Ultrasound‒induced facile synthesis of spinel CoFe2O4‒PAC magnetic nanocatalyst for remediation of hypersaline petrochemical wastewater: Degradation mechanism, biodegradability enhancement and phytotoxicity mitigation.

In this study, magnetic CoFe2O4-PAC nanocatalysts were synthesized through facile hydrothermal and co‒precipitation approaches with ultrasonic irradiation, which were used for the treatment of hypersaline petrochemical wastewater (HPCW). When an ultrasound‒induced synthesis process (US@CoFe2O4‒PAC) was used, a more efficient and stable magnetic spinel CoFe2O4‒PAC nanocatalyst was developed. The application of this nanocatalyst as a PMS activator, not only caused eradication of 90.4% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of a HPCW after 90 min reaction time under the optimum conditions (pH 5-6, catalyst dose 1.0 g/L and 1.0 mM PMS), but also led to marginal leaching of iron (314 µg/L) and cobalt (95 µg/L) from the nanocatalyst. Recycling experiments over five consecutive runs showed a negligible decrease (7.2%) in COD removal efficiency which proved the stability and reusability of magnetic US@CoFe2O4-PAC. Two main mechanisms of adsorption and catalytic oxidation processes (homogeneous and heterogeneous PMS) are involved simultaneously in the PMS/US@CoFe2O4-PAC system, which are responsible for the destruction of refractory contaminants of HPCW through the generation of SO4•‒ and OH• radicals. COD of HPCW was mainly removed through SO4•- radical attack (73.6%) and the biodegradability of HPCW was enhanced dramatically after 90 min reaction time. The germination index (GI) of raw HPCW was increased 17.1 ± 4.2% and 24.3 ± 8.8% after 15 and 90 min reaction time, respectively, even PMS/US@CoFe2O4-PAC system showed less impact on phytotoxicity mitigation. Hence, it can be recommended to dilute the effluent before using for irrigational purpose. The findings of this study present practical significance of spinel US@CoFe2O4-PAC, which is an environment‒friendly catalyst, easy to handle and can sustain long‒term operation for the treatment of recalcitrant hypersaline wastewater and the other potential practical applications.

Atmospheric pollution by potentially toxic elements: measurement and risk assessment using lichen transplants.

The lichen Usnea articulata collected from an unpolluted area was exposed for 6 months at 26 sites for the sample chosenusing a stratified random design, and the content of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sn, V, and Zn, was assessed using ICP-MS. The health risk for both adults and children was then calculated using the PTEs concentrations. The results showed that despite the hostile urban conditions, transplanted lichens depicted clear deposition patterns of airborne PTEs, mostly associated with industrial sites, where As and other elements showed remarkably high values. The cumulative hazard index was below the risk threshold, both for adults and children. For the entire population (particularly children) residing in areas surrounding industrial sites, As and Cr appeared to be potentially carcinogenic elements.

Effective bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated saline soil using halotolerant Bacillus strains isolated from the Persian Gulf.

A consortium isolated from the Persian Gulf is evaluated for its ability to bioremediate petroleum-contaminated soils. The soil sample was collected from oil fields of South Western Iran. The crude oil concentrations were set to 1000-10,000 mg/kg, and the sodium chloride concentration was set to 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5%. Operational parameters including volume (2-20 ml) and soil moisture (25%, 50%, and 100%) were studied consecutively according to one factor at the time of experimental design. A total number of eight different isolates capable of degrading crude oil were isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated sites (KL1-KL8). The removal efficiency of Total petroleom hydrocarbons (TPH) with an initial concentration of 1000 mg/kg for numbers of bacterial cells per gram soil of 2, 10, and 20 CFU/g was 20.9%, 45%, and 60%, respectively. The removal efficiency of TPHs (initial concentration of 1000 mg/kg) at the end of fifth week for salinity amounts of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5% was 10.87%, 22.4%, 25.7%, 68.6%, and 60.5%, respectively. The TPHs biodegradation efficiencies at different soil/water ratios of 25%, 50%, and 100% (slurry) were 12%, 28.7%, and 60.8%, respectively. In sunflowers, there was no statistically significant difference in seed germination for different levels of soil pollution (p > 0.05). The results of the current work suggest that this process is a viable and efficient method for remediating contaminated sites. To enhance the removal results in real soil, a scale-up study should also be conducted.

