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M.a Zazouli, A Mohseni Bandpei, A Eslami, A Sadeghi,
Volume 1, Issue 2 (10 2009)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Recycling is one of the best alternatives in solid wastes management. Recycling has few benefits from the viewpoint of economics and environmental. Paper and cardboard are the valuable recyclable materials in solid wastes. The rate of paper recycling is 35% in world. The major production source of paper and cardboard wastes is private and governmental offices and organizations. To be informed about paper production is very important in the solid wastes recycling.Thus, the aim of this study was to determine production rate of paper and cardboard waste and also to determine paper recycling potential in the 20 head offices of Mazandaran province.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the 20 head offices of at province center. The offices were selected by chance. This study was conducted four months in 2006. paper waste was separated after suspension of work. Collected material weighed on the sensitive scales. Separation and measuring was done for a week per month.
Results: The results showed that more than 2 tons of paper waste was produced in the twenty offices. The maximum and minimum of paper production was in education and recycling organization, respectively. The maximum and minimum of production rate was 2.08 and 0.192 kg per capita in month that was in the education and Jihad-e-Agriculture organization, respectively. Also the maximum and minimum of paper waste was produced at first work day of week (Saturday) and last work day of week (Thursday), respectively. However, it was not significantly (P >0.05). Paperrecycling operation and marketing was done in an office.
Conclusion: Findings of this study indicated that office solid waste management needs more notice in Iran. And also calculations showed that paper recycling is economical.
M.a Zazuoli, M Abdi, E Ghahramani, M Ghorbanian,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (25 2009)
Abstract
Backgrounds and Objectives: The school is the most appropriate place for flourishes children, adolescents and juniors, and prepares safe and vigorous life. Thus, the aim of this research is to study of the hygienic conditions in primary schools in region 1 of Sari city.
Materials and Methods: This article is a descriptive study. In which 45 non-for-profit and governmental schools were sampled using census method. The Fools of sampling was questionnaire filled in during interview with school principals and direct observation. Collected information was analyzed using "Excell" and spss soft wares.
Results: The results of this search showed that %93.4 of schools had dimention smaller than minimum standard. Only in %35.6 of schools, lavatory and drinking places were separate and the quality and quantity of lighting in %32 of. schools were classes proper.
Conclusion: The most important finding of this search was the ignorant of indicators in environmental healthas overlooking of standards, and the schools are merely established on quantity and urgent need despit of their quality.
Z Yousefi,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (25 2009)
Abstract
Backgrounds and Objectives: Swimming pools water if not disinfected properly can be one of the infection sources of different microorganisms such as staphylococcus. This study is to aware the authorities and users about the conditions existed in sheltered swimming pools in Sari and to believe the contamination of the water there, related to the existence of staphylococcus aureus.
Materials and Method: In this descriptive study 32 specimens collected randomly from 15 swimming pools in action during three months from 60 cm deep under specific conditions in sterile containers and taken to the laboratory of health college in 2 hrs and were analyzed for the contamination from staphylococcus aureus and some other parameters like temperature, pH, chlorine residual and opacity on the basis of microbiological and standard methods.
Result: Results showed an average temperature of 27.08 degree Celsius, PH=7.6, average chlorine residual 1 mil/l and opacity average was 77 NTU % and the highest contamination from staphylococcus aureus (29.3 %) in C and the lowest (10.19 %) was observed in D swimming pool. Furthermore this analysis showed that in 90% of specimens there was a direct relationship between the ratio of chlorine residual, times of swimming, water temperature and the number of staphylococcus.
Conclusion: Swimming pools water if not disinfected properly can be one of the infection sources of different microorganisms such as staphylococcus. Some suggestions inorder to optimization of the swimming pools condition presented in this paper.
M.a Zazouli, E. Ghahramani, M. Ghorbanian Alahabad, A. Nikouie, M. Hashemi,
Volume 3, Issue 1 (3 2010)
Abstract
Backgrounds and Objectives: One of environmental outcomes in industrial towns is developing environmental pollution such as production of industrial wastewaters. These industrial wastewaters should be appropriately treated before entering to receiving waters. However we can't solve environmental anxieties by establishing of wastewater treatment plants alone but permanent and regular assessment of these treatment plants performance is necessary for achieving environmental standards. Thus, this research has been done in order to investigation of activated sludge performance in wastewater treatment of Agghala industrial town in Golestan province.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study implemented in sewage treatment plant laboratory of Agghala industrial town in Golestan within 12 months at 2007. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) parameter determined twice in week, But Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) test accomplished weekly. pH measured by pH meter daily. Experiment of total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS) carried out every 10 days. All tests accomplished according to standard method for water and wastewater examination (2005). Then data analyzed using excel 2007.
