Lida Varmazyar, Soheil Sobhan,
Volume 15, Issue 2 (9-2017)
Abstract
Background and Aim: Spices are likely to contain toxic heavy metals. The objective of this study was to assess the non-carcinogenic risk of consuming curry powder, turmeric and cardamom, marketed both in bulk and in packaged form, in Hamedan, Iran, as regards lead and cadmium in 2015.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study, conducted in Hamedan, Iran, included nine samples of packaged and nine samples of bulked spices, the heavy metal contents of which were measured in triplicates, after acid digestion, by atomic absorption. The data were analyzed by SPSS, the statistical tests being one-way ANOVA, Shapiro-Wilks test, oOne-Sample T-Test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and the independent T-test.
Results: The maximum mean concentrations of lead and cadmium (mg/kg) were 5.48±0.95 and 0.13±0.20, respectively. The mean concentration of lead in turmeric samples was higher than the respective WHO standard. On the other hand, the health index (HI) of lead in the turmeric sample (mean =3/25×10-2, 1/5×10-1) and that of cadmium (222×10-3, 1/04×10-2) were less than one, that is, below the risk threshold for children and adults, respectively.
Conclusion: The findings based on health index show that consumption of spices does not pose any risk for the consumers. However, considering that the mean concentration of lead in the turmeric samples exceed the respective standard, as well as the non-biodegradability and bioaccumulation of heavy metals, if consumption of spices is not controlled, health problems in the long term are not unlikely to occur in the consumers. Therefore, regular periodic monitoring of chemical pollutants content of spices, especially heavy metals, is recommended for protection of consumers’ health.
Samira Kazemi, Hadis Khoshnavaz, Masoumeh Ghorbanideh, Sakineh Varmazyar, Salman Sheikhi,
Volume 16, Issue 4 (3-2019)
Abstract
Background and Aim: In the household appliances industry, due to doing such work operations as manually moving pieces, there is the probability of occurring musculoskeletal disorders and muscle fatigue. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate muscle fatigue and its relationship with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among personnel of a household appliances factory. Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistical and logistic regression tests.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study, including 150 employees of a household appliances factory, was conducted in 2016. Data about the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and muscle fatigue were collected using a standard Nordic and muscle fatigue assessment (MFA) questionnaire, respectively, and analyzed using the logistic regression test.
Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the lumbar region, knees and neck was 33.3%, 25.3%, and 21.3%, respectively. In addition, the results of MFA showed that reduction of the risk of muscle fatigue in the shoulders, wrists and arms needs corrective action as a top priority in 28.7%, 28%, and 26.7% of the employees, respectively. Statistical analysis showed no significant relationship between muscle fatigue and the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders.
Conclusion: Considering disorders in the lumbar region and risk of fatigue in the shoulder region, the risk can be reduced by proper corrective actions, such as increasing the height of pallets, using tables with adjustable heights, and layout of the parts in a normal access range.