Effect of long-term exposure to PM2.5 on years of life lost in a populated Middle Eastern city.

From a public health point of view, years of life lost (YLL) is a more important index than the number of deaths to evaluate the effect of risk factors. The objective of the present study was to estimate the burden of disease including years of life lost (YLL) and expected life remaining (ELR) attributed to long-term exposure to PM2.5 in Ahvaz, one of the most polluted cities of the world, during March 2014 through March 2017. AirQ + software was used for the estimation of YLL and ELR due to all natural causes of death. Hourly concentrations of PM2.5 were acquired from the Department of Environment (DoE) of Ahvaz. Several steps were performed to validate the raw air quality data. Only the monitors were included that had minimum data completeness of 75%. Two age groups were selected for this study, including 0-64 and 65 < years. The life table approach was used to estimate YLL and ELR. Annual averages of PM2.5 were 5.2-8 times higher than the air quality guideline (10 µg/m3) set by WHO for long-term exposure to PM2.5. In total, PM2.5 has caused 234,041 years of life lost due to mortality. About 84% of YLLs were attributed to people older than 65 years old. The YLLs of men were higher than those for women. The YLLs in the third year were greater than the first two years. PM2.5 has caused the average age of total population, people aged 0-64 years old, and people > 65 years old decreased by 2.5, 3, and 1.6 years, respectively. These studies indicated that people in a city that the air quality is highly affected by dust storms, industrial emissions, and urban air pollution are significantly at risk. Air pollution control strategies and actions should be designed and executed to improve the quality of ambient air.

Antimicrobial properties of Peganum harmala L. seeds' smoke in indoors: applications and prospects.

Peganum harmala L., known as Harmal or African, Syrian Rue, Espand (in Iranian culture), and Ozallaik (in Turkey), is a perennial herbaceous glabrous plant, which offers many antimicrobial activities in indoor air. In this regard, in the present study, we aimed at evaluating the disinfectant effects of Peganum harmala L. (PHL) seed smoke on microbial load in air. For this reason, the effects of four doses of PHL seeds (5, 10, 15, and 20 g) and various sampling times in the range of 0-30 min were examined on its antibacterial and antifungal effects. The experiments were conducted at two different areas including a classroom located at the health faculty of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences and a residential area with a similar volume of 60 m3. Tryptic soy agar (TSA) was applied as a specific bacterial culture medium, and sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) was used as a specific fungal culture medium. The concentration of bacteria and fungi in the indoor air of the residential area decreased by 71.4 and 94.7%, respectively. In the educational area, the concentration of bacteria and fungi decreased by 92.8 and 88.9%, respectively. In conclusion, the PHL smoke showed antibacterial and antifungal effects, which may be due to its alkaloids harmine properties, while it causes an increase in the concentration of particles in the air of indoor environments. Therefore, it can be used as an indoor air disinfectant for decreasing the load of bacteria and viruses in a closed space.

Concentrations and health effects of short- and long-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 in ambient air of Ahvaz city, Iran (2014-2017).

The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the concentrations and short and long-term excess mortality attributed to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 observed in ambient air of Ahvaz during March 2014 to March 2017 period using the AirQ + software developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is updated in 2016 by WHO European Centre for Environment and Health. The hourly concentrations of PM2.5, O3, and NO2 measured at different regulatory monitoring network stations in Ahvaz city were obtained from the Department of Environment (DOE) of the city. Then, for various air quality monitoring stations, the 24-h average concentration of PM2.5, 1-h average of NO2 concentration, and maximum daily 8-h O3 concentrations were calculated using Excel 2010 software. When the maximum daily 8-h ozone means exceeding the value of 35, it was subtracted from 35 to calculate SOMO35 indicator for modeling. Validation of air quality data was performed according to the Aphekom and WHO's methodologies for health impact assessment of air pollution. Year-specific city population and baseline incidence of the health outcomes were obtained. The three-year averages of PM2.5, NO2, and O3 concentrations were 68.95 (±39.86) µg/m3, 135.90 (±47.82) µg/m3, and 38.63 (±12.83) parts-per-billion-volume (ppbv), respectively. SOMO35 values of ozone were 6596.66, 3411.78, and 470.88 ppbv in 2014-2015, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017 years, respectively. The AP and number of natural deaths due to NO2 were higher than PM2.5 except the last year (2016-2017), causing about 39.18%, 40.73%, and 14.39% of deaths within the first, the second, and the third year, respectively. However, for the last year, the natural mortality for PM2.5 was higher than NO2 (34.46% versus 14.39%). The total number of natural mortality caused by PM2.5 and NO2 in all years was 4061 and 4391, respectively. A significant number of deaths was estimated to be attributed to the given air pollutants. It can be concluded that by designing and implementing air pollution control strategies and actions, both health effects and economic losses will be prevented.