Results: The average of BOD, COD and TSS in influent was 11196.17, 1854.58, 1232.25 mg/L respectively.Maximum influent organic loading rate was related to Shahrivar andMehr months. The total average of removal efficiency for BOD, COD and TSS was calculated 99.66, 98.2, and 97.6% respectively.
Conclusion:Quality of this treatment plant effluent was according to effluent disposal standards all over year. In sum, efficiency of this treatment plant (activated sludge system) was very good ininfluent pollutant removing. However occasionally effluent was not adapted with environmental standards but these deficiencies is solvable by accurate management and supervision on flow rate and influent organic loading rate easily.
S Jorfi, R Rezaei Kalantary, A Mohseni Bandpi, N Jaafarzadeh Haghighifard, A Esrafili, L Alaei,
Volume 4, Issue 1 (24 2011)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Fluoride is widely used in industries such as manufacture of semiconductors, power plants, glass production etc and release to the environment via their effluents. The purpose of this sturdy was to compare the efficiency of low price adsorbents in fluoride removal from water.
Materials and Methods: The optimum values of pH, contact time and adsorbent dosage were determined and different concentrations of fluoride were experimented in lab scale conditions for bagasse, modified bagasse and chitosan. Then Langmuir and Freundlich coefficient were determined based on optimum conditions.
Results: The pH value of 7, contact time of 60 min and adsorbent dosage of 2 g/L were determined as optimum conditions for all three adsorbents. The most fluoride removal efficiency of 91% was obtained for modified bagasse in optimum conditions.
Conclusion: Based on data obtained in this study, it can be concluded that adsorption by modified bagasse is an efficient and reliable method for fluoride removal from liquid solutions.
H Khorsandi, A Mohammadi, F Kariminejad, M Haghighi, R Alizadeh,
Volume 7, Issue 4 (1-2015)
Abstract
Background & Objectives: Entering LAS through the wastewater plant’s effluent to water resources causes taste and odor changes, aquatics death, oxygen transfer limitation, and disorders in water treatment processes. Therefore, the study objective was to determine optimum conditions for fenton oxidation process to remove linear alkyl benzene sulfonate from aqueous environments using taguchi method and its requirement evaluation for additional treatment of Biolac effluent. Materials &Methods: LAS removal using Fenton oxidation was evaluated in a 500 mL laboratory-scale batch reactor. In order to save the costs, to determine the optimum conditions of the Fenton oxidation, 25 runs were computed using Taghuchi method by Minitab 16 software. Sampling and required tests were performed based on standard methods examination for water and wastewater. For evaluation of Biolac process sufficiency in LAS removal, biolac efficiency in Urmia Wastewater Treatment Plant was studied in 2012. Results: Based on the LAS removal and chemicals required, Minitab software (Ver. 16) recommended the optimum conditions of Fenton oxidation at 900 mg/L H2O2, 170 mg/L Ferrous ion, pH of 4, and reaction time of 20 minutes. It was found that the Fenton oxidation for LAS removal had 86.5% efficiency under optimum condithions and it was second order reaction with the rate coefficient of 0.0152 L/mg.min. Biolac process does not need any additional treatment due to meeting LAS standard in municipal wastewater treatment. Thus, this process decreased annually mean LAS from 5.28 mg/L to 0.734 mg/L in municipal wastewater. Conclusion: Although the Fenton oxidation appears as a chemical process with high efficiency in the removal of LAS, the low efficiency of COD corresponding to the LAS indicated partial decomposition of linear alkyl benzene sulfonate by Fenton oxidation.
H Hassanvand, N Dehghan, K Naddafi, Ms Hassanvand, R Nabizadeh, S Faridi, Z Yousefi,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (3-2019)
Abstract
Background and Objective: 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.
Materials and Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Conclusion: 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.
Mr Khani, Ah Mahvi, Ma Zazouli, Z Yousefi, Y Dadban Shahamat,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2019)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Olive Mill Wastewater (OMWW) is one of the most polluted sanitary wastewaters that its ineffective treatment will cause severe pollution of the environment. In this study, OMWW treatment wasinvestigated using combined electrocoagulation and novel advanced oxidation process.
