Iranian Journal of Health, Safety and Environment (IJHSE)
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Investigation of relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and working conditions among workers at a pharmaceutical industry in Iran (2011-2012)
Get PDFMusculoskeletal disorders may be observed in all industries and professions and most of these disorders are related to the back, upper and lower extremities of the body organs. In Pharmaceutical industry, almost lack of standard ergonomic conditions and sometimes can cause outbreaks of diseases and musculoskeletal disorders in various parts of the body. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and working on the packaging section of the pharmaceutical industry. The Nordic questionnaire and Rula method were used for collection of data and 392 workers were selected as the subjects of study.
Based on the results of this study, (28.5%) of workers working in Packaging Unit complained of severe pain and discomfort in their neck, (23.7%) in their shoulder, (27.9%) in their hand and wrist and (33.2%) complained of severe pain in their back.
The results indicate that workers in this industry could show musculoskeletal disorders based on age, education, gender and working conductions
Adsorption of Cu2+ from aqueous solution onto modified glass beads with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane
Get PDFThe discharge of heavy metals into the aquatic ecosystem is a main concern over the last few decades. These pollutants are introduced into aquatic systems as a result of various industrial operations. This study investigates the efficiency of the modified glass beads with APTES ligand for removal of Cu2+ from the aqueous solution.
Response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken was used to assess the effect of independent variables, including flow rate, solution pH, initial concentration and glass beads size on the response function and prediction of the best response value.
Atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis of eluents of a column of the modified glass beads showed that Cu2+ ion was more than 90% entrapped on a column of glass beads. The isotherm evaluations indicate that the equilibrium data for Cu2+ adsorption could be fitted with the Langmuir model. Experimental data were also evaluated in terms of adsorption kinetics using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The results also showed that the adsorption process of the Cu2+ well suited with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. All the results demonstrated that modified glass beads successfully absorbed heavy metals from aqueous solution
Environmental Risk Assessment of Selected Antibiotics in Iran
Get PDFIn recent years the increasing use of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products (PPCPs), especially antibiotics, has become a particular concern because of their undesirable potential ecological and human health effects. This study presents an environmental risk assessment for the aquatic environment of some frequently used antibiotics in Iran in three stages including; a short literature review about antibiotic consumption in Iran, a comprehensive estimation regarding acute toxicity of selected antibiotics and finally calculation of Risk Quotient (RQ) using the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) and the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC). According to recently published data, the consumption of antibiotics in Iran is several times greater than European countries and in case of antibiotics (e.g. Penicillin) is approximately 10 times greater than Scandinavian region. The calculated PECs were ranged from 0.0071 to 0.8570 and the PNECs value based on ecotoxicity data was found for all studied antibiotics (varied from 0.0037 to 177). The RQ exceeded one for Amoxicillin, Penicillin G, Sulfamethoxazole, and Erythromycin. Amoxicillin has the highest risk to aquatic organisms based on this study. With respect to the emergence of microbial resistance, it is important to begin monitoring the most frequently used antibiotic
Development of a novel setup for direct colorimetric visualization of elemental mercury vapor adsorption on colloidal gold nanoparticles
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Mercury is a toxic, persistent, and bio-accumulative pollutant that has adverse effects on environmental and human health. Various studies have been conducted to monitor different forms of mercury. The objective of this study was to develop a novel setup for assessing gas phase elemental mercury vapor adsorption using colloidal gold nanoparticles solutions that display a characteristic surface plasmon resonance absorption peak in the visible spectrum. The UV-VIS-NIR spectrographs of gold nanoparticles blue shifts after exposure to mercury vapor. The surface plasmon resonances (SPR) of ∼4 and ∼30 nm gold nanoparticles were appeared with the sharp peaks at 515 and 528 nm respectively. The mercury vapor adsorbed in gold nanoparticles was related to the size. The amounts of mercury vapor adsorbed per grams of ∼4 and ∼30 nm gold nanoparticles solutions were obtained 1100 µg•g-1 and 1300 µg•g-1 respectively. A proposed novel setup based on UV-Vis spectroscopic undertaken to provide simplicity, use facilitating, potentially inexpensive, and sensitive enough is a suitable system for mercury vapor capture in many fields. It was demonstrated that the amount mercury adsorbed has been related to the sizes of gold nanoparticles. The color change was observed, when elemental mercury vapor adsorbed on the gold nanoparticles
Influence of pollution loading and flow rate on catalytic BTEX removal with a combined Cu2O, Fe0/Zeolite bed
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Environmental impacts and health concerns of BTEX compounds have been pointed in many studies. The agencies responsible for health and environment have delivered standard and guideline for BTEX concentrations. Because of the extensive use in industries and the presence of these compounds in fossil fuels, their emission resources are very divers. Today's, Control of air pollution caused by these compounds is one of the air qualities controlling challenges. "Thermal catalyzed" process is one of the technologies to control this kind of air pollution and consistent with using nanoparticles as a catalyst, this process is further considered now. So, we conducted this study to survey elimination of the BTEX, form polluted air flow, by this process. In this study, removal of the BTEX from polluted air by a thermal catalyzed process in the presence of zero-valent iron and copper oxide nanoparticles was investigated and the effect of changes in pollution load and flow rate was surveyed on removal efficiency and the decomposition of the pollutants. Fe0 and Cu2O nanoparticles were coated on a bed of natural zeolite (Clinoptilolite) with a zeolite grains size of 1-2 mm. The thermal catalyst process was conducted at 350°C and different pollution loading and air flow rate. 96.18% and 78.42% of removal efficiency achieved with the retention times of 14.1s and 7.05s. Increasing the pollution load reduced removal efficiency and pollutants' mineralization. By doubling the pollution load, the removal efficiency declined as much as 14.5 %. According to the results, increasing of the flow rate has a greater effect than the pollution load on the complete decomposition. Also this process showed a good efficiency for BTEX removal under high pollution loading and flow rates
Statistical screening of hexavalent chromium biosorption by Sargassum
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to investigate the statistical screening of hexavalent chromium, Cr (VI), from an aqueous solution using brown seaweed Sargassum as a biosorbent. The biosorption process conditions were evaluated with the statistical screening followed by Plackett-Burman design. The effect of solution pH, contact time, initial chromium and nitrate concentrations were studied. The experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Plackett-Burman design showed the contact time and pH are the most important parameters influencing the Cr (VI) biosorption onto Sargassum. The optimum pH, contact time, the initial biosorbent dosage and initial Cr (VI) and nitrate concentration were found to be 3, 120 min, 1.3 g, 50 mg/L and 1000 mg/L, respectively. The results indicated that the Freundlich model was the most suitable for Cr (VI) biosorption onto Sargassum
Health endpoints caused by PM10 Exposure in Ahvaz, Iran
Get PDFPM10 emissions are defined as PM emissions that are less than ten microns in diameter. Long exposure of suspended particles as showed in his personal life. PM10 can cause harmful health effects such as