Health benefits of PM10 reduction in Iran.

Air pollution contains a complex mixture of poisonous compounds including particulate matter (PM) which has wide spectrum of adverse health effects. The main purpose of this study was to estimate the potential health impacts or benefits due to any changes in annual PM10 level in four major megacities of Iran. The required data of PM10 for AirQ software was collected from air quality monitoring stations in four megacities of Iran. The preprocessing was carried out using macro coding in excel environment. The relationship between different presumptive scenarios and health impacts was determined. We also assessed the health benefits of reducing PM10 to WHO Air Quality Guidelines (WHO-AQGs) and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs) levels with regard to the rate of mortality and morbidity in studied cities. We found that the 10 µg/m3 increase in annual PM10 concentration is responsible for seven (95% CI 6-8) cases increase in total number of deaths per 2 × 105 person. We also found that 10.7, 7.2, 5.7, and 5.3% of total death is attributable to short-term exposure to air pollution for Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran, respectively. We found that by attaining the WHO's proposed value for PM10, the potential health benefits of 89, 84, 79, and 78% were obtained in Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran, respectively. The results also indicated that 27, 10, 3, and 1% of health impacts were attributed to dust storm days for Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran, respectively.

Modeling and optimization of nonylphenol removal from contaminated water media using a magnetic recoverable composite by artificial neural networks.

Herein, activated carbon impregnated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4/AC) were synthesized to determine their potentials for the adsorption of nonylphenol (NP) in aqueous solution with different experimental variables, namely the pH of the solution, contact time, adsorbent dosage and the initial NP concentration. Additionally, an artificial neural network system was used to find the relative importance of each of the aforementioned input variables on NP adsorption efficiency. Experimental findings indicated that the optimum solution pH for NP adsorption was 3.0. The equilibrium time of the adsorption process was 30 min. According to the results of isotherm and kinetic studies, among all applied models, the Liu and pseudo-first-order models showed the best fit with the experimental data. The pH of the solution, compared to other input variables, had the maximum impacts on NP adsorption efficiency. Under optimum conditions, the adsorption percentage decreased insignificantly from 99.6 to 92.6% after the fifth cycle. Also, the adsorption efficiencies of 70.7, 73.5 and 67.3% were observed for river water, tap water and wastewater effluent, respectively. Ultimately, from the findings of this study, it can be postulated that Fe3O4/AC nanoparticles can be recommended as a promising and novel adsorbent to remove NP from polluted groundwater.

Preparation, characterization, and application of activated carbon from low-cost material for the adsorption of tetracycline antibiotic from aqueous solutions.

In this study, a new zinc chloride (ZnCl2) impregnated activated carbon (Zn-AC) was prepared from oak charcoals as low-cost material and used as adsorbent for tetracycline (TC) adsorption. The Zn-AC was characterized using field emission-scanning electron microscope, powder X-ray diffraction, and CHNS-O analyses. Specific surface area of the adsorbent was also measured using the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) isotherm model. The TC adsorption onto the Zn-AC was investigated as a function of solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and inorganic cations (Li+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Ni2+, and Fe3+) and anions (HCO3-, NO3- and SO42-) that could interfere in the adsorption of TC. The adsorbate solution pH had no considerable effect on TC adsorption. The adsorption of TC onto the adsorbent was relatively fast and reached the equilibrium after about 120 min. The results showed that all studied cations and anions decreased TC adsorption onto the Zn-AC, but this decrease in TC adsorption was strongly significant for Fe3+ and Ni2+ ions. The general order kinetic model and the Redlich-Peterson isotherm model provided the best fit to the experimental data. The maximum amount of TC adsorbed onto the Zn-AC (Qmax) is 282.06 mg g-1, indicating this adsorbent is a good adsorbent for the removal of TC from aqueous solutions.

