Characteristics and health effects of particulate matter emitted from a waste sorting plant.

Solid waste components can be recycled in waste paper and cardboard sorting plants (WPCSP) through a multistep process. This work collected 15 samples every six days from each of the 9 points selected to study the processes taking place in a WPCSP (135 particulate matter samples total). Examining the concentration and size fraction of particulate matter (i.e., PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) in WPCSP is an essential issue to notify policy makers about the health impacts on exposed workers. The major activities for increasing of the concentration of PM in various processing units in the WPCSP, especially in hand-picking routes I and II were related to manual dismantling, mechanical grinding, mechanical agitation, and separation and movement of waste. The results of this work showed that a negative correlation between temperature and particulate matter size followed the order PM10 > PM2.5 > PM1. Exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 in the WPCSP lead to possible risk (HI = 5.561 and LTCRs = 3.41 × 10-6 to 9.43 × 10-5 for PM2.5 and HI = 7.454 for PM10). The exposure duration and the previous concentrations had the most effect on the ILCRs and HQs for PM2.5 and PM10 in all sampling sites. Hence, because WPCSP are infected indoor environments (I/O ratio > 1), the use of control methods such as isolation of units, misting systems, blower systems equipped with bag houses, protective equipment, a mechanical ventilation system, and additional natural ventilation can reduce the amount of suspended PM, enhance worker safety, and increase the recycling rate.

Characteristics and assessing biological risks of airborne bacteria in waste sorting plant.

Examining the concentration and types of airborne bacteria in waste paper and cardboard sorting plants (WPCSP) is an urgent matter to inform policy makers about the health impacts on exposed workers. Herein, we collected 20 samples at 9 points of a WPCSP every 6 winter days, and found that the most abundant airborne bacteria were positively and negatively correlated to relative humidity and temperature, respectively. The most abundant airborne bacteria (in units of CFU m-3) were: Staphylococcus sp. (72.4) > Micrococcus sp. (52.2) > Bacillus sp. (30.3) > Enterococcus sp. (24.0) > Serratia marcescens (20.1) > E. coli (19.1) > Pseudomonas sp. (16.0) > Nocardia sp. (1.9). The lifetime average daily dose (LADD) for the inhalation and dermal routes for the intake of airborne bacteria ranged from 3.7 × 10-3 ≤ LADDInhalation ≤ 2.07 × 101 CFU (kg d)-1 and 4.75 × 10-6 ≤ LADDDermal ≤ 1.64 × 10-5 CFU (kg d)-1, respectively. Based on a sensitivity analysis (SA), the concentration of airborne bacteria (C) and the exposure duration (ED) had the most effect on the LADDInhalation and LADDDermal for all sampling locations. Although the Hazard Quotient of airborne bacteria was HQ < 1, an acceptable level, the indoor/outdoor ratio (1.5 ≤ I/O ≤ 6.6) of airborne bacteria typically exceeded the threshold value (I/O > 2), indicating worker's exposure to an infected environment. Therefore, in the absence of sufficient natural ventilation the indoor ambient conditions of the WPCSP studied should be controlled by supplying mechanical ventilation.

Modes of Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Factors Influencing on the Airborne Transmission: A Review.

The multiple modes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission including airborne, droplet, contact, and fecal-oral transmissions that cause coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) contribute to a public threat to the lives of people worldwide. Herein, different databases are reviewed to evaluate modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and study the effects of negative pressure ventilation, air conditioning system, and related protection approaches of this virus. Droplet transmission was commonly reported to occur in particles with diameter >5 µm that can quickly settle gravitationally on surfaces (1-2 m). Instead, fine and ultrafine particles (airborne transmission) can stay suspended for an extended period of time (≥2 h) and be transported further, e.g., up to 8 m through simple diffusion and convection mechanisms. Droplet and airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can be limited indoors with adequate ventilation of rooms, by routine disinfection of toilets, using negative pressure rooms, using face masks, and maintaining social distancing. Other preventive measures recommended include increasing the number of screening tests of suspected carriers of SARS-CoV-2, reducing the number of persons in a room to minimize sharing indoor air, and monitoring people's temperature before accessing a building. The work reviews a body of literature supporting the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through air, causing COVID-19 disease, which requires coordinated worldwide strategies.

