Concentration of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Rapid Coffee Products in Bandar Abbas, Iran: Probabilistic Non-Carcinogenic and Carcinogenic Risk Assessment.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. However, coffee plants are often exposed to potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pollution. The main aims of current study were to detect the PTEs in instant coffee and health risk assessment of consumers in Bandar Abbas city. To achieve this, 40 samples of instant coffee were randomly collected from various points in the city in 2023 and PTEs concentrations were measured using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were calculated using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. The concentrations of Fe and Cu were higher than other PTEs, equaling 404.41 mg/kg and 0.0046 mg/kg, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risk assessment revealed that THQ (Fe > Pb > As > Cd > Ni > Cu) and TTHQ levels were less than 1 based on the 95% percentile in adults and children, indicating there is no possibility of a non-carcinogenic risk associated with instant coffee. The carcinogenic risk due to inorganic As in instant coffee was acceptable (2.63E-5 and 1.27E-5 based on the 95% percentile for adults and children, respectively), therefore PTEs in instant coffee do not endanger the health of consumers.

Assessment of UV radiation effects on airborne mucormycetes and bacterial populations in a hospital environment.

Infections, such as mucormycosis, often result from inhaling sporangiospore present in the environment. Surprisingly, the extent of airborne Mucormycetes sporangiospore concentrations remains inadequately explored. This study aimed to assess the influence of UV radiation on microbial populations and Mucormycetes spore levels within a hospital environment in northern Iran. A comprehensive dataset comprising 298 air samples collected from both indoor and outdoor settings was compiled. The culture was conducted using Blood Agar and Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol (DRBC) culture media, with Chloramphenicol included for fungal agents and Blood Agar for bacterial. Before UV treatment, the average count of Mucormycetes ranged from 0 to 26.4 ± 25.28 CFU m-3, fungal agents from 2.24 ± 3.22 to 117.24 ± 27.6 CFU m-3, and bacterial agents from 29.03 ± 9.9 to 359.37 ± 68.50 CFU m-3. Following UV irradiation, the averages were as follows: Mucormycetes ranged from 0 to 7.85 ± 6.8 CFU m-3, fungal agents from 16.58 ± 4.79 to 154.98 ± 28.35 CFU m-3, and bacterial agents from 0.38 ± 0.65 to 43.92 ± 6.50 CFU m-3. This study, notably marks the pioneering use of UV light to mitigate Mucormycetes spore counts and bacterial agents in northeastern Iran, contributing to the advancement of environmental health and safety practices in hospital settings.

Statistical modeling and optimization of dexamethasone adsorption from aqueous solution by Fe3O4@NH2-MIL88B nanorods: Isotherm, Kinetics, and Thermodynamic.

