldehyde is one of the most important aldehydes in ambient air which originates from vehicles and photochemical processes. Because of the importance of this pollutant in public health, in this study, we addressed the concentration level in coupled with daily and cross sectional variation of formaldehyde in the high traffic area of Enghelab Square in Tehran. Also the effect of meteorological parameters on variation of formaldehyde concentration was determined.
This cross-sectional study was done in Enghelab Square placed in the district 6 of Tehran in December, January and February (period 1) and April, May and June (period 2) in 2014-2015. To measure the concentration of formaldehyde, the chromotropic acid method was used. Samples were analyzed by spectrophotometer Perkin Elmer UV-Vis LAMBDA 25 at wavelength 580nm.
The results show that there is a significant difference between the formaldehyde concentration on Fridays and that in other days during a week (T-test, p The Formaldehyde concentration on Fridays in comparison with other days is lower. This can be due to the low traffic volume on Fridays. Moreover, increasing formaldehyde concentration in the period 2 in comparison to period 1 is the result of intensifying photochemical processes in the warm months. Also the effect of temperature, humidity and inversion condition on increasing the concentration of formaldehyde show the importance of meteorological conditions in formaldehyde concentration variations.

The performance of in-vessel composting process, as one of the most effective methods of oily sludge treatment, depends on factors such as nutrients, temperature and pH. The aim of the present study was to investigate the trend of changes of temperature, pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the in-vessel composting of bottom sludge of crude oil storage tanks pre-treated with hydrogen peroxide and Fenton. In the first step of this descriptive study, the sludge was pre-treated with mixed hydrogen peroxide and Fenton. Then, the immature compost was mixed with the sludge at the ratios of 1:8, and 1:10 with the initial C/N/P of 100/5/1 and composted for a period of 10 weeks. The process of mixing and moisture adjustment of the mixtures was done 3 times a day during the composting period. Sampling and analysis were performed every week for organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, every other day for pH, and every day for temperature. The results showed that the concentrations of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus decreased sharply during the first weeks of the process period and then, they decreased gently. In addition, the increase of C/N and C/P indicated that the consumption rate of organic carbon was higher than that of the nitrogen and phosphorus. The changes of temperature and pH were not significant during the composting period. The similar trend of decrease of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the composting reactors is an indication of decrease in the activity of the microorganisms involved in petroleum hydrocarbons degradation.

Recently contact with bioaerosols has been presented as an important problem which endangers human being’s health. The aim of this investigation is to compare potential of separation of fungal aerosols in the air around Tehran’s Milad hospital, blood transfusion organization and waste water treatment plant of Tehran’s Shahrake Ghods. this cross-sectional investigation was done in Milad hospital, blood transfusion organization and Tehran’s Shahrake Ghods waste water treatment plant within for 4 months. The sampling was done passively for 1 hour and once in 6 days. The culture medium was Sabouraud dextrose agar. comparing selected sampling stations the most fungal density was for 100 meters after the last unit of waste water treatment plant (67 CFU) and the least density was for Milad hospital (30 CFU). Dominant genera of fungal in waste water treatment plant and blood transfusion organization was related to Cladosporium (in order of 49% and 84%) and in air around Milad hospital was related to Alternaria (47%). according to the results processing and operating sections in waste water treatment plant can be effective in fungal density and separation of bioaerosols. Therefore it seems to be vital that the responsible organizations should do necessary actions to develop guidelines and standards related to bioaerosols. Also appropriate administration of environmental health in waste water treatment plant can be an important factor in reduction of aerosol separation.

Remaining of crude oil in storage tanks usually results in accumulating oily sludge at the bottom of the tank, which should be treated and disposed of in a suitable manner. The efficiency of in-vessel composting process in removing total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) from bottom sludge of crude oil storage tanks was investigated in the present study. The sludge was mixed with immature compost at the ratios of 1:0 (as control), 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, and 1:10 (as dry basis) with the initial C:N:P and moisture content of 100:5:1 and 55% respectively for a period of 10 weeks. The moisture adjustment and mixing process were done 3 times a day during the composting period. Sampling and analysis of TPH and pH were done every week and every two days, respectively. TPH removal in the 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, and 1:10 composting reactors was 66.59, 73.19, 74.81, 80.20, and 79.91%, respectively. Thus, initial adjustment of sludge to immature compost ratios plays a great role in reduction of TPH. The results of the control reactors indicated that the main mechanism of TPH removal in the composting reactors was biological process. In-vessel composting by addition of immature compost as amendment is a viable choice for bioremediation of the bottom sludge of crude oil storage tanks.