Materials and Methods: Biodegradability, efficiency and kinetics of removal of turbidity and organic matter from the OMWW by applying the operational parameters of electrocoagulation such as current density (0-0.77 A/dm2), type of anode electrode, reaction time (0-45 min) were investigated. Various types of advanced oxidation processes were performed to determine the the efficiency of removal of TOC and kinetics and biobegradability.
Results: The optimum condition for removing turbidity, BOD, TOC and consumed Iron anode electrod in electrocoagulation were 78%, 57%, 72% and 583 mg/ per liter of wastewater, respectively. Thus, the kinetic of TOC removal was first-order and was 0.027 min-1. The TOC removal efficiency of pretreated OMWW in oxidation processes of US, H2O2, SOP, O3 / H2O2, COP, COP/US and H2O2/COP/US were measured as 8%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 61%, 68% and 75%, respectively. The highest biodegradability index (BOD/TOC) in the COP/US/H2O2 process was increased 1.5 times.
Conclusion: The advenced oxidation process of COP/US/H2O2 follwed by electrocagulation demonstrated an effective treatment of OMWW and improved its biodegradability. Therefore, this process can be used for efficient treatment of OMWW in olive and similar industries.
A Marzban, M Barzegaran, M Hemayatkhah, M Ayasi, S Delavari, Mt Sabzehei, V Rahmanian,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2019)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Nowadays, with the increasing environmental issues such as energy crisis, climate change, waste generation and destruction of natural resources and the increase of waste materials due to the development of urbanization, human impact on the environment is one of the most challenging issues of the scientific community. The purpose of this study was to measure the level of awareness and environmental behaviors of Yazd citizens.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 1000 residents of Yazd in 2018 by cluster sampling. The data collection tool was a standard questionnaire for knowledge, attitude and environmental behavior. The score range for the three knowledge, attitude and practice structures was 0-12, 13-65, and 17-55, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analytical tests at the significance level of 0.05 using spss16 software.
Results: One hundred percent of the questionnaires were completed. Mean score of knowledge and environmental attitude was 8.23 ± 3.92 and 36.15 ± 8.28 (moderate), and of the environmental behavior was 26.19 ± 7.14 (poor). There was a significant statistical difference between knowledge and environmental behavior of women and men. The level of knowledge and environmental behavior of women was higher (p<0.05). The largest source of environmental information was radio and television (42%).
Conclusion: Despite the relatively good awareness and attitude towards the environment, the majority of the people had poor performance due to the environmental behavior. Therefore, environmental awareness cannot be a guarantee of environmental behavior. It also needs to encourage persuasive social conditions and structure and facilitating environmental behaviors.
H Nik Nejad, H Pasalari, M Yegane Badi, J Abolghasemi, R Ghasem Nejad, M Farzadkia,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2019)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Clinics, laboratories and health care centers are considered as one of the main waste generating sources in solid waste management. The problems associated with the generated health-care waste in clinics, laboratories and health care centers have been rarely investigated in Iran. Therefore, the present study was developed to investigate the status of health care waste in clinics, laboratories and health care centers of Mahmoudabad, Mazandaran in 2017.
Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the status of solid waste management in 117 medical centers in Mahmoudabad, Mazandaran, 2017. The solid waste data in terms of waste generation rate, storage, collection, and disposal were surveyed through interview and questionnaire that were validated by Iran’s ministry of health.
Results: The average health-care waste generation in medical centers in Mahmoudabad was found to be 248 g/day. The mean and standard deviation for environmental health criteria in all medical centers were 248.3 and 41.1, respectively. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the amount of waste generation in private and governmental medical centers (p=0.111).
Conclusion: The results obtained from the present research indicated that the medical waste management in Mahmoudabad, particularly in private centers, face serious problems. Improper waste collection technology, mixing municipal and medical waste, requirement for training the personnel in medical waste management and surveillance can be considered as important concerns in health-care waste management in Mahmoudabad.
J Gorgani, R Nabizadeh, M Gholami, H Pasalari, M Yegane Badi, M Farzadkia, Ha Asgharnia, Ma Zazouli,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (12-2019)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Hospital wastes with the content of infectious, pathologic, sharp, pharmaceupitical and genotoxic materials are classified as hazardous wastes. Of which, genotoxic residues wirh mutagenic and teratogenic effects are of most great concern on human health. Genetic wastes are referred to as cytotoxic, chemical, and radioactive drugs used to treat cancer or treat transplantation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the management of hospital wastes in Mazandaran province with emphasis on genotoxic waste.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 35 governmental and social hospitals in Mazandaran province to determine the satus of hospital waste with focus on geotoxic waste. The quanity, quality and management approaches of hospital and genotoxic wastes in the studied hospitals were surveyed with a validated questionnaire. Results obtained from the present study were analyzed with Excel software.