The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment poses a significant threat to human and aquatic animal health. Dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic steroid hormone with endocrine-disrupting effects, is one such compound that needs to be effectively removed before discharging into the environment. This research presents a novel approach utilizing magnetically recyclable Fe3O4@NH2-MIL88B NRs as an efficient adsorbent for the treatment of DEX from aqueous solutions. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Response surface methodology based on central composite design (RSM-CCD) was employed to optimize DEX removal efficiency by determining the optimal conditions, including pH, adsorbent dose, time, and DEX concentration. Under the optimized conditions (pH: 5.53, adsorbent dose: 0.185 g/L, time: 16.068 min, and DEX concentration: 33.491 mg/L), Fe3O4@NH2-MIL88B NRs revealed remarkable DEX adsorption efficiency of 91 ± 1.34% and adsorption capacity of 180.01 mg/g. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model were found to fit well with the experimental data, indicating a monolayer and chemical adsorption process. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The study also investigated the inhibitory effect of background ions on DEX removal by Fe3O4@NH2-MIL88B NRs. Magnesium exhibited superior competitive ability with dexamethasone to occupy the active sites of the adsorbent compared to other background ions. The reuse of the adsorbent over ten consecutive cycles resulted in a 39.46% decrease in removal efficiency. The Fe3O4@NH2-MIL88B NRs are surrounded by abundant amounts of functional groups and π-electrons bands that can play a key role in the adsorption and separation of DEX from aqueous environments. The promising results obtained under real conditions highlight the potential of Fe3O4@NH2-MIL88B NRs as a practical and efficient adsorbent for the removal of DEX and other similar corticosteroids from aqueous solutions.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the indoor air and surfaces of subway trains in Mashhad, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Millions of passengers around the world are concerned with the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 contamination on public transportation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in indoor air and subway surfaces in Mashhad. METHODS: In this study, air and surface sampling were done at two times in the morning (7-8:30 a.m.) and evening (3:30-5 p.m.), simultaneously in two wagons for men and women in line 1 of Mashhad Metro in March 2021 to detect the virus and measure the concentration of particulate matter. Totally, 30 air and 30 metro samples were collected and examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The results showed that three and two cases in the air and surface samples were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the mean concentration of suspended particles PM1 (particulate matter smaller than 1 µm) with PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 µm) and PM10 (particulate matter smaller than 10 µm) (p < 0. 05). There was also a significant relationship between the mean concentration of suspended particles PM2.5 and PM10. The results showed that the mean PM2.5 measured in the indoor air of the Mashhad metro wagon had a significant relationship with WHO and US EPA and national standards, and its value was higher than the standards (p < 0.05). The average particle concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 were equal to 40.46, 42.61, and 48.31 µg/m3. CONCLUSION: According to the results of the pollution detected in this study, COVID-19 may be transmitted by air and environmental surfaces. Our study emphasizes the need for continuous assessment of the presence of the virus in public transportation. Detection of viral RNA in subways indicates the necessity of adequate disinfection in public settings, strictness in disinfection methods, strengthening of educational activities for sanitary measures, physical spacing plan, and increasing ventilation of wagons.

Simultaneous Cr (VI) reduction and diazinon oxidation with organometallic sludge formation under photolysis: kinetics, degradation pathways, and mechanism.

In this study, simultaneous removal of an organic matter (diazinon, DIZ) and an inorganic substance (chromium, Cr) was used. Breaking down of organic matter by UV irradiation produces various radicals, including sulfides, carboxyl, hydroxyl, hydrated electrons, and various organic radicals that are highly reactive and help us to precipitation inorganic substance (Cr). The optimal condition was 30:1 DIZ:Cr molar ratio, pH 9, and about 100% and 82.3% of DIZ and Cr were obtained in 30 min. Cr deposition was very slow at first. After the destruction of the DIZ structure, Cr deposition began, and various types of sludge with disturbed properties were formed. These sledges were analyzed by FTIR analysis and showed that green sludge could be chromium (III) hydroxide; brown sludge due to chromium (III) hydroxide, tiny green crystals from chromium (III) oxide, red brick from chromium (II) acetate chromium trioxide, as well as black sludge caused by chromium oxide were identified. In UV/DIZ/Cr process, kobs and robs range obtained 0.33-0.15 and 16.8-23.4 $ with both Cr and DIZ concentration increased from 50 to 150 mg L-1. Also, EEO for Cr precipitation was 24.65 to 5.74 and for DIZ 12.54 to 4.73 (kwh m-3). Depending on the amount of energy consumption, TCS was 37.19 to 10.47 for Cr precipitation and 4.46 to 1.25 $. It is important to note that when both pollutants are exposed to ultraviolet light, more energy and cost are generally required from UV/DIZ process and less than of UV/Cr process. But it should be noted that in fact 50 mg L-1 of chromium and 50 mg L-1 of DIZ are being removed at the same time. In UV/DIZ and UV/Cr processes that are exposed to ultraviolet radiation alone, only one of them is removed. Also, when these two pollutants are being removed at the same time, the total amount of energy is much less than the total energy consumption of the pollutants one by one.

Improvement of montmorillonite adsorption capacity for lead ions by modifying with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride: Characterization, modelling and optimization studies.