Municipal solid waste recycling: Impacts on energy savings and air pollution.

In recent years, recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been recognized as one of the most efficient methods of waste management in terms of environmental benefits. This study investigates the energy savings and other environmental benefits of recycling of dry MSW collected in Shiraz, Iran (2018). The impact of different recycling rates (current = 15%, desirable = 50%, ideal = 80%) on environmental benefits and energy savings were assessed. The annual quantity of recycled components were defined as glass (735 tons), plastic carrier bags (555 tons), cardboard (3,874 tons), paper (3,806 tons), disposable plastic containers (287 tons), other types of metals (785 tons), disposable metallic containers (aluminum) (171 tons), other types of plastics (812 tons) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (887 tons). The results confirmed that recycling of paper and glass in three different scenarios resulted in a reduction of 1.01, 2.14, and 3.43 million tons of air pollutant emissions, respectively. By improving the recycling rates from 15 to 80%, overall energy savings can improve by between a factor of 3.5 to 5.5. Also, a reduction of approximately 2-3.5% in air pollutant emissions can be achieved by upgrading the current recycling program (15% recycling rate) to favorable and ideal conditions.Implications: In recent years, recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been recognized as one of the most efficient methods of waste management in terms of environmental benefits. This study investigates the energy savings and other environmental benefits of recycling of dry MSW collected in Shiraz, Iran (2018). According to available data, there has been little effort for recycling in developing countries, and waste landfilling is recognized as the most favorable option in MSW management. The aim of this study was to characterize MSW components in Shiraz, Iran, and to quantify the environmental benefits and energy savings as result of paper, glass, and aluminum recycling. This work is novel in that there are no reports to our knowledge of the environmental benefits and energy savings resulting from different recycling scenarios including current (15%), desirable (50%), and ideal (80%) recycling for aluminum, paper, and glass. The results of this work have broad implications both for other regions owing to the pervasiveness of recycling facilities and also for developing countries that can strive towards the infrastructure needed to reach improved recycling scenarios.

Dataset on specifications, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of volatile organic compounds during recycling paper and cardboard.

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were studied during paper and cardboard recycling from a paper and cardboard solid waste recycling factory (PCSWRF). Data are summarized in this article for the following quantities for a PCSWRF during the winter in Tehran, Iran: VOC concentrations (µg m-3), the percentage of detected VOCs, exposure indices (Ei) of individual and total VOCs (TVOCs), inhalation lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) of VOCs, the hazard quotient (HQ) of VOCs, sensitivity analysis (SA) for VOC exposure in different age groups (birth to <81), and Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (r) between VOC concentrations and meteorological parameters. For more insight please see "Characteristics and Health Effects of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions during Paper and Cardboard Recycling"[1], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.102005.

Characteristics and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with dust in household evaporative coolers.

This study reports a characterization of indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with dust (dust-PAHs) in household evaporative coolers and their associated health effects. Extensive analysis showed that the indoor dust-PAHs stemmed mostly from pyrogenic sources (vehicular emissions) with mean total concentrations limited between 131 and 429 ng g-1. The distribution pattern of PAHs based on number of rings exhibited the following order of decreasing relative abundance: 4 > 3 > 5 > 6 > 2 rings. Results indicate that the mutagenicity of dust-PAHs exceeded their carcinogenicity, but that the potential carcinogenic effects are still significant. The mean lifetime cancer risk for different age groups for three pathways based on Model 2 (dermal (1.39 × 10-1 to 1.91 × 10-2), ingestion (2.13 × 10-3 to 8.08 × 10-3) and inhalation (1.62 × 10-7 to 4.06 × 10-7)) was 7.4-146 times higher than values predicted by Model 1 (dermal (5.13 × 10-5 to 3.03 × 10-3), ingestion (9.34 × 10-5 to 1.31 × 10-3) and inhalation (7.13 × 10-20 to 1.68 × 10-20)). Hence, exposure to dust-PAHs in household evaporative coolers lead to high risk, especially for children (less than 11 years) (HQ = 2.71 × 10-20 to 54.8 and LTCRs = 7.13 × 10-20 to 1.39 × 10-1). Strategies should be considered to eliminate such pollutants to protect people, especially children, from the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects by changing household evaporative coolers with other cooling systems.