Results: The average waste per each hospital bed was estimated to be 3.51 kilograms. Of which, 2.2, 1.24, 1.9 kg were categorized as municipal, chemical, and genotoxic wastes, respectively. The average of the hospital waste management index in Mazandaran province was found to be about 84 out of 100, indicating good management of these wastes. The management of genotoxic waste in 7 specialized chemotherapy hospitals was estimated to be 64 out of 100, indicating the average state of genotoxic waste management for these hospitals. In 28 non-chemotherapy hospitals, the genotoxic waste management index was approximated 42 out of 100, indicating poor management of these wastes.
Conclusion: The main weaknesses in hospital waste management are associated with the management of chemical-pharmaceutical and genotoxic wastes. Accordingly, improvement the quality of genotoxic and chemical-pharmaceutical wastes should be concerned in the future planning.
Ma Zazouli, Z Karimi, R Rafiee,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (2-2020)
Abstract
Background and Objective: one of the major challenges in urban management in human societies is related to the collection, recycling and disposal of solid waste and sewage. Poor waste management causes pollution of water, soil and air. It will have a major impact on public health. The aim of present study was to investigate the current status and select the best options of management of municipal solid waste in Noor city (Mazandaran, Iran) using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology.
Materials and Methods: This research considered with five scenarios: 1) Recycling, composting and unsanitary landfilling; 2) Recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling; 3) Recycling, incineration and sanitary landfilling; 4) Recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, incineration, sanitary landfilling; 5) Recycling and unsanitary landfilling. The required data for life cycle assessment inventory were collected through reviewing resources, preparing of questionnaires, completing the questionnaire by staff, and field inspections.The life cycle inventory was approved by the IWM model.
Results: The scenario 5, which is the current situation in the region, had the highest environmental impact in terms of toxic emissions and ecological indicators among all the scenarios. Energy consumption in the scenarios 1 and 5 was higher than the unsanitary landfilling in comparison to the other scenarios. Accordingly, the scenarios 5 and 4 had the most and the least impact on methane gas production.
Conclusion: According to the ecological index, the fourth scenario including recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, and sanitary landfilling was the best scenario. Fifth scenario with the highest pollution load was the worst scenario evaluated.
Mohammad Ali Zazouli, Fathollah Gholami Boroujeni, Ali Asghar Nadi, Azam Ebrahimi,
Volume 15, Issue 1 (4-2022)
Abstract
Background and Objective: With increasing population growth and water pollution, fresh water supply sources are declining and can not meet today's human needs. Thus, energy conversion systems with high efficiency and low pollution such as desalination microbial cell have been considered. Therefore the aim of this research was to investigation the efficiency of microbial desalination cell (MDC) for desalination and treatment of salt wastewater.
Materials and Methods: To address this issue, the decision was taken to use saline synthetic wastewater with different initial salt concentrations (2, 5, 7 and 10 g/L NaCl) and, different hydraulic retention times (1, 2, 3 and 72 h) in open circuit voltage (OCV) and closed circuit voltage (CCV) continuous mode.
Results: The results showed that highest EC removal was 11.2% and 14.3% with 10 g/L NaCl in open and closed circuit mode, respectively. Maximum COD removal of 68.7% was achieved in CCV mode that was obtained at 10 g/L NaCl. Additionally, Escherichia coli, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas and Citrobacter were diagnose as effective bacteria in decomposing wastewater.
Conclusion: The obtained results proved that MDC desalination microbial cell technology is Emerging technology that has many unknown aspects; however, it is expected to be an appropriate technique for wastewater treatment and desalination.
Mobina Nadem Souraki, Fatemeh Nejatzadeh, Fathollah Gholami-Borujeni,
Volume 15, Issue 4 (3-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objective: The current research aimed to evaluate the level of environmental knowledge, attitude, and performance of the citizens of Mazandaran province in 2021.
Materials and Methods: In a descriptive study, the level of environmental knowledge, attitude, and performance of the citizens of Mazandaran province were evaluated. The statistical population of the research (384 people) was selected by simple random method. In order to collect data, a questionnaire whose reliability was determined in previous studies was used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21 software. Using Pearson's correlation test, the relationship between knowledge and environmental performance was analyzed.
