Iranian Journal of

Background and Objective: Improper landfilling of drilling waste has adverse effects on the environment and human health. This study aims to select suitable landfills for oil and gas drilling waste on Qeshm Island using GIS and AHP.
Materials and Methods: In this study, a weighted map was prepared based on each criterion affecting the site location. In the next step, each of the prepared layers was ranked. Higher rating indicated the importance of each layer while lower values corresponded to their insignificane.
Results: The reasults of this study showed that the distance from population centers (weight 0.222), communication network (roads) (weight 0.169) and surface waters (weight 0.142) are important parameters for landfill siting. The combination of ranked maps and the weights obtained from AHP, divided the landfill area to “completely suitable”, “suitable”, “relatively suitable”, “relatively unsuitable” and “unsuitable”.
Conclusion: Priorities identified in “completely suitable” areas can be the basis for decision-making, and appropriate locations can be on the agenda as next priorities.

Background and Objective: Air quality and distribution of trace elements in the Tehran metropolis were evaluated using transplants of the epiphytic lichen Ramalina sinensis.
Materials and Methods: Thalli of R. sinensis were collected from a non-contaminated area and transplanted in the six urban sites of Tehran for six months. After the end of the exposure period, the content of twelve elements in lichen was determined by ICP-MS method and the obtained data were evalusted using statistical analysis and various indicators.
Results: Based on the results, the order of mean concentration of the trace elements in the R. sinensis lichen samples was determined as: Ca > K > Fe > Mg > Na > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Ni > Co and the highest amount of bioaccumulation was found for the essential elements. For sevelar elements, significant differences were observed in various sampling sites. Based on the pollution load indexes (PLIs), two sites at Sharif university and Setad Bohran were more polluted than other areas. Exposed-to-control (EC) ratio values for Pb, Zn, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Mg, and Co were also found in the range of 1.25-1.75. Based on the relative accumulation factor (RAF), the accumulation preference of elements by R. sinensis lichen was observed as Na > Cr > Cu > Fe > Mg > Ni > Zn > Mn > Co > Pb > Ca > K, respectively, which represents the significant ability of this species in the accumulation of elements such as Na, Cr, Cu and Fe. PCA and EF analysis indicated that trace elements adsorbed by lichen were mainly sourced from vehicle transportation.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the application and importance of R. sinensis lichen in biomonitoring of air pollutants elements in urban areas. This approach can justify the suitability, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of lichen compared to other biomonitors for air pollutants and more importantly highlights its capability to the determination of wide levels of air pollution in large scales.

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seasonal variation on the diversity of fungal airborne species in the composting process.
Materials and Methods: Samples were taken based on the 0800 NIOSH method at a height of 1.5 m above the ground during the waste separation, turning of windrow and stabilization of compost. Air samples were collected in two various seasons; summer (108 samples) and winter (108 samples) at the composting plant in Shiraz. The culture media consisted of Sabouraud Dextrose Agar with chloramphenicol for the selective isolation of fungi, which was further incubated at 37 and 45°C. The results were analyzed by a t-test method using MATLAB 2018.
Results: The highest mesophilic fungi density was related to the segregation process of composting. The variation of fungi observed was higher during summer throughout separation and stabilization process (p < 0.05). The predominant species were found to be Aspergillus flavus (4449.8 CFU/m³) (p < 0.05) and Paecilomyces (1850.9 CFU/m³) (p < 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the highest varieties of fungal species in the turning of windrow mass were observed during winter (p < 0.05) and the predominant species was yeast (420.6 CFU/m³). At all stages of composting, the varieties of thermophilic fungal species were higher during summer with the large number of Aspergillus fumigatus, Mucoral, and Paecilomyces.
Conclusion: The density and diversity of mesophilic fungi during summer was higher than winter. The concentration of Aspergillus, was beyond the guidelines set by the EPA, ACGIH, NIOSH and EU. Thus, the use of self-protection is essential.