Heavy metal pollutants, particularly Pb are considered as critical contaminants causing harmful health risks for a human. In this study, montmorillonite modified with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride surfactant (N-HTAC) was applied as a new adsorbent for the Pb+2 adsorption from aqueous solutions. The N-HTAC was characterized by the scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. The central composite design using R software was chosen for modelling the effect of operating parameters. Based on the findings obtained from the analysis of variance, reduced full second-order model with multiple R2, 0.94, adjusted R2, 0.93, and LoF, 0.96, was represented satisfactory adjustment with experimental data. The Solver "add-ins" was employed to gain the optimum conditions for the modelling. The optimum operating points giving the maximum Pb+2 removal (99.99%), were found to be initial Pb+2 concentration: 0.1 mg L1- adsorbent dosage: 4.33 g L-1, HTAC dosage: 4.19 g L-1, pH: 7.13, temperature: 28.06ºC, and the reaction time: 103.4 min. The findings of the study showed that by enhancing and improving natural adsorbents, a significant amount of environmental pollutants can be eliminated. •In this study, a new modified adsorbent (N-HTAC) was used to remove lead ions.•The results of this study showed that the N-HTAC used has high efficiency (99.99%) in the removal of lead.•The results of this study and the data obtained can be used to supplement the information on the removal of contaminants with adsorbents.

Enhancing photo-degradation of ciprofloxacin using simultaneous usage of eaq- and OH over UV/ZnO/I- process: Efficiency, kinetics, pathways, and mechanisms.

The aim of this study is to develop the process relies on the UV irradiation of ZnO and I-, i.e. UV/ZnO /I- (UZI), to create both oxidizer and reducer agents simultaneously for photo-degradation of the Ciprofloxacin (CIP). This paper shows that while applying UV irradiation, UV/ZnO and UV/I- for 20 min can lead to achieve 37.5%, 58.12%, and 61.4% photo-degradation of 100 mg L-1 CIP at pH 7, respectively. Moreover, the UZI treatment can provide 91.54% photo-degradation efficiency. The LC-MS analysis of the UZI effluent indicates that 10 min process was adequate to degrade CIP into simple ring-shaped metabolites while 15 min treatment, mostly of CIP intermediates were linear and biodegradable organic compounds. Furthermore, fourteen little fragments were identified in the CIP photo-degradation via UZI, during the photoreaction time of 2.5 to 20 min. Then, a pseudo first-order kinetics equation was utilized to model the observed photo-degradation process. Finally, the computational results show that the increased concentration of the CIP solution from 100 to 400 mg L-1 decreases the observed rate constant (kobs) from 0.4125 to 0.2189 min-1 while increases the photoreaction rate (robs) from 41.25 to 87.56 mg L-1 min-1.

Data on assessment of physical, chemical and biological characteristics of effluent from wastewater treatment in Torbat Heydarieh, Iran.

Data on the chemical, physical and biological of effluent from wastewater treatment are provided in table format in the current article. Samples were taken in Peak Flows at effluent Treatment Plants. Sampling and tests were conducted according to the standards methods. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software and excel program. Nickel metal showed higher amounts than the standards required for irrigation agricultural land. Data could be useful from environmental and agricultural sciences to those concerned about heavy metals, Alkalinity, EC, COD, BOD5 and Microbial concentrations threats.

Systematic review and health risk assessment of arsenic and lead in the fished shrimps from the Persian gulf.