Results: Among the 384 participants, only 135 answered all the questions. The results of the study showed that, despite the average knowledge of the citizens, the environmental performance is at a good level. The average score of environmental knowledge, attitude, and performance was 5.93±2.06, 47.67±9.30, and 58.70±12.69 respectively, and the most source of obtaining environmental information is television (46.7 percent) and social conversations (19.3 percent). The results of Pearson's correlation test show that there was a significant relationship between the awareness and environmental performance of citizens (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Despite the average knowledge of the citizens, their environmental performance was at a good level, but according to several reports, the Mazandaran province's environmental indicators are not in good condition, which indicates that probably mechanisms and other factors such as environmental policies and economic factors also affect people's environmental performance, which should be investigated.
Samaneh Dehghan, Mohammad Ali Zazouli, Abolfazl Hosseinnataj, Masoome Sheikhi, Ali Koohi,
Volume 16, Issue 2 (9-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Nowadays, recycling is one of the ways to save mankind from the mass of waste it produces, and waste separation from the source is the first and most important link in the field of urban waste recycling. Since the necessity and basis of recycling is people's participation in separation plans from the source, the present study was conducted to investigate the awareness, attitude, and performance of the people of Mazandaran province regarding the source separation of household waste in 2021.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study, and the tool used in it was a researcher-made questionnaire including three dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and performance, the link of which was provided online to qualified people. The qualitative content validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by 8 environmental health experts in the field of the research subject. The reliability of the tool was also estimated through the Retest Method. Furthermore, the values of Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the three dimensions of awareness, attitude, and performance were calculated. In the following, the samples were selected in virtual groups based on the available sampling method and through the distribution of the questionnaire link online. Analysis of variance was used to compare the mean scores in the levels of variables, Pearson's correlation test was used to examine the relationship between the scores of awareness, attitude, and performance dimensions, and linear regression was used to examine the effect of independent variables. Finally, the data was analyzed in SPSS software (version 22).
Results: For the entire study population (305 people), the range and mean score of awareness were 0-6, and 5.03±1.18 respectively, the range and mean score of attitude were 17-85 and 61.01± 9.45, and the range and mean score of performance were 6-30 and 11.43±5.19, respectively. Also, there was a significant correlation between the mean scores of the dimensions of awareness and attitude (correlation coefficient=0.70), awareness and performance (correlation coefficient=0.68), and attitude and performance (correlation coefficient=0.63).
Conclusion: The results of this study, which was conducted to measure the knowledge, attitude, and performance of the people of Mazandaran province regarding the separation of household waste from the source and waste recycling, and with a survey of 305 households in this province, showed that although the most of people have a piece of proper knowledge and attitude related to the importance of separation and recycling of solid waste, they have not participated much in the plans of waste separation from the source. Therefore, in order to increase the level of people's performance, it is recommended to develop incentive programs in the field of source separation, including awarding prizes or applying discounts on waste charges, as well as providing suitable containers for waste separation to households for free by the municipality to encourage waste separation.
Zabihollah Yousefi, Adel Naderi, Seyed Noureddin Mousavi Nasab, Samaneh Dehghan,
Volume 16, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
Background and Objective: The high risk of Sars-CoV-2 infection in dental centers is a serious problem for doctors and patients. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the environmental health measures related to corona disease in the dental offices of Sari city during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2021.
Materials and Methods: The present study is descriptive and cross-sectional, and the tool used in it is a researcher-made questionnaire collected with the cooperation of the personnel working in 100 active dental service centers in Sari. to determine content validity, two qualitative and quantitative -qualitative methods were used. The qualitative content validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by 8 environmental health experts. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS software V. 25.
Results: Based on the results of this study, personal protective equipment was used continuously in 100% of the centers. In 93% of the centers, sodium hypochlorite and formaldehyde were used to disinfect the equipment, and in 94% of the cases, the frequency of disinfection of the equipment was after each patient. Disinfection of toilets was done daily in 62% of the centers and every two days in the rest. In 72% of the examined dental centers, had no local hood installed or turned on above the units, but in 92% of the offices, there was proper ventilation of public spaces. In addition, according to the results, in 99% of clinics, waste management was carried out in accordance with national laws and regulations and based on the rules and methods of the executive management of medical waste and related waste and related instructions, and also in 100% of clinics, water consumption was healthy and desirable.