Health risk assessment for consuming rice, bread, and vegetables in Hoveyzeh city.

Introduction: People are continuously exposed to contamination, which mainly consists of heavy metals (HMs) and organic compounds. Several metals can get into grains, veggies, and bread through various methods. We estimated the health risk of HM exposure from the consumption of bread, veggies, and rice, considering the per capita amounts of these foods in the Iranian food basket, especially in Hoveyzeh and Azadegan Plain. Material and method: The food products analyzed for the assessment of HMs include different veggies, rice, and bread. The health risk assessment was done with the Hazard Quotient and cancer risk formulae. The buying of vegetables, rice, and bread was done in random order during the fall and wintertime seasons. Result: Tarom rice has the maximum reported levels of Cd (0.55 mg/kg), but Pakistani rice has the lowest level (0.18 mg/kg). Radish shows the highest concentrations of As, Pb, Cr, and Ni among vegetation, while Cress shows the lowest level. The study findings showed that Lavash bread had the highest levels of As (1.31 mg/kg), Cd (0.2 mg/kg), and Ni (1.2 mg/kg), whereas it indicated the lowest level of Cr (0.056 mg/kg). While the non-carcinogenic risk of HMs was evaluated between two groups of adults and children, both groups' HI and HQ levels were less than 1. The maximum HQ and HI scores for children were associated with Arsenic (As), specifically 0.0127 and 0.0137 for Tarom rice, respectively. Nevertheless, the highest HQ and HI scores for adults were associated with As, namely 0.0059 and 0.0064 for Tarom rice, respectively. Conclusion: The evaluation of the carcinogenic risk caused by HM exposure in kids and adults showed that both groups' accumulated lifetime CRs and ILCRs were lower than 1*10-6. Hence, the consumption of veggies, rice, and bread within the study's area does not show an association with the occurrence of chronic diseases resulting from hazardous HMs.

Consumption of foods contaminated with heavy metals and their association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) using GAM software (cohort study).

Introduction: Heavy metals can enter the environment and food through industrial activities, acid rain, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and sewage. A large amount of these metals is dangerous because they tend to bio accumulate. A concern with these metals is the long-term, low-dose exposure seen in the general population. HMs can cause disorders in the cardiovascular system through various mechanisms such as the production of free radicals, DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress. Material and method: Food items measured in the present study included rice, bread, and vegetables. 210 participants (105 controls and 105 patients) were randomly selected for this study. The demographic information of the subjects was obtained from the Hoveyzeh Cohort Center. The relationship between heavy metals in food and cardiovascular diseases is investigated by The Generalized Additive Model (GAM). Result: The results of the present study showed that when urine Cd was smoothed based on rice Cd, there was a significant correlation between urine Cd and Cd consumed in vegetables and rice. The GAM coefficient for urinary Cd excreted in case-control groups and Cd consumed in vegetables were 479.79(SE: 6.49-73.87) and 818.56(SE: 11.96-68.43), respectively, and for rice consumed, it was 0.03(SE: 0.015-2.103) and 0.04(SE: 0.017-2.338), respectively. The GAM coefficient for As consumption in vegetables and As in urine of case and control groups was 1.61 (SE: 9.48-0.16) and 22.36 (SE: 13.60-1.64), respectively. The same coefficient for rice consumption in case and control groups was 4.5 (SE: 0.62-7.22) and 10.48 (SE: 1.46-7.16), respectively. There was a very strong and significant correlation between the Sr in the urine of both groups and the Sr in the food consumed, so that the urinary Sr in the control group is excreted more than in the cardiovascular group. Conclusion: GAM analysis indicates that As in vegetable and rice is more than the standard limitation value. Also, Sr and Cd in vegetables, rice, and bread were more than the standard limitation value. According to the GAM model As had a significant value in rice and vegetables indicating that As is more than the standard limitation value, therefore, it is associated with CVD.