The ingestion of heavy metals through contaminated seafood can causes significant outcomes on human health. In recent years, consume fishes and shrimps has increased in Iran, and several study about heavy metals content in fishes and shrimps from Persian Gulf were carried out to check their food safety. The aims of these systematic reviews and meta-analysis was to summarize the evidence on the relation of the intakes of Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) levels, based on the origin and sub-groups of shrimp species consumed, Hence that we can estimate the risk of oral cancer induced by Pb and As in these groups of shrimp from the persian gulf. We carried out a search of all suitable studies published between 1995 and 2017 in Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed and Web of Science databases. Since the heterogeneity among studied was significant, we used the random effect model (REM) to perform meta-analysis of data. Data were obtained from 9 articles (14 studies), with 511 samples, and it was reported that pooled levels of As and Pb in the muscle shrimps were 1.37 (95% CI: 0.66-2.08 mg/kg d.w.) and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.33-0.82 mg/kg d.w.), respectively. This pooled levels in muscle shrimps were higher than safe dose reported on Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization guidelines (FAO/WHO). The rank order of shrimps species based on As was Panulirus homarus > Penaeus semisulcatus and for the Pb levels was Litopenaeus vannamei > Panulirus homarus > Fenneropenaeus indicus > Metapenaeus affinis. The lowest and highest risk levels of oral cancer, divided by consumers age groups, were respectively 45-54 (6.94E-04) and 15-24 (8.42E-04) for the Pb, and 45-54 (2.87E-01) and 15-24 (3.51E-01) for arsenic. Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) of Pb and As was higher than 10-4 and 10-3, respectively. All groups (age) of consumers are subject to the cancer risk of due to the consumption of shrimps contaminated by Pb and As, therefore, should be started a control plan for the reduction of the heavy metal bioaccumulation levels in shrimps of the Persian Gulf coupled to a capillary food safety communication.

Concentrations of arsenic and lead in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Iran: A systematic review and carcinogenic risk assessment.

Exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in either the short or the long term can cause cancers in humans. Dietary intake and consumption of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is increasing in Iran, and several studies on the concentration of heavy metals in rice have been carried out in this country in recent years. In this perspective, the main objective of the present study was to investigate, even via a meta-analysis of the existing literature, the presence of As and Pb in rice from many geographical areas in Iran, as well as to estimate the carcinogenic risk of these heavy metals in rice consumers. The results of the present ten years-spanning systematic review indicate that 21 reports, collecting a total of 2088 samples, were performed between 2008 and October 2017. The minimum and maximum concentration of As was observed in the Golestan area (0.01 ±â€¯0.01 mg/kg d.w) and the Gillan region (3 mg/kg d.w); and Pb in the Shahrekord (0.07 ±â€¯0.02 mg/kg d.w) and Mazandaran (35 mg/kg d.w). The meta-analysis of data showed that pooled concentration of As in the rice was 0.04 (95%CI: 0.02-0.06 mg/kg d.w), which resulted lower than the National Standard (NS) limits. However, the pooled concentration of Pb in the rice was 0.38 (95%CI: 0.25-0.5 mg/kg d.w), i.e., higher than NS limits. The heterogeneity was significant between As (I2 = 63%, P value = .003) and Pb (I2 = 96%, P value < .001) studies. The carcinogenic risk assessment showed that minimum and maximum incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of As was in the 45-54 (4.53 × 10-2) and 15-24 (5.50 × 10-2) year age groups consumers; and Pb, 45-54 (2.442 × 10-3) and 15-24 (2.96 × 10-3), respectively. The overall carcinogenesis risk of As (4.864 × 10-2) was 18.5 times higher than Pb (2.623 × 10-3). All age groups consumers of rice content of As and Pb are at considerable carcinogenesis risk (ILCR > 10-3). Therefore a decreased level of heavy metals in rice cultivation should be encouraged and performed in next planning.

Dispersion modeling and health risk assessment of VOCs emissions from municipal solid waste transfer station in Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: The waste transfer stations (WTSs) is one of the most important factors affecting on environment and human health. This research is aimed to evaluate health risk of VOCs among WTS personnel and provide a model for dispersion of VOCs. The Air Pollution Model (TAPM) is able to simulate WTS emissions dispersion over each town. RESULT: GC-MS was used to analysis collected gas samples to detect and estimate carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic VOCs health risks. The total lifetime cancer risk values for the all personnel (3.30E-05), was more than acceptable limit (1.00E-06). Furthermore, hazard ratio (HR) of 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene, 1,3-dichloropropane, toluene, m,p-xylene and ethylbenzene were 3.7, 1.9 E-01, 4.4 E-03, 5.5 E-02 and 1.5 E-03, respectively, and total HR of the mentioned compounds were more than accepted limit (HR < 1.00). IOA is 0.85 and RMSE is 2.16 and TAPM has a good performance. The VOCs level is considerable in 1600 m far from the WTS particularly in summer that require more attention. CONCLUSION: The exposure to VOCs was at a high level in WTS, and some controlling strategy should be used for decreasing the pollution and protecting the citizens and personnel against non-cancerous and cancerous risks.

