Spatiotemporal variations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid with the role of sugarcane industry and related human health risk assessments in the Shadegan International Wetland.

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is the most important pesticide widely used in Khuzestan province. This study aimed to determine the ecological risks assessment in fish, plant tissues, and trends in 2,4-D urinary biomarker concentration in humans of Shadegan International wetland, Iran. Sampling was carried out from three areas: freshwater, saltwater, and brackish water. The average concentration of 2,4-D at point 38, taken from the wetland's northern parts, was 15.73 µg/L. In the lower regions, it reached 326 µg/L at point 25. From points 37 to 16, it was higher than the international standard. The increasing trend of 2,4-D concentration was observed from point 36 to the middle of the wetland. The non-carcinogenic risk through ingestion and skin contact for children and adults was 3E-3 and 1.5E-2, 2.1E-3, and 8.6E-5, respectively, and through fish, consumption was 7.1E-4 for both groups. HI values were below one (< 1), indicating no health risk. HQ values in the summer were more than one (> 1), indicating the high risk to aquatic organisms and human health.

Analysis of heavy metals and PAHs in the waste resulting from hookah consumption: Ahvaz City, Iran.

Hookah, a popular form of smoking tobacco, has been commonly used in Asia and Africa. However, the widespread consumption of hookah has a major impact on human health being. In addition to health risks, discarding the waste products of hookah would be a serious potential danger for environmental resources. In this study, the waste materials of hookah consumption (water, tobacco, and charcoal) were analyzed for the determination of the metals and PAHs using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Results showed that the average concentration of iron in different flavors of tobacco had the highest amount (3654.2 ppb). Iron had the maximum concentration among the heavy metals, particularly in the mint flavor (10,863.3 ± 4.1). The highest Æ©PAHs were related to the mint flavor (47.48 ± 15.21 ppb). Results showed that the aromatic tobacco available in the Ahvaz-Iran market is polluted by heavy metals. The high consumption of hookah in Ahvaz city and the presence of pollutants in hookah waste materials, apart from health risk aspects, can be potentially regarded as sources of environmental contamination. Therefore, education and preventive measures are necessary for this concern.