Exposure to Mercury in the Air and Its Effect on Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD): A Systematic Review.

Background: We aimed to verify the exposure to mercury in the air and its effect on cardiovascular disorders. Methods: The review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and national databases (such as SID) from 1995-2022. Results: Mercury exposure can cause many disorders in humans, including neurodevelopmental disorders in fetuses and children, adverse cardiovascular outcomes, hypertension, and diabetes. Mercury is a human neurotoxin, and in recent years its potentially harmful effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) have raised concerns, mainly due to mercury's role in reducing oxidative stress. Conclusion: Possible mechanisms of mercury toxicity in CVD include mercury-selenium interaction, increased lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress. In this article, we review studies that have investigated the relationship between mercury and CVD.

Association of the corona virus (Covid-19) epidemic with environmental risk factors.

The current outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus disease 2019; previously 2019-nCoV), epicenter in Hubei Province (Wuhan), People's Republic of China, has spread too many other countries. The transmission of the corona virus occurs when people are in the incubation stage and do not have any symptoms. Therefore, the role of environmental factors such as temperature and wind speed becomes very important. The study of Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) indicates that there is a significant relationship between temperature and virus transmission and three important factors, namely temperature, humidity and wind speed, cause SARS transmission. Daily data on the incidence and mortality of Covid-19 disease were collected from World Health Organization (WHO) website and World Meter website (WMW) for several major cities in Iran and the world. Data were collected from February 2020 to September 2021. Meteorological data including temperature, air pressure, wind speed, dew point and air quality index (AQI) index are extracted from the website of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. Statistical analysis carried out for significance relationships. The correlation coefficient between the number of infected people in one day and the environmental variables in the countries was different from each other. The relationship between AQI and number of infected was significant in all cities. In Canberra, Madrid and Paris, a significant inverse relationship was observed between the number of infected people in one day and wind speed. There is a significant positive relationship between the number of infected people in a day and the dew point in the cities of Canberra, Wellington and Washington. The relationship between the number of infected people in one day and Pressure was significantly reversed in Madrid and Washington, but positive in Canberra, Brasilia, Paris and Wuhan. There was significant relationship between Dew point and prevalence. Wind speed showed a significant relationship in USA, Madrid and Paris. AQI was strongly associated with the prevalence of covid19. The purpose of this study is to investigate some environmental factors in the transmission of the corona virus.

Estimation of the effects PM2.5, NO2, O3 pollutants on the health of Shahrekord residents based on AirQ+ software during (2012-2018).

Research objectives: Intertwined with modern life, air pollution is not a new phenomenon. Air pollution imposes a significant number of deaths and disease complications on society, and therefore it is very important to determine the extent of its effects on health in any society. This study sought to evaluate the concentration and short-term and long-term excess mortality attributed to PM2.5, NO2 and O3 observed in Shahrekord. Procedure: Hourly concentrations of PM2.5, O3, and NO2 measured at different stations of the Shahrekord Monitoring Network were obtained from the Shahrekord Department of Environment (DOE). Then, for different air quality monitoring stations, the average 24-hour PM2.5 concentration, the one-hour average NO2 concentration and the maximum 8-hour daily O3 concentration were calculated using Excel 2010. When the maximum 8-hour daily ozone level exceeds 35, it drops below 35 to calculate the SOMO35 index for modeling. Results: The death rates of IHD, COPD, lung cancer and ALRI and stroke related to PM2.5 were 176, 7, 0, 10, 105, respectively. The effect of ozone on respiratory mortality was zero. During the study period in Shahrekord, no respiratory mortality was determined due to ozone and acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI). this study is first ever study on health effects of air pollution in shahrekord city. Conclusion: A significant number of deaths due to air pollutants in Shahrekord have been reported. It can be concluded that by designing and implementing strategies and measures to control air pollution, both health effects and economic losses are prevented.

Prediction of airborne pollen concentrations by artificial neural network and their relationship with meteorological parameters and air pollutants.