Background and Objective: In the present research, the synthesis and characterization of ZnS nanoparticles in zinc blend crystallite phase via hydrothermal method were reported. Advanced oxidation processes using nanophotocatalysts are one of the most efficient methods for removing the dyes with complex organic compounds from textile and industrial wastewaters. The photocatalytic performance of nanoparticles is drastically affected by their structural and optical properties. One of the most important features affecting the photocatalytic degradation of nanoparticles is their optical bandgap width, which is an important factor in the radiant photons in the visible and UV region and the production of active radicals to destroy the complex carbon pollutants. The optical bandgap width, like other properties of nanoparticles is affected by three important geometric parameters, including particle size, dimension and shape. It is also a function of synthetic chemistry, i.e. the precursors and the fabrication methods. The aim of the present study was to investigate the nanostructure of zinc-sulfide synthesized nanoparticles, optical properties and photocatalytic effect on the degradation of Methylene Orange dye.
Materials and Methods: The experiment of degradation of dye consisted of 70 mg of synthesized nanoparticles in 100 mL of dye solution containing 3.75 ppm of Methylene Orange dye at pH = 5.5. The experimental steps were repeated three times. Nanostructure characterization of three-dimension ZnS nanoparticles was specified by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Furrier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption-desorption.
Results: The lattice characteristics such as density, specific surface area, size, strain, stress and deformation energy density are specified using Williamson-Hall (W-H) and Halder-Wagner (H-W) analysis. The photocatalytic degradation rate (k) of Methylene Orange was calculated to be 0.052 1/min, whilst after 60 minutes about 95% of the dye was photodegraded. The N₂ adsorption-desorption calculations determined the mean pore diameter, specific surface area (S_BET) and total porosity volume as 20.69 nm, 19.12 m²/g and 0.065 m³/g, respectively. The bandgap of fabrication ZnS has been evaluated from the Tauc's equation to be 3.47 eV. Compared with ZnS nanoparticles made by the hydrothermal method in the wurtzite crystallite phase (sample 2), the synthesized sample (sample 1) shows less lattice strain and stress, less crystallite size and also revealed the higher photocatalytic activity.
Conclusion: The pure zinc-sulfide nanoparticles without metal or ceramic dopants in the cubic zinc-blend crystallite phase are synthesized using the hydrothermal method. The precursors used in the synthesis of zinc-sulfide nanoparticles include zinc chloride and thioacetamide in the presence of oleic acid as a collecting agent. High photocatalytic activity of ZnS nanoparticles was confirmed by the degradation or dechlorination of Methylene Orange solution under UV light irradiation. Compared to similar studies, the results show that reducing the optical bandgap from 3.84 eV to 3.47 eV increases the degradation rate from 0.031 to 0.052. In this study, it was shown that synthesized zinc-sulfide nanoparticles by hydrothermal method, was able to decrease optical gap bandwidth and subsequently increased photocatalytic activity.

Background and Objective: N-methylpyrrolidine is a highly potent solvent with toxic and adverse ecological properties that has historically been widely used in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Due to the health and safety، toxicity and environmental effects of effluents containing NMP، these effluents should be pre-treated before biological treatment methods. The aim of this study was to remove N-methylpyrrolidone by photo- Fenton process.
Materials and Methods: For testing, solutions such as sulfuric acid, iron sulfate 7, oxygenated water, sodium hydroxide and distilled water were added to N-methypyrrolidine compounds in the reactor. Then, the removal process was investigated in two stages: complete mixing and adding solutions.
Results: The results revealed that the Fenton process cannot be used successfully to treat the hypothetical refinery effluent containing NMP. However، the photo-phanton process mineralized and degraded the NMP composition. Increase in 30% H₂O₂ concentration to the optimal dose of 1 mL led to the highest degradation (94%) and decrease in COD level of solution (42.1%).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that advanced oxidation by photo-phanton reaction can be a promising advanced oxidation technology for decomposition and pre-treatment of NMP-containing wastewaters for further biological treatment.

Background and Objective: Milk is one of the most important components of human food. In recent decades, the continued use of pesticides has led to contamination of soil, water, air and milk and caused public concern in the community. Long-term exposure to pesticide residuals in the food chain can be harmful. Therefore, there is a need to control environmental conditions in order to improve its healthy and sustainable food processing practices.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 30 samples of raw milk were randomly collected in October 2020, from milk collection centers in Urmia and the residual pesticides were determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Results: Organochlorine pesticides were detected in some raw milk samples. The highest concentrations of Lindane (γ-HCH) were detected with the values ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 mg/kg in 5 milk samples. Atrazine was detected in 15 samples with the values ranging from 0.8 to 1.33 mg/kg and alachlor was found in 13 samples with the varied range of 0.35 to o.5 mg/kg. Organochlorine pesticide concentrations were higher than maximum residue level (MRL) in all contaminated milk samples according to the values mentioned by the European Union.
Conclusion: This study showed that atrazine, lindane and alachlor were higher than MRL according to European Commission (EC). However, other organochlorine pesticides such as Heptachlor, Aldrin and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (α, β and γ) were not detected.

