Iranian Journal of

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Backgrounds andObjectives:The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential effect of environmental exposure to toxic metal (cadmium) on pregnancy outcome and fetal growth.
Materials and Methods: 330 normal pregnant women were randomly selected from vali-e-asr hospital, from July 2003 through Feb. 2005. Cadmium was measured in umbilical cord blood and mother whole blood of postpartum women without occupational exposure to metals in Tehran, Iran, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Result: Whole blood cadmium and cord blood cadmium ranged from 0/00 to 6/30 &mug/L ,respectivly. in the group higher level of maternal blood cadmium (> 0.40 &mug/L) 1cm decrease was seen in neonatal birth height. (p = 0.007) There was a significant association between cadmium exposure and birth weight.Mann-whitney test showed that, maternal blood cadmium level, was significantly negatively associated with neonatal birth weight (z = -1.83, P < 0.06).
Conclusion: It was concluded that environmental exposure to cadmium significantly reduces neonatal birth height.

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Background and Objective: Nickel (II) and cadmium (II) are important in environmental pollutant. Biosorption of heavy metals can be an effective process for the removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions because of the decrease in sludge problems, economical issues, high efficiency and compatibility with the environment.
Materials and Methods: power of wasted activated sludge have been contact with nickel (II) and cadmium (II) solutions in 0.25 and 0.75 milli molar invarious pHs and mixing pace, at 24-26 0C temperature on batch reactor system .After two hours (continuously 5-420 min in kinetic study) samples were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
Results:The kinetic study results show that equilibrium adsorption time for nickel (II) and cadmium
(II) reached within 2 hr, but the profile curve of cadmium (II) biosorption was smoother than nickel (II) biosorption. Both metals adsorption followed the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for nickel (II) and cadmium (II) was 0.195 and 0.37 milli mole per gram respectively. The increase in pH resulted in adsorption increase for both metals. For cadmium (II) at 0.25 and 0.75 mMinitial concentration there was no adsorption at pH 2 where as nickel (0.25 mM) adsorption was observed at the same pH. The optimum mixing rate for both metals was 200 rpm and this effect was more obviously in greater concentration.
Conclusion: Like othe biosorbents ,wasted activated sludge showed greater capacity for cadmium(II) biosorption than nickel (II). Cadmium (II) in modeling and biosorption characteristics study had more conformity than nickel (II).

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Background and Objectives: Among the heavy metals cadmium is of considerable environmental and health significance because of its increasing mobilization and human toxicity. The objectives of this research were to synthesize SDS modified magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4) and to determine its efficiency in cadmium removal from aqueous solutions. Materials and Methods: Modified magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized and the effects of pH and contact time on cadmium removal efficiency were investigated in batch system. Then kinetics and isotherm models coefficients were determined in the optimum pH and equilibrium time conditions. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) were used to characterize the modified magnetite nanoparticles synthesized. Results: The SEM results showed that the diameter of the particles is 40-60 nm. It was found that the optimum pH value for maximum adsorption of 10 mg/L cadmium by 0.1 g adsorbent in 12 hr was 6. Kinetic study showed that the equilibrium time was 30 min. The adsorption kinetics fitted well using the Ho pseudo second-order kinetic model however, the adsorption isotherm could be described by the Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity of modified magnetite nanoparticles for Cd2+ was found to be 9.604 mg/g. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the modified magnetite nanoparticles can be employed as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of cadmium from contaminated water sources

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Background and objective: Metal pollution has always been a major cause of contamination of environment and is considered as a major concern for food health. Worldwide, sturgeons are an important source of food and income. In this study, the human health risk due to consumption of caviar and muscle of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) were evaluated by measuring the concentrations of cadmium, nickel, vanadium and zinc in caviar and muscle samples. Material and Methods: A total number of 24 samples of Persian sturgeon were collected from two important sturgeon fishery zones in Guilan and Mazandaran Provinces and were stored at −20°C until chemical analysis. About one gram of each sample dried was added to 10 ml of concentrated (65%) supra-pure HNO3 (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) in a Teflon PTFE tube and then it was incubated for 1 h at 40 °C in a hot block digester, followed by heating at 140 °C for 3 h. The samples digested were diluted to a measured volume using double deionized water. Samples were filtered through Whatman No. 1 filter paper, and the filtrate was stored until metal determination. Results: Mean Cd, Ni, V and Zn concentrations in muscle tissues were 0.005 ± 0.002, 0.06 ± 0.03, 0.13 ± 0.04 and 7.49 ± 3.07 µg/g wet weight basis respectively. The mean Cd, Ni, V and Zn concentrations in caviar samples were 0.007 ± 0.006, 0.09 ± 0.07, 0.12 ± 0.15 and 21.23 ± 5.75 µg/g wet weight basis respectively. Conculation: The mean concentrations of Zn, Cd and V in caviar and muscle samples were less than the permissible limits proposed by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF 2000) and World Health Organization (W.H.O.). The guidelines for Cd, V and Zn are 0.2, 0.5 and 50 µg/g wet weight respectively. Therefore, the measured concentrations for these particular metals are below the published guidelines, and the levels would appear not to constitute any threat to the human population that may consume sturgeon or caviar obtained from these study locations.