After the early rainfall in the autumn of 2013, respiratory syndromes spread in the Khuzestan province of Iran with the most severity in Ahvaz. There have been recurring outbreaks in recent years. Considering that pollen-derived airborne allergens are regarded as key aeroallergens and the main cause of allergic rhinitis and asthma, this work aimed to forecast total pollen concentration in Ahvaz through an artificial neural network (ANN), followed by evaluating the pollen spatial distribution across the city and the association between pollen concentrations and environmental parameters. The utilized ANN in this work included an input layer with 13 parameters, a hidden layer of five neurons, and an output layer. Data were classified into training, validation, and testing sets. The ANN was implemented with 70% and 80% of data for training. The value of the correlation coefficient for the data validation of these two networks was 0.89 and 0.92, respectively. The results also indicated that despite the difference in the mean concentration of the pollens in various areas of Ahvaz, this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between the concentration of total pollen and relative humidity, precipitation, and air pressure. However, it had a positive correlation with temperature. Consequently, considering the logistical challenges of monitoring bioaerosols in the air, the ANN approach could predict total pollen concentrations. Therefore, in addition to measurements, the ANN technique can be a good tool to enable authorities to mitigate the impact of airborne pollen on people.

Assessment of incremental lifetime cancer risks of ambient air PM10-bound PAHs in oil-rich cities of Iran.

This study investigates the concentrations of PM10-bound PAHs and their seasonal variations in three cities of Ahvaz, Abadan, and Asaluyeh in Iran. The mean concentrations of PM10 in two warm and cold seasons in Ahvaz were higher and in Abadan and Assaluyeh were lower than the national standard of Iran and the guidelines of the World Health Organization. The Σ16 PAHs concentration in ambient air PM10 during the cold season in Ahvaz, Abadan and Asaluyeh was 244.6, 633, and 909 ng m- 3, respectively, and during the warm season in Ahvaz, Abadan, and Asaluyeh was 242.1, 1570 and 251 ng m- 3, respectively. The high molecular weight PAHs were the most predominant components. The most abundant PAHs species were Pyr, Chr, B [ghi] P, and Flt. The results showed that the total PAHs concentration in the cold and warm seasons was dependent on industrial activities, particularly the neighboring petrochemical units of the city, vehicular exhausts, traffic and use of oil, gas, and coal in energy production. The total cancer risk values as a result of exposure to PAHs in ambient air PM10 in all three cities for children and adults and in both cold and warm seasons were between 1 × 10- 6 and 1 × 10- 4, and this indicates a potential carcinogenic risk. Therefore, considering the various sources of air pollutants and its role on people's health, decision makers should adopt appropriate policies on air quality to reduce the ambient air PAHs and to mitigate human exposure.

Temporal fluctuations of PM2.5 and PM10, population exposure, and their health impacts in Dezful city, Iran.

Morbidity and mortality impacts of particulate matter (PM) are globally important health critical parameters. In this ecological-descriptive study, the health impact of PM10 and PM2.5 associated with there temporal variations in Dezful city were assessed from 2013 to 2015. AirQ+ software handles the PM air pollutants by addressing impact evaluation and life table evaluation. We used a new method to analysis fine particles feature by using regular daily observations of PM10. In this method, relationship between PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations were analyzed and calculated. The annual average concentrations of PM10 were 147.1, 114.3 and 158.8 µg/m3, and the annual average concentration of PM2.5 were 57.8, 50.7 and 58.2 µg/m3 in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. PM10 also had obvious diurnal variations with highest hourly concentrations in 13:00 and 22:00 but the lowest concentrations often occurred in 05:00 and 16:00. Unexpectedly, in weekends the concentration of PM pollutants appeared to have increased from 18:00 to midnight. The daily based analysis showed that there are 147 dusty days in the study period during which the most severe dusty day occurred in 2014. Over the study period, mean levels of PM10 and PM2.5 in both conditions were higher in 2015 compare to 2013 and 2014, which probably is due to higher frequency of dust storms in 2015. Hence, during 2015 and 2013 they're were higher morbidity and mortality compare to 2014 due to exposure to higher polluted air with PMs in all cases except lung cancer (LC).