Background and Objective: As pharmaceutically active compounds (particularly antibiotics) are known emerging contaminants (EC), their occurrence in the environment has high health risks for the living organisms and the public. The effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is the most important source of residues of these compounds in the environment. The urban wastewater of Bandar Abbas is discharged into the marine environment of the Persian Gulf at the rate of 500 to 700 L/s, which could be a potential source of pharmaceutical contamination for the marine ecosystem.
Materials and Methods: In this research, two main wastewater discharge stations at Gursuzan and Suru were sampled during three phases between December 2020 to February 2021. The concentration of Erythromycin residues, as the first antibiotic clinically used to treat human infections, was assessed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.
Results: Data analysis showed that mean (± 95% CI) concentration of Erythromycin in Suru and Gorsuzan stations were 16 ± 1.53 and 19 ± 5.86 μg/L, respectively; which their differences did not differ significantly (p>0.05). Pooled data also indicated that the wastewater discharge contained 13.2 to 23.50 μg/L of Erythromycin (α=0.05). Considering the discharge of high volume of Bandar Abbas wastewater effluent into the Persian Gulf (500-700 L/s) as well as the data obtained from this study, the results of the simulation model showed that 5184×10⁴ L Bandar Abbas municipal wastewater is discharged into the Persian Gulf marine ecosystem daily. This volume contains 0.877×10³-1.02×10³ g active residues of Erythromycin antibiotic (α=0.05).
Conclusion: The present study is the first report of contamination of residues of medicinal compounds into the Marine Environment of the Persian Gulf by urban wastewater. Regarding the high volume of wastewater discharged, which calls for immediate actions to be taken.

Background and Objective: The Pesticides used in agriculture have caused great concern due to their adverse effects on human health. In this study, the effect of rinsing, crushing, filtering, clarifying with bentonite and pasteurization on the reduction of diazinon, ethion and phosalone during Asari grape juice was investigated.
Materials and Methods: Vineyard was sprayed during three growth stages before flowering, sour grape (ghooreh) and during grape ripening with phosalone, diazinon, ethion and in doses of 525, 600, 750 g of active substance per hectare, respectively. Twenty-four hours after the last spraying step, the grape sample was harvested and exposed to the process of rinsing (20-30 s), crushing, filtering, clarifying and pasteurizing. Then, the pesticides residue concentration was determined after each step by GC-MS/MS.
Results: The initial concentrations of diazinon, ethion and phosalone in unprocessed grape samples were 0.640, 0.716 and 0.550 mg/kg, respectively. The reduction values of diazinon during the juicing processes of rinsing, crushing, filtering, clarifying with bentonite and pasteurization, in comparison with the concentration of unprocessed grapes, were 25.72, 41.96, 74.54, 90.21 and 100% (not found), respectively; while these values were 9.78, 28.50, 69.45, 89.38 and 96.74% for ethion and 17.32, 28.47, 46.40, 80.25, 93.28% for phosalone, respectively. All processes significantly reduced insecticides residue.
Conclusion: Findings showed that the processes of grape juice production could significantly decrease the diazinon, ethion and phosalone residues.

Background and Objective: Imidacloprid, a neonicotinide plant toxin, is used as an insecticide in agriculture. Due to its high degradation resistance and water solubility it is of highly concerns. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the degradation of imidacloprid by modified magnesium oxide catalyst under irradiation of light and peroxymonosulfate.
Materials and Methods: In this study, modification of magnesium oxide with nitrogen was made by sol-gel method and then iron oxide nanoparticles was used as a magnetic source. Operational parameters were catalyst loading, peroxymonosulfate concentration, reaction time and common anions (nitrate, bicarbonate and chloride). Residual concentration of contaminant was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mineralization rate was evaluated by measuring TOC.
Results: The results of the study showed that the photocatalytic degradation of the pollutant in the optimal condition was as following: catalyst concentration= 150 mg/L, peroxymonosulfate = 75 mg/L and reaction time= 60 min was 88%. Moreover, at optimum condition, the rate of mineralization was obtained 52%. Results comparison for prepared catalyst under light and dark condition indicated that the as-made catalyst is photocatalytic.
Conclusion: The as-prepared catalyst can be activated as a photocatalyst under LED light and proxymonosulfate for removal of organic pollutants.
 