Performance, kinetic, and biodegradation pathway evaluation of anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor in removing phthalic acid esters from wastewater.

Emerging and hazardous environmental pollutants like phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are one of the recent concerns worldwide. PAEs are considered to have diverse endocrine disrupting effects on human health. Industrial wastewater has been reported as an important environment with high concentrations of PAEs. In the present study, four short-chain PAEs including diallyl phthalate (DAP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and phthalic acid (PA) were selected as a substrate for anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor (AnFFFBR). The process performances of AnFFFBR, and also its kinetic behavior, were evaluated to find the best eco-friendly phthalate from the biodegradability point of view. According to the results and kinetic coefficients, removing and mineralizing of DMP occurred at a higher rate than other phthalates. In optimum conditions 92.5, 84.41, and 80.39% of DMP, COD, and TOC were removed. DAP was found as the most bio-refractory phthalate. The second-order (Grau) model was selected as the best model for describing phthalates removal.

Source apportionment of volatile organic compounds in Tehran, Iran.

Identifying the sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is key issue to reducing ground-level ozone and PAN. A multivariate receptor model (Unmix) was used for the determination of the contributions of VOCs sources in Tehran-Iran. Concentrations of ambient C2-C10 VOCs were measured continuously and online at the center of Tehran city during the winter of 2012. A high correlation coefficient existed between measured and predicted values (R (2) = 0.99), indicating that the data were well modeled. Five possible VOCs source categories were identified and mobile sources such as vehicle exhaust (61 %) and fuel evaporation (12 %) more than half of the total VOC concentration. City gas and CNG sources, biogenic source, and industrial solvent source categories accounted for 17 %, 8 % and 2 % of the total VOC, respectively. Result showed Unmix for VOCs source apportionment can be used to analyze and generate air pollution control strategies and policies.

A quantitative structure- property relationship of gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric retention data of 85 volatile organic compounds as air pollutant materials by multivariate methods.

A quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) study is suggested for the prediction of retention times of volatile organic compounds. Various kinds of molecular descriptors were calculated to represent the molecular structure of compounds. Modeling of retention times of these compounds as a function of the theoretically derived descriptors was established by multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN). The stepwise regression was used for the selection of the variables which gives the best-fitted models. After variable selection ANN, MLR methods were used with leave-one-out cross validation for building the regression models. The prediction results are in very good agreement with the experimental values. MLR as the linear regression method shows good ability in the prediction of the retention times of the prediction set. This provided a new and effective method for predicting the chromatography retention index for the volatile organic compounds.

QSAR models for CXCR2 receptor antagonists based on the genetic algorithm for data preprocessing prior to application of the PLS linear regression method and design of the new compounds using in silico virtual screening.

The CXCR2 receptors play a pivotal role in inflammatory disorders and CXCR2 receptor antagonists can in principle be used in the treatment of inflammatory and related diseases. In this study, quantitative relationships between the structures of 130 antagonists of the CXCR2 receptors and their activities were investigated by the partial least squares (PLS) method. The genetic algorithm (GA) has been proposed for improvement of the performance of the PLS modeling by choosing the most relevant descriptors. The results of the factor analysis show that eight latent variables are able to describe about 86.77% of the variance in the experimental activity of the molecules in the training set. Power prediction of the QSAR models developed with SMLR, PLS and GA-PLS methods were evaluated using cross-validation, and validation through an external prediction set. The results showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit, robustness and perfect external predictive performance. A comparison between the different developed methods indicates that GA-PLS can be chosen as supreme model due to its better prediction ability than the other two methods. The applicability domain was used to define the area of reliable predictions. Furthermore, the in silico screening technique was applied to the proposed QSAR model and the structure and potency of new compounds were predicted. The developed models were found to be useful for the estimation of pIC50 of CXCR2 receptors for which no experimental data is available.