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Background and Objectives: Development of cosmetics industry has increased the affinity to use these products by people especially women for makeup and toilet. Due to the presence of metals such as lead and cadmium as preservative and colored element in these products, concentrations of these metals in sunscreen cosmetics, lipstick and hair color were determined. Materials and Methods: Different brands of cosmetics were analyzed to determine Cd and Pb concentration (in µg/kg dry weight) using graphite furnace atomic absorption (AA-670). Results: We found that generally mean concentration of Cd was lower than Pb. There was no significant difference of Cd level between different brands of sunscreen and lipstick (p>0.05), whereas, a significant difference of Pb between the brands studied was observed (p<0.05). No significant difference was obtained between concentration of Cd and Pb in various brands of hair color (p>0.05). Conclusion: Though levels of Pb and Cd in selected brands of cosmetics were lower than standard limits, their low concentration in compared with the results of previous research works could induce serious hazards on human health and the possibility of occurrence or exacerbation of disease including allergy, inflammation, skin diseases, cancer and so on. Hence, preparation and use of these products must be done according to current standards.

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Background and Objectives: Cadmium can enter water resources through the industrial wastewater. It could cause intensivly damages to the liver and kidney of humans. Magnetic iron nanoparticles are used to control and eliminate heavy metals from industrial effluents through the mechanisms of adsorption, ion exchange and electrostatic forces. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of magnetic nanoparticles for adsorption of cadmium. Methods: The magnetite nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method through the addition of bivalent and trivalent iron chloride under alkaline conditions. Characteristics of nanoparticles including particles structure, composition and size were determined using analytical devices such as XRD, SEM, and FT-IR. For optimization of adsorption process of cadmium, some parameters such as pH, contact time, initial concentration of cadmium, nanoparticles concentration, and temperature were studied under different conditions. Results: It was found that 95% of cadmium could be removedAt pH &ge 5.6, 10 mg/L initial cadmium concentration, a dose of 1 mg synthesized magnetite nanoparticles, 10 minutes contact time, and 200 rpm mixing rate at 25 °C. The isotherm of adsorption follows the Langmuir model (R2 < 0.995). Maximum capacity of cadmium adsorption was found to be 20.41 mg/g. Conclusion: Magnetite nanoparticles exhibit high capability for removal of cadmium. The nanoparticles synthesized could be used at industrial scale because of having the magnetic property, which make them easily recovered from aqueous solution through applying a magnetic field.

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Background and Objective: Present study aimed to investigate response of metallothionein (MT) in oyster Crassostrea sp. to the experimental concentrations of Hg and Cd in order to assess the possibility of MT usage as a biomarker of Hg and Cd contamination in this mollusk. Materials and Methods: Oysters were collected from docks of Imam Khomeini Port. After seven days acclimation period in laboratory, they were exposed with Hg at concentrations of 15 and 75 µg.L^-1 and Cd at concentrations of 15 and 150 µg.L^-1 for 14 days. MT levels were measured through spectrophotometric method after extraction and precipitation. After preparation and acid digestion, the concentration of heavy metals was quantified by atomic absorption. Results: The amounts of MT in oysters exposed with Hg and Cd were significantly increased compared with control samples (P<0.05). The highest value of MT biosynthesis in oysters exposed with concentrations of Hg and Cd were 137.2±7.6 and 312.4±17.9 µg.g^-1 w.w respectively. Exposing the oysters with Cd induced biosynthesis of MT more than three times compared with control samples. Among Hg and Cd, there was only significant correlation between biosynthesis of MT and Cd bioaccumulation in oysters (P<0.01). Conclusion: MT protein in oyster Crassostrea sp. can be considered as a suitable biomarker of Cd contamination in body and environment. Hence, it could be used for assessing and monitoring ecosystems.