A case study of BTEX characteristics and health effects by major point sources of pollution during winter in Iran.

This study characterized spatio-temporal variations in the concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds in the vicinity of gas and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in Tehran, Iran. Health risk assessment (HRA) was computed using Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) for evaluating inhalation lifetime cancer risk (LTCR), the hazard quotient (HQ), and sensitivity analysis (SA) for BTEX exposure in different age groups (birth to <81) and as a function of distance (0-250 m) from the center of the stations. For all monitoring stations, the average values of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene in winter were 466.09 ±â€¯132.25, 873.13 ±â€¯233.51, 493.05 ±â€¯141.22, and 910.57 ±â€¯145.40 µg m-3, respectively. The mean wintertime ratios of T/B for the 12 stations ranged from 1.69 to 2.04. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between the concentration of BTEX with either the specific month or distance from the center of stations (p > 0.05). Factors promoting BTEX formation in the study region were fuel evaporation and gas/CNG station emissions. The LTCRs for the target compounds in the winter for different age groups and distances from the center of stations was limited to 2.11 × 10-4 to 1.82 × 10-3 and 2.30 × 10-4 to 2.01 × 10-3, respectively, which exceeded proposed values by U.S. EPA. Moreover, the HQs for BTEX for three age groups and distances were limited to between 2.89 × 10-5 and 9.33 × 10-2, which were lower than the acceptable limit (HQs < 1). The results of this work are applicable to similar areas that are heavily populated with vehicular traffic. This study motivates a closer look at mitigation strategies to limit the health effects of carcinogenic emissions such as benzene and ethylbenzene from gas/CNG stations.

Characteristics and health effects of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in an urban area in Iran.

This study reports a spatiotemporal characterization of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the summer and winter of 2017 in the urban area of Shiraz, Iran. Sampling was fulfilled according to EPA Method TO-11 A. The inverse distance weighting (IDW) procedure was used for spatial mapping. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to evaluate carcinogenic and non-cancer risk owing to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde exposure in 11 age groups. The average concentrations of formaldehyde/acetaldehyde in the summer and winter were 15.07/8.40 µg m-3 and 8.57/3.52 µg m-3, respectively. The formaldehyde to acetaldehyde ratios in the summer and winter were 1.80 and 2.43, respectively. The main sources of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were photochemical generation, vehicular traffic, and biogenic emissions (e.g., coniferous and deciduous trees). The mean inhalation lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) values according to the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in summer and winter ranged between 7.55 × 10-6 and 9.25 × 10-5, which exceed the recommended value by US EPA. The average LTCR according to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in summer and winter were between 4.82 × 10-6 and 2.58 × 10-4, which exceeds recommended values for five different age groups (Birth to <1, 1 to <2, 2 to <3, 3 to <6, and 6 to <11 years). Hazard quotients (HQs) of formaldehyde ranged between 0.04 and 4.18 for both seasons, while the HQs for acetaldehyde were limited between 0.42 and 0.97.

Concentration and type of bioaerosols before and after conventional disinfection and sterilization procedures inside hospital operating rooms.