Conclusion: Overall, environmental health measures in dental offices were at an optimal level in most cases and in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health. Not installing a hood or not turning it on above the units and improper ventilation of the dentist's office were the most critical problems of the centers, which need to be given more attention and corrective measures should be taken according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health.
Mohammadali Zazouli, Samaneh Dehghan, Mahdieh Mohammadi Alashti, Afsaneh Fendereski, Reza Dehbandi,
Volume 16, Issue 4 (3-2024)
Abstract
Background and Objective: One of the main limitations of using compost is the possibility of heavy metals with high concentrations. Unlike organic contaminants, these elements resist decomposition by microorganisms and, when present at elevated levels, pose a toxicity risk to soil, plants, aquatic ecosystems, and human health.
Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2021-2022w. Samples were collected from three compost factories in Mazandaran (Babol, Behshahr, and Tonekabon) using random sampling methods and prepared according to the acid digestion method (National Standard Institute 5615). The concentration of heavy metals in the samples was measured using an ICP-OES.
Results: The average concentration of arsenic, zinc, lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, and nickel in the analyzed samples were 1.38±3.47, 490±151.5, 74±12, 2.56±0.65, 4.5±1.46, 31.72±16.47, 186.11±49.9, 22.72±4.2 mg/kg dry weight of compost, respectively. The average concentration of heavy metals in different cities was compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test, based on which the concentration of heavy metals in none of the cities was significantly different from each other (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The concentration of heavy metals in the investigated compost samples was lower than the limits specified in both domestic and international standards. Therefore, the final product of the examined compost factories meets the health standards for heavy metals and is safe for use in environmental applications.
Hadi Niknejad, Nima Kalvani, Mehdi Seyedirad, Alireza Ala, Reza Saeedi, Mehrnoosh Abtahi, Fathollah Gholami-Borujeni,
Volume 17, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
Background and Objective: There have been concerns about microbial contamination along the coastal cities in the north of the country, particularly in cities of Mazandaran province, which could pose health risks for swimmers and tourists. The present study aimed to quantitatively assess the risk of gastrointestinal diseases resulting from exposure to E. coli and enterococci bacteria during recreational activities on the beaches of Fereydunkanar.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 66 grab samples collected during the summer were analyzed to investigate microbial contamination in the recreational beach waters of Fereydunkanar.The Monte Carlo simulation method was used to calculate both daily and annual infection risks.
Results: The findings demonstrated that transmission of enterococci was more likely than that of E. coli in the swimming areas of these beaches. The average annual infection risk for E. coli was 0.41 for adults and 0.69 for children . Additionally, the annual risk of enterococci infection was 1 for adults and 0.99 children and, which exceeds the range advised by the WHO and EPA. These findings indicate that children have a higher infection risk compared to adults.
Conclusion: Unrestricted discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater effluents into sea and rivers can contribute to the presence of harmful microbes in beaches. By implementing effective environmental and recreational management strategies, it is possible to minimize the risk of public health hazards at recreational beaches while also preserving the natural beauty of these important public spaces.
Hadi Niknejad, Fathollah Gholami-Borujeni, Khadijeh Sajjadpour, Samira Mojerlou, Reza Ghasemnejad, Mohammad Rafiee,
Volume 17, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Personal hygiene and adherence with health protocols in food preparation and distribution centers by operators are essential for controlling the transmission of infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the microbial contamination and compliance with health protocols among bakery workers in Mahmoudabad, Mazandaran, in 2020.
Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, 149 samples were collected from the hands of workers in bakeries in Mahmoudabad. The microbial load was determined using the System Sure Plus device. Additionally, standard checklists, which included questions related to compliance with health protocols in the workplace, were used. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS 26 software.
Results: Among the studied samples, 51.1%had a microbial load higher than 30 RLU (Relative Light Units), 28.86% had a microbial load of 10-30 RLU and 20.13% had a microbial load less than 10 RLU. Based on the results of the checklists, the rates of adherence to hand disinfection protocol, observance of social distancing, use of liquid soap, and use of a mask were 43.6%, 61.7%, 59.7%, and 53.7%, respectively. Additionally, data analysis revealed a significant relationship between business gown usage and microbial contamination on personnel's hands (p = 0.031).
Conclusion: Based on the results, it was evident that the workers' hand hygienewas in a concerning condition, posing a potential threat to their overall well-being. Therefore, individual health education and food safety practices should be improved, and inspections by environmental health monitors should be considered to ensure stricter public health standards.
