Journal of School of Public Health and

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Nitrate compounds as the last part of oxidation of nitrogen compounds, which may causemethaemoglobinaemia in infants.Nitrosamines are derivatives of both nitrites and nitrates and are often used as indicatorsof water pollution, largely because of concerns about their carcinogenic potential.With regard to the role of industrial waste (containing nitrates and nitrites) in the pollutionof ground water, in winter 1998 one hundred sites were selected for sampling andmeasurements of Nitrite & Nitrate content among 300 large industrial - complexeslocated in the outskirts of Tehran (Tehran-Karaj Urban Zone). The findings showed thatthe mean Nitrate concentration in the aquifers studied was 51.96 mg/1, with maximumvalues of 85.49 mg/1 and a minimum of 5.9 mg/1.The mean nitrite level was 16.18 mg/1, ranging from 0.29 mg/1 to 314,22 mg/1.According to these findings, both Nitrite & Nitrate levels were above WHO-specifiedlimits and the safety standards established by national guidelines. Statistical analysis showed a negative correlation between Nitrite concentrations anddepth of the aquifer (P-value = 0.034, R = 0.44), ie, with increasing depth there werelower nitrate levels.There was no relationship between nitrate concentrations and the distance of water wellsfrom the sites of wastewater discharge.

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Background and Aim: Lack of quantitative and qualitative data on the current status and the possible adverse effect of poor illumination necessitate the evaluation of the illumination system in the industrial section. To perform quantitative and qualitative assessments of illumination conditions in factories located in the west of Tehran and to look at the adverse consequences of insufficient illumination.
Materials and Methods: Data were collected through objective measurements and interviews with 616 factory workers. We used a structured questionnaire for data collection.
Results: Out of the total number of work sites inspected, 19.8% sufficient illumination, 46.1% had moderate illumination, and 29.7% work sites had illumination levels considered to be inadequate for precise tasks. Among those who worked in places with moderate illumination, 56.7% belonged to the 16-20 years age group 86.7% of individuals within this age group had to perform very precise tasks. Besides, 46.4% of the female workers and 45.7% of the males worked in places with moderate illumination .Work site observations and interviews revealed that those working under moderate and insufficient light commonly inhaled hazardous fumes and suffered from headaches and glare.
Conclusion: Factory work entails a variety of visual tasks. Besides creating a pleasant working environment, illumination of the workplace should provide sufficient amounts of light, visibility, luminance and contrast.

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Background and Aim: Discharge of Wastewater of Cleaning Industries to environment with special physicochemical characteristics has negative effects and in the other hand is not easily biodegradable because in these wastewaters ratio BOD5/COD is low and therefore biological treatment of them is difficult. Nowadays best method for degradation of Wastewater is advance oxidation processes .In this study investigated efficiency of Fenton process in remove anionic detergent and COD and improved from ratio of BOD5/COD.

Materials and Methods: This investigating is descriptive- empirical study that paksan factory was local sampling of wastewater. 30 wastewater composite sample24hr were taken during study period and then chemical characterization was performed by determining the following parameters: (COD, BOD, MBAS, PH, T) Then Sample of row wastewater were prepared and used in the experiments for determining the efficiency of Fenton process in treatment. Treatment experiments performed by use of various concentrations of H2O2 and ferrous iron at constant pH of 3and temperature of 25 in a jar test apparatus adjusted at 200 rpm and for contact time 60 min. Fe+2 on removal (COD, MBAS & BOD ) applied ANOVA. and after that for analysis of effect H2O2

Results: The results of analyze showed that the concentrations of COD, ranging from 6254-13040 mg/l and concentration of BOD was 2590-3200mg/l and concentrations of MBAS were 245-1120 mg/l and results showed that the BOD5/COD ratio was 0.34±0.09. At constant pH of 3 and temperature of 25 for contact time 60 min, about 40% of MBAS with first concentration 470 mg/l removed by H2o2 with concentration1800and fe+2 with concentration 340 mg/l .concentration of COD reduced from 8750 to 5998 mg/l, and the ratio of BOD5/COD improved from 0.334 to 0.340.