Operating rooms (ORs) in hospitals are sensitive wards because patients can get infections. This work aimed to characterize the type and concentration of bioaerosols in nine ORs of an educational hospital before and after sterilization and disinfection. During 2017, fungal samples were incubated at 25-28 °C for 3-7 days and bacterial samples at 37 °C for 24-48 h. The study results showed that the concentrations of fungi before cleaning procedures (for both of disinfection and sterilization) were limited from 4.83 to 18.40 CFU/m3 and after cleaning procedures ranged from 1.90 to 8.90 CFU/m3. In addition, the concentrations of bacteria before cleaning procedures were limited 14.65-167.40 CFU/m3 and after cleaning procedures ranged from 9.50 to 38.40 CFU/m3. The difference between the mean concentrations of airborne bioaerosols before and after sterilization was significantly different than the suggested value of 30 CFU/m3 (p ≤ 0.05). The bacterial concentration was higher than the recommended value (30 CFU/m3) in 41% of the ORs. The main fungal species identified in the indoor air of ORs (before vs. after sterilization) were A. fumigatus (25.6 vs. 18.3%), A. Niger (11.6 vs. 5.8%), Penicillium spp. (5.5 vs. 3.3%), Alternaria spp. (2.8 vs. 0.7%), Fusarium spp. (9.7 vs. 3.7%), Mucor spp. (15 vs. 12.7%), Cephalotrichum spp. (1.7 vs. 0.8%), A. Flavus (24.6 vs. 18.5%), Cladosporium spp. (2.6 vs. 0.8%), and Trichoderma spp. (0 vs. 0.9%). The growth of biological species even after sterilization and disinfection likely resulted from factors including poor ventilation, sweeping of OR floors, inadequate HVAC filtration, high humidity, and also lack of optimum management of infectious waste after surgery. Designing well-constructed ventilation and air-conditioning systems, replacing HEPA filters, implementing more stringent, frequent, and comprehensive disinfection procedures, and controlling temperature and humidity can help decrease bioaerosols in ORs.

BTEX in indoor air of beauty salons: Risk assessment, levels and factors influencing their concentrations.

Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) were investigated in indoor air quality of 50 beauty salons in Ardabil, Iran (2017). Ten liters of air samples were collected from each salons regarding the recommended method and analyzed by GC-FID for BTEX concentration. Also, structural and operational conditions of the salons were studied with a self-designed questioner. The results of this study show that the mean concentration of benzene (32.40 ±â€¯26.38) higher than the recommended levels by Health Canada, ANSES and HKSAR. Among the BTEX, ethylbenzene (62.38 ±â€¯32.37) has the most concentrations in the salons. Subsequently, the cancer risk values in different age groups of birth to <6, 6 to <21, and 21 to <81 for benzene (1.83 × 10-3, 2.76 × 10-4 and 1.50 × 10-4, respectively) and ethylbenzene (4.9 × 10-4, 7.30 × 10-5 and 3.52 × 10-5, respectively) for long time exposure were drastically higher than the recommended levels. The results showed that the benzene concentration is significantly influenced by the structural and operational conditions of type of ventilation system, area of the salons, the number of people in the salon, number of services in the salons, and while doing of bridal makeup.

Characteristics and health effects of BTEX in a hot spot for urban pollution.

This study reports a spatiotemporal characterization of toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes concentrations (BTEX) in an urban hot spot in Iran, specifically at an bus terminal region in Shiraz. Sampling was carried out according to NIOSH Compendium Method 1501. The inverse distance weighting (IDW) method was applied for spatial mapping. The Monte Carlo simulation technique was applied to evaluate carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk owing to BTEX exposure. The highest average BTEX concentrations were observed for benzene in the morning (at 7:00-9:00 A.M. local time) (26.15 ±â€¯17.65 µg/m3) and evening (at 6:00-8:00 P.M. local time) (34.44 ±â€¯15.63 µg/m3). The benzene to toluene ratios in the morning and evening were 2.02 and 3.07, respectively. The main sources of BTEX were gas stations and a municipal solid waste transfer station. The inhalation lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) for benzene in the morning and evening were 1.96 × 10-4 and 2.49 × 10-4, respectively, which exceeds the recommended value by US EPA and WHO. The hazard quotient (HQ) of all these pollutants was less than 1. The results of this work have implications for public health near 'hot spots' such as IKBT where large populations are exposed to carcinogenic emissions.