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Background and Objectives: In the field of environmental risk assessment, the earthworms are considered as the major component of the soil, and are important bio- indicators to measure the environmental health and quality of the soil. Hence, the present study aimed to prove the biological effectiveness of Eisenia fetida earthworms in Bioremediation the soils contaminated with chromium and cadmium.

Methods and Materials: The study batch experiments were conducted on the soil samples contaminated with chromium and cadmium. The initial concentration of chromium and cadmium in soil was 0.04 and 0.08 mg/g. 30 worms were added to each 500 g soil samples. Chromium and cadmium concentration in soil and in the body of worms was measured at two time periods of 21 and 42 days. ICP spectrometry we used to measure the concentration of chromium and cadmium. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 11.5 software.
Results: There was a significant correlation between the reduction of chromium and cadmium metals in the soils and the accumulation of chromium and cadmium metals in the worm’s body. A significant decline of chromium levels of the soil was observed in the days 21 and 42 during the study compared to the initial amount of 0.1 mg/g. On the other hand, chromium concentration of the soil decreased from 0.14 to 0.1 mg/g after 42 days.

Conclusion: said the research indicated that increased mortality of worms in the soil at a concentration of 0.08 mg/g of chromium, using the worms for bioremediation is not recommended. Although, this method is effective to remove cadmium from the soils having cadmium with concentrations of 0.04 and 0.08 mg/g but it needs further investigation.

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Background and Objectives: Chemical hair color are one of the most widely used cosmetics. The presence of heavy metals in these products can affect the health of consumers. Unlike other cosmetics, no study has been conducted on the heavy metal levels in the synthetic chemical hair colors. This study determined the concentration of heavy metals in these products and the risk assessment of non-carcinogenic effects by these elements were calculated.

Material and Method: 32 samples of chemical hair color from eight brands (3 local and 5 imported ones) and four most used colors were collected from the markets in Tehran. The concentration of cadmium, lead, and barium was determined using ICP-MS. The information required to assess exposure risk was gathered through  a questionnaire distributed among citizens of Tehran. The assessment of exposure was conducted using Mont Carlo method and  non-carcinogenic risk was determined using the index of Hazard Quotient. .

Results: Barium concentration measured was 0.86 mg/kg and concentrations of Cadmium and Lead were 0.45 and 185.34 µg/kg respectively. Among the elements, Pb with Hazard Quotient equals to 7.46×10^-4 had the most risk and cadmium with Hazard Quotient equals to 3.57×10^-5 had the lowest risk. Moreover, the Iranian brand and blond had the highest risk among the samples.

Conclusion: Based on the index of Hazard Quotient, heavy metals in the studied samples had no risk for consumers of these products.

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Background and Objective: Population explosion and human ever-increasing demands has been resulted in industrialization which its mismanagement led to land pollution and consequently irreversible harm to nature and living organisms. Thus, it is an important measure to investigate the role of industrial centers in soil pollution.
Materials and Methods: We studied Mobarakeh Steel Industrial Complex and surface soil samples were taken in a regular grid with a dimension of 2 km of a 10 km buffer zone. 49 samples were taken from different sites. Soil parameters such as texture, pH and salinity were analyzed and concentrations of heavy metals including lead and cadmium were measured using flame atomic absorption spectrometry.
Results: Data analysis in the GIS environment using geostatistical techniques showed that a spherical model is a good model to investigate the spatial variability of lead and cadmium. The lowest and highest lead concentrations were 88.50 and 71.26 mg/kg and that of Cd was 6 and 26.1 mg/kg, respectively. No significant relationship between the heavy metals and soil properties (p>0.05). However, the correlation between two elements was significant (p<0.001). Among the various parameters, it was realized that wind direction played a great role in the distribution of lead and cadmium in the area.
Conclusion: The results showed the role of the industrial complex in the environmental pollution. The hot spot for lead was eastern and southwestern parts of the steel complex and for Cd it was in eastern and western parts. Proper management and more accurate monitoring are necessary to protect the environment in the complex industry.
 

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