In the outbreak of infectious diseases, the on time epidemiological, environmental, and laboratorial investigations result in rapid diagnosis of cause and source of the outbreaks and decrease the diseases spread and public health loss. Following the outbreak of gastroenteritis in Pardis Town in January 2014, this research was conducted to identify the cause, source, and route of transmission of the outbreak. First, the descriptive epidemiological study was conducted using checklist and the stool samples were prepared and analyzed. The drinking water quality in Pardis during and before the outbreak was obtained from National Environmental Health Network. The community water supply system consisting of watershed, water resources, pipelines, storage reservoirs, disinfection systems, and distribution network were inspected and sampling and detection of thermotolerant coliforms and norovirus in water samples were performed according to the Standard Methods. There were 6,027 patients with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, cramps, mild diarrhea, and mild fever. The distribution of the disease in all age groups, gender, ethnicity, and location was uniform. Out of nine stool specimens, molecular testing of norovirus in six samples was positive. Hazards identified in the water supply system consisted of a water pipe fracture occurred two days before the outbreak, illegal connection of landscape irrigation system to the drinking water supply network, the use of unprotected Fellman wells as the resource of water supply, and discharge of domestic wastewater into the water resource upstream of the Fellman wells. The water samples taken from the Fellman wells had fecal contamination (11 out of 12 samples), but because of weakness and limited experience in identifying norovirus in water samples, norovirus was not detected in the raw water samples. This study showed that the pathogen came from a single source. Clinical symptoms, epidemiological evidence, the results of analysis of human stool samples, fecal contamination of raw water samples and norovirus resistance to the standard amounts of free residual chlorine in water indicated that the outbreak caused by consumption of contaminated drinking water (discharge of domestic wastewater to water supply system). In order to prevent similar outbreak, resolving the observed bugs in the water supply system and implementation of water safety plan is recommended.

Air Quality Index (AQI) quantifies the relationship between air quality and the level of health. The value of AQI may be predicted using neural network model for a day in advance, based on the meteorological variables and autocorrelation behavior of the index in Kermanshah, a city in western Iran. Data for air pollution and meteorological variables, collected during three years, were lagged for two proceeding days. The AQI for a next day was considered as dependent variable and other were used as predictors. The performance of model was assessed with correlation coefficient (r). The most important variables to predict the AQI were identified using sensitivity analysis. The r coefficient for the training, validation and testing the model was 0.75. Among the meteorological variables, the horizontal view and precipitation had a greater impact on the AQI. One day proceeding precipitation can significantly reduce the amount of AQI for the next day. An inverse relationship was found between AQI and horizontal view. The proposed model can be used to predict the Kermanshah’s AQI index. Regarding to the issue of air pollution in this city, especially fine particulate pollutions if such a model is used dynamically to predict the AQI, it can be useful tools for the declaration of an air pollution alert. The preparation of an online model-based system for the prediction of AQI index for Kermanshah city is suggested to be conducted in future studies.

Oil and grease causes damages for aquatic organisms, soil ecosystem, and mutagenic and carcinogenic for human. The aim of this research was to study the reduction of pollution of oil and grease of steel mill wastewater with Air Flotation system. At first phase of this examination the sampling performed of raw wastewater for determine amount of oil and grease, COD, TS, TDS, TSS, Turbidity and Alkalinity. The second phase flotation with dispersed air performed at pilot vessel and the second sampling performed for determinationof removal efficiency of oil and grease in 3 different concentration and 4 different retention time and measured for other parameters in best concentration and retention time. The retention time were selected 30, 45, 60 and 90 min and concentrations were 591 mg/l, 386 mg/l and 277 mg/l. removal efficiency for parameters of oil and grease, COD, TS, TDS, TSS, Turbidity, Alkalinity, obtained %48, %46, %37, %36, %82, %89, %6. This study showed with increases of retention time from 30minute to 90minute removal efficiency for all of parameters gently increased but between 60 and 90 minute retention time removal efficiency was almost stable. Removal efficiency in high concentration of oil and grease(591mg/l) was more than removal efficiency in low concentration of oil and grease (277mg/l).