Conclusion: Wastewater from this industry has quality characteristics with deferent ranging and high organic load and because of high concentration of foaming that prohibit of oxygen infiltration in wastewater and nonbiodgredable material. These wastewaters are not easily subjected to conversation system of biological treatment therefore suitable method for treatment of this wastewater should reduce organic load foaming and improve ratio of BOD5/COD advance oxidation process is one method with good efficiency for treatment of this wastewater.

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Background and Aim: Environmental health impact assessment of industrial estates will help greatly in better planning for sustainable development and reducing disease risk in a community. The objective of this study was to assess the positive and negative effects of establishing an industrial estate in Jovein, Sabzevar, Iran in 2006-7 and suggest managerial strategies to reduce undesirable environmental health impacts.

Methods and Materials: A modified Leopold Matrix and Scaling checklist method was used. The existing environmental situation was investigated and then environmental impact assessment alternatives were determined, bearing in mind the amounts and kinds of predicted pollutants in the construction and operational phases . The assessment was made considering the immediate, direct, and indirect impacts in the short and long terms. It was attempted to use a wide range of values of different factors (-5, +5) in order to estimate the impact of all activities on the environmental status.

Results: The results of the study are presented with two alternatives, i.e., "No" (conducting the project with no concern for environmental issues), and "Yes" (performance of the project with application of methods to reduce the environmental harmful impacts), when establishing the industrial estate, in the construction and operation phases. The impact assessment with the "No" alternative scored -791, meaning that execution of the project had to be rejected. However, after reducing the harmful impacts the score rose to +252, indicating that the project would be accepted.

Conclusion: The method of reducing harmful environmental impacts along with environmental management programs introduced are accepted in this study. It is recommended that the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and The Iranian Environmental Protection Agency collaborate closely in the area of environmental health impact assessment of industries and industrial estates.

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Background and Aim: The first step in establishing a safety system is hazard identification.  If this is not done properly, the subsequent steps steps will not be done effectively either. Since any given identification technique often targets the hazards of one or two of the main elements of a safety system, it is not possible to identify all hazards by a single technique

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the available scientific literature aiming at finding practicable hazard identification techniques that can potentially determine the highest number (%) of hazards in a safety system. First five techniques were implemented and the number of identified hazards by each was determined, followed by calculation of the coefficient of hazard identification effectiveness for each technique. Using this approach two techniques in two different safety systems were tested

Results: The number of hazards identified using the hazard and operability analysis (HAZOP) technique, and, as a result, its coefficient of hazard identification effectiveness was the highest as compared to other techniques. Individually, the HAZOP and AEA techniques, used as primary hazard identification techniques, identified only 20-80% of all the hazards which could otherwise be identified if all identification techniques had been used.

Conclusion: The results show that the HAZOP technique can identify a higher number of hazards than any other technique. However, if used alone, this technique will probably identify only 40% of all the hazards. The important point is that selection of an appropriate technique plays an important role in identifying a higher number of hazards.

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  Background and Aim: Xylanases are widely used in various food industries, including livestock and poultry feed industries, the pulp and paper industry, as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Several strains of microorganisms are capable of producing this enzyme by different mechanisms, Bacilliaceae being one of its important sources at the commercial scale. The culture medium for xylan is expensive and, therefore, it is not economical to use in producing xylanase by Bacillus subtilis S7e. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of using industrial-agricultural wastes as a source of carbon and nitrogen in submerged fermentation, for producing xylanase in amounts higher than that which can be produced by xylan culture (10048 U/).

  Materials and methods: The indigenous strain of Bacillus subtilis S7e was cultured in the xylan medium, followed by incubation at 30°, 37° and 40° C. Then the nitrogen sources (rapeseed meal, soybean meal, tomato seeds, tea seeds, peptone, Vinas alcohol, casein, and ammonium sulfate) and carbon sources (molasses, wheat bran, rice bran, rice industry waste, gluten waste, malt waste, whey powder, and bagasse) were substituted for the meat and yeast extracts and the xylan culture medium, respectively.

  Results : The maximum enzyme activity was observed at 30° C after 48 hours of incubation (6183U/l). Rapeseed meal with an enzyme activity of 10048U/l and molasses with an enzyme activity of 3759U/l were found to be the best nitrogen and carbon sources for Bacillus subtilis S7e , respectively.

  Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, f rom an economic point of view, agricultural-industrial wastes (rapeseed meal and molasses) are an excellent substitute for the more expensive culture media currently in use for producing the enzyme xylanase.