Background and Objective: By accurately identifying environmental issues, individuals can acquire skills to better solve environmental problems. To this end, the most appropriate method is to assess the educational needs of individuals to pave the way for the promotion of environmental knowledge. The present study aims to assess the need for training courses to empower professionals to increase their knowledge of environmental issues and educate others to take an important step in improving environmental health in society.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive needs assessment study using Delphi technique. In the first stage, the designed questionnaire was given to 150 people (faculty members, experts and students) to express their opinions in the proposed areas. In the second stage, a supplementary questionnaire entitled General needs for faculty members, specialized needs for experts and general and specialized needs for students were provided to individuals and the importance of the issues from their point of view was examined. Finally, the most important issues were prioritized by experts. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-26 software.
Results: The total number of educational needs extracted from the first stage of Delphi was 120 items, of which 31 items related to general needs (11 teaching and evaluation areas, 10 research areas and 10 communication and personal development items) and 89 items related to specialized needs. (27 cases of air pollution, 23 cases of waste management, 17 cases of wastewater treatment and reuse of wastewater, 10 cases of water treatment and pollution and 12 cases of soil pollution and its removal methods). In the second and third rounds, the importance of these items was determined by the target groups by scoring, and at the end, the first five priorities of each item were identified.
Conclusion: The results of this study, considering the comprehensive review of three target groups and determining and prioritizing the needs for each group, can increase the level of environmental awareness and empowerment of experts, which ultimately enhance the efficiency of the system and is an important step for environmental educational planning.

Background and Objective: Pharmaceutical wastewater has a high level of pollution load that should be treated before discharging to the environment. Integrated processes using different mechanisms are one of the most fruitful methods in wastewater treatment. In this study, combined Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) and photocatalytic processes are utilized using of Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ nanocatalysts to decrease the COD value of pharmaceutical wastewater.
Materials and Methods: In this study, the variables of each process are optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). In the IFAS process, the variables were dissolved oxygen (DO), media filling percentage and hydraulic retention time (HRT); while in the photocatalytic process, the effects of pH of wastewater, catalyst dose and reaction time were investigated.
Results: In optimal conditions (DO 3 mg/L, HRT 24 h and media filling percentage 65%), COD removal rate was obtained 59.15%. With the initial concentration of 1725 mg/L COD and the mentioned efficiency, the concentration of COD in the effluent diminished to 704 mg/L. However, in the photocatalytic process, during optimal conditions (pH 6.8, reaction time 105 min and catalyst dose 60 mg/L), The efficiency of the process was determined 81%, which by considering the input COD (704 mg/L), the output concentration was reduced to 134 mg/L.
Conclusion: According to the standards provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the effluent from the combined process can be discharged into the environment.
 

Background and Objective: Amoxicillin (AMX) is one of the commonly used commercial antibiotics due to its high resistance to bacteria and its large spectrum against a wide variety of microorganisms, which it´s existence in the wastewater from pharmaceutical industries and hospital effluents causes unpleasant odor, skin disorder, and microbial resistance among pathogen organisms, and it can lead to the death of microorganisms which are effective in wastewater treatment. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate of removal efficacy of AMX from aqueous solutions using GO@Fe₃O₄@CeO₂.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, GO@Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ was synthesized and then used as a photocatalyst for the removal of AMX from aqueous solution. GO@Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ was characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM), SEM-EDX elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) methods. Additionally, the influence of variables including pH (3-11), amount of photocatalyst (0.006-0.04 g), contact time (0-150 min), and temperature (25-55 °C) was assessed on the efficacy of AMX removal. 
Results: The results indicated that removal efficiency increased up to 90 min contact time, 0.02 g of photocatalyst, and at the temperature of 25 °C. The optimum pH for AMX removal was 10.
Conclusion: GO@Fe₃O₄@CeO₂ could be an effective and available photocatalyst for the removal of AMX from industrial wastewater under UV light.

Background and Objective: Phytoremediation is one of the eco-friendly treatment methods that can play important role in removing heavy metals. In the present research that was done in 2021, the potential of 20 plant species for treatment of silver, lead, and zinc elements from the soil of Zarshouran mine area was evaluated.  
Materials and Methods: Sampling of the soil and plants were done following the selection of 20 sampling points. After preparing the samples, the amount of the studied elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Metal pollution levels in the soil were assessed using the enrichment factor (EF). Moreover, the enrichment coefficient of root (ECR) and shoot (ECS), translocation factor (TF) and metal accumulation index (MAI) were calculated.