Seasonal Variation in Culturable Bioaerosols in a Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Bioaerosols produced from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) can pose health risks to plant workers and nearby inhabitants. There is a gap in air quality data for WWTPs in developing countries. The present study aimed to measure airborne bacterial and fungal concentrations in a WWTP in southwestern Iran between September 2015 and May 2016. Active sampling was conducted around operational units, and a total of 600 bacterial and fungal samples were collected. Spatial and seasonal comparisons were made. The highest average concentrations of culturable bacterial aerosol at seasonally dependent locations were, in decreasing order, 2581 ± 401 and 1952 ± 390 CFU m-3 for the selector and aeration tanks, respectively, in autumn; 1363 ± 299 CFU m-3 for the aeration tank in winter; and 1738 ± 350 CFU m-3 for the screw pump in spring. Furthermore, the predominant genera of airborne fungi isolated from the air of the WWTP in all three seasons were Cephalotrichum spp., Alternaria spp., Penicillium spp., Monilia spp., and Aspergillus spp. The results of this work emphasize the necessity of controlling WWTP workers' exposure to bioaerosols when bacteria and fungi become aerosolized during aeration.

Exposure to Cooking Fumes and Acute Reversible Decrement in Lung Functional Capacity.

BACKGROUND: Being exposed to cooking fumes, kitchen workers are occupationally at risk of multiple respiratory hazards. No conclusive evidence exists as to whether occupational exposure to these fumes is associated with acute and chronic pulmonary effects and symptoms of respiratory diseases. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the exposure levels and evaluate possible chronic and acute pulmonary effects associated with exposure to cooking fumes. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 60 kitchen workers exposed to cooking fumes and 60 unexposed employees were investigated. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms among these groups was determined through completion of a standard questionnaire. Pulmonary function parameters were also measured before and after participants' work shift. Moreover, air samples were collected and analyzed to quantify their aldehyde, particle, and volatile organic contents. RESULTS: The mean airborne concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein was 0.45 (SD 0.41), 0.13 (0.1), and 1.56 (0.41) mg/m3, respectively. The mean atmospheric concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, PM7, PM10, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) was 3.31 (2.6), 12.21 (5.9), 44.16 (16.6), 57 (21.55) µg/m3, and 1.31 (1.11) mg/m3, respectively. All respiratory symptoms were significantly (p<0.05) more prevalent in exposed group. No significant difference was noted between the pre-shift mean of spirometry parameters of exposed and unexposed group. However, exposed workers showed cross-shift decrease in most spirometry parameters, significantly lower than the pre-shift values and those of the comparison group. CONCLUSION: Exposure to cooking fumes is associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms as well as acute reversible decrease in lung functional capacity.

One-Pot synthesis, characterization and adsorption studies of amine-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles for removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution: kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies.

BACKGROUND: Discharge of heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and nickel (Ni (II)) into aquatic ecosystems is a matter of concern in wastewater treatment due to their harmful effects on humans. In this paper, removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution was investigated using an amino-functionalized magnetic Nano-adsorbent (Fe3O4-NH2). METHODS: An amino-functionalized magnetic Nano-adsorbent (Fe3O4-NH2) was synthesized by compositing Fe3O4 with 1, 6-hexanediamine for removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). Also, the effects of various operational parameters were studied. RESULTS: According to our finding, Fe3O4-NH2 could be simply separated from aqueous solution with an external magnetic field at 30 s. The experimental data for the adsorption of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions revealed that the process followed the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity was 232.51 mg g(-1) for Cr (VI) at pH = 3 and 222.12 mg g(-1) and for Ni(II) at pH = 6 at 298 °K. Besides, the kinetic data indicated that the results fitted with the pseudo-second-order model (R(2): 0.9871 and 0.9947 % for Cr (VI) and Ni (II), respectively. The results of thermodynamic study indicated that: standard free energy changes (ΔG(ɵ)), standard enthalpy change (ΔH(ɵ)), and standard entropy change (ΔS(ɵ)) were respectively -3.28, 137.1, and 26.91 kJ mol(-1) for Cr (VI) and -6.8433, 116.7, and 31.02 kJ mol(-1) for Ni (II). The adsorption/desorption cycles of Fe3O4-NH2 indicated that it could be used for five times. CONCLUSIONS: The selected metals' sorption was achieved mainly via electrostatic attraction and coordination interactions. In fact, Fe3O4-NH2 could be removed more than 96 % for both Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution and actual wastewater.