Prediction of O3 in the respiratory system of children using the artificial neural network model and with selection of input based on gamma test, Ahvaz, Iran.

In recent years, concerns over the issue of air pollution have increased as one of the significant environmental and health problems. Air pollutants can be toxic or harmful to the life of plants, animals, and humans. Contrast to primary pollutants, ozone is a secondary pollutant that is produced by the reaction between primary precursors in the atmosphere. The average of air pollutant data was compiled for the purpose of analyzing their correlation with the pulmonary function of students and the FENO biomarker from the air pollutants of the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the average of 3 days, the concentration of ozone in the (S3) region was higher than the other regions, and this level was significantly different from the ANOVA test (p < 0.05). The results of artificial neural network modeling for three particular combinations in the cold season, two hidden layers with 9 and 12 neurons, with R2 = 0.859 and in the warm season, layer with 13 neurons, with R2 = 0.74, showed the best performance.

Application of electro-Fenton process for treatment of composting plant leachate: kinetics, operational parameters and modeling.

BACKGROUND: Composting plant leachate is considered as one of the highly polluted wastewaters which is necessary to be treated by simple, economic, fast and environmentally compatible methods. In this study, treatment of fresh composting plant leachate by electro-Fenton (EF) process was investigated. METHODS: The effect of various input variables like pH (2-7), DC currents (1.5-3 A), H2O2 concentrations (theoretical ratio H2O2/COD: 0.1-0.6), TDS changes (4-6%), feeding mode, and BOD/COD ratio at the optimal point were studied. The settling characteristics of the waste sludge produced by the treatment (sludge volumes after 30-min sedimentation: V30) were also determined. Artificial neural network (ANN) approach was used for modeling the experimental data. RESULTS: Based on the results, the best removal rate of COD was obtained at pH: 3, 3 A constant DC current value, 0.6 theoretical ratio H2O2/COD and the feeding mode at four step injection. BOD/COD ratio at the optimal point was 0.535 and the maximum COD removal was achieved at TDS = 4%. In the optimal conditions, 85% of COD was removed and BOD/COD ratio was increased from 0.270 to 0.535. The data follow the second-order kinetic (R2 > 0.9) and neural network modeling also provided the accurate prediction for testing data. CONCLUSION: Results showed that EF process can be used efficiently for treatment of composting plant leachate using the proper operating conditions.

Relationship between environmental Fungi and changes in lung function indices of new referral allergic patients in Ahvaz city under normal and dust conditions.

BACKGROUND: Aim of this study was to determine whether any specific fungal spores could be responsible for changes observed in lung function indices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1042 new allergic patients were selected from July 2017 to May 2018 in Ahvaz City, Iran. Fungal samples were collected in normal and dusty condition within 5 and 2 min, respectively. Sampling was repeated once every 6 days and also in the dusty days. RESULTS: Average numbers of fungi colony were 639.86 and 836.44 CFU m-3 under normal and dusty conditions, respectively. Most common fungi in Ahwaz City air were Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp., Aspergillus Niger, Aspergillus Flavus and Alternaria sp.. Highest fungal mean concentrations, 392 and 480 CFU m-3, were related to Cladosporium sp. under normal and dust conditions, respectively. Average total numbers of colony fungal were 614, 483, 1082, 424 CFU m-3 and 856, 701, 1418, 418 CFU m-3 during the spring, summer, autumn, and winter under normal and dusty conditions, respectively. Patients were evaluated by measured lung function parameters of FEV1 (L), FEV1 (%pred), FVC (L), FVC (%pred), and FEV1/FVC ratio with mean values of 1.85, 58.32, 2.63, 68.18, and 69.43, respectively. CONCLUSION: Increases in mean total spores of fungi in spring were accompanied by decreases in FEV1/FVC ratio. Enhanced spores of Cladosporium sp. in spring led to reduced FEV1/FVC ratio. Increase the spores of Curvularia sp. in summer decreased by FEF25-75%. The augmented spores of Drechslera sp. in summer were associated with declined FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio. Enhanced fungal spores of Rhizopus sp. in spring resulted in lowered FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio, and FEF25-75%.