Results: A high contamination of Ag, Pb and Zn elements were determined in the soil of the studied area. Two plant species Astragalus rostratus and Prangos ferulacea had ECS and TF higher than one for Ag. Also, only Eryngium billaridieri and Scrozonera latifolia had ECS/ECR >1 and TF <1 for the three elements. The highest amount of MAI in root and shoot belonged to E. billardieri with values ​​of 29.7 and 16.2, respectively.

Conclusion: A. rostratus and P. ferulacea had the potential for phytoextraction of Ag from the soil. Also, only two species E. billaridieri and S. latifolia were able to phytostabilization all three elements. Based on MAI values, E. billardieri had the greatest ability to bioaccumulate Ag, Pb and Zn elements.

Background and Objective: Pharmaceutical compounds can cause potential risks to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. So far, different methods have been used to eliminate these pollutants, photocatalytic processes are one of the most efficient processes to eliminate pharmaceutical compounds. In this study, the efficiency of a novel MOF-based nanocomposite, PMo/UiO-66 as a photocatalyst for amoxicillin degradation under visible light irradiation was evaluated.
Materials and Methods: The study of the chemical decomposition of amoxicillin using the PMo/UiO-66 system was conducted at different stages. First, the PMo/UiO-66 MOF nanocomposite was synthesized using the solvothermal method, then the properties of the synthesized nanocomposite were investigated using XRD, FTIR, and SEM techniques. The effect of different operational parameters such as pH (3, 6, and 9), catalyst concentration (15, 20, 25, and 30 %w/w), initial concentrations of amoxicillin (20, 30, 40, and 50 mg/L) at different times on the removal efficiency was investigated. The reusability of the catalyst for four cycles was assessed.
Results: The results showed that PMo/UiO-66 nanocomposite at pH 6, 25 %w/w nanocomposite concentration, and the amoxicillin concentration of 20 mg/L led to complete decomposition of amoxicillin after 120 min. The kinetic of amoxicillin removal followed the first-order model. Reusability tests showed that the photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized catalyst was not substantially reduced after four cycles.
Conclusion: The current study confirmed that the PMo/UiO-66 system has an appropriate efficiency for photocatalytic removal of amoxicillin under optimized test conditions.

Background and Objective: The present study aimed to explore the shielding effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Zataria multiflora Boiss on human lymphocyte DNA damage using the comet assay.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a laboratory experiment to investigate the protective effects of thyme in preventing DNA damage. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated from 16 healthy volunteers. First, the cells were treated with 100 μM H₂O₂ and aqueous and alcoholic extracts of thyme leaves with a concentration of 2.5 mg/mL separately. Finally, the cells were incubated in a mixture of H₂O₂ to cause DNA damage with each of the two aqueous and alcoholic extracts at 4°C for 30 minutes. The amount of DNA migration in cells was measured using the Comet method, and DNA damage was expressed as three indicators: sequence length, percentage of DNA in the sequence, and the amount of sequence movement.
Results: The results showed that the DNA damage of lymphocytes exposed to the ethanolic extract of Z. multiflora Boiss was significantly lesser than the H₂O_2-treated lymphocytes. In addition, tail length (µm) was 5.48±1.62 versus 22.82±6.90, tail DNA (%) was 4.56±1.55 in contrast to 16.00±4.55, and tail moment (µm) was 0.28±0.11 against 2.33±0.83 (p < 0.001).  The results showed that Z.multiflora Boiss aqueous and ethanolic extracts were significantly able to scavenge DPPH radicals through a possible radical scavenging activity mechanism.
 Conclusion: As a result, the ethanolic extract had a better effect than the aqueous extract of Z. multiflora Boiss in preventing oxidative DNA damage to human lymphocytes.

Background and Objective: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds with high carcinogenic and mutagenic potential. This study aims to investigate the amount of 16 of these compounds in different types of canned fish.
Materials and Methods: In this research, first, multi-walled carbon nanotubes were magnetized by the MSPE method, and then the synthesized composite was used to extract PAHs from the matrix of canned fish samples. Finally, the concentration of each of these compounds was measured by GC-MS.
Results: The results of this research showed that the highest average amount of total PAHs and PAH4 were 20.22±5.29 and 6.07±1.41 μg/kg, respectively. Also, the highest average amount of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) found in all samples was 1.34±0.41 μg/kg, which was lower than the existing standards (EU standard for BaP in fish is 2 μg/kg). The amount of these compounds in different types of canned fish were as follows: canned in olive oil > canned with dill > simple canned fish > canned in salt water. And finally, the amount of these compounds in brand A was higher than in other brands.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research and since the total average of each of these compounds is lower than the existing standards in different types of canned fish, it can be said that there is no danger to the consumers.
 

Background and Objective: The presence of toxic compounds, including phenol, due to industrial development, poses a threat to the environment. Utilizing hairy roots has emerged as a potential method to remove these toxins. This review aims to explore the efficacy of hairy roots in absorbing phenol pollutants and the influencing parameters.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using a descriptive-review method based on existing literature gathered from databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The focus of the study was on the purification of phenol using hairy roots. Keywords such as Phytoremediation, Hairy root, Phenol, and Transgenic roots were used for data collection.
Results: Results show successful phenol removal by hairy roots, potentially attributed to abundant production of peroxidase enzymes. Various factors, such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), incubation time, pH, plant species, and pollutant concentration, impact phenol removal efficiency. Notably, plants like Brassica napus, rich in peroxidase enzymes, exhibit high efficiency in removing phenol pollution up to 500 mg/L, with H₂O₂ and within a pH range of 4-9.
Conclusion: In conclusion, hair roots possess significant adsorption capacity for phenol. However, phenol concentration, contact time, pH, and temperature influence their performance. Therefore, further research is required to explore optimal conditions for phenol removal.
 

Background and Objective: Occurrence of the pharmaceutical active residues (particularly antibiotics) threatens the health of the environment and human society. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the impacts of the Amoxicillin (AMX) residues on resistance to environmental stress and biochemical compositions of the body in Penaeus vannamei.
Materials and Methods: Six-hundred specimens with a mean (±SD) weight and total length of 9.23±1.77 g and 9.28±0.73 cm were randomly experimented in four triplicate treatments, namely T₁(control): without AMX residues in a rearing environment, T₂: 100 μg/L AMX residues concentration in water, T₃: 300 μg/L and T₄: 500 μg/L for 60 days. At the end of the experimental trial, five specimens for biochemical body composition analyses were separately sampled. Ten shrimps from each treatment were also randomly selected and exposed to 50 ppt salinity stress for 48 hours, and then survival rates were computed.
Results: Body composition analyses showed that moisture and protein not differed among the treatments (p>0.05), while fat in T₂ (28.29±5.50) was significantly more than in others (p<0.05). The lowest values of ash were obtained in T₁ and T₄, and they differed with T₂ and T₃ (p<0.05). The highest survival rate of shrimps exposed to salinity stress (50 ppt in 48 h) was observed in T₂ and T₃, in contrast, the lowest value was recorded for T₄ (p<0.01).
Conclusion: Findings of the present research indicate that the occurrence of high doses of AMX residues pollution in the rearing water affects the stress resistance of P. vannamei which can be due to disruption of protein and fat metabolisms in the shrimp body.
 

Background and Objective: Heavy metals in water can pose risks to human health. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor and measure metals to ensure the health of consumers.
Materials and Methods: This study aimed to measure heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, zinc, and mercury in water resources and urban water distribution networks in spring and summer of 2021 in Maragheh city. Accordingly, 25 samples were taken to investigate the presence of heavy metals. The presence of these metals in water sources was investigated using qualitative maps and finally, by evaluating the health risk caused by the presence of these metals, their effect on the health of consumers has been studied.
Results: Examining the concentration of metals in water resources upstream of the dam shows a relatively high concentration of metals, especially arsenic (13.2 µg/L). Despite this, the amount of arsenic after the water treatment plant and in the distribution network is reduced to an insignificant level. On the other hand, the results show that the amount of zinc metal in the network is higher than in the reservoir of the dam, and its concentration in the dam is equal to zero and in the network, it reaches the highest value of 578 µg/L. Finally, the health risk assessment shows that the calculated THI values for all samples vary between 0.01 and 0.99.
Conclusion: Based on the calculated health risk, there is no threat to the health of consumers regarding heavy metals in Maragheh drinking water. Also, these results double the necessity of additional studies regarding the leakage of zinc metal from the pipes and accessories of the city's drinking water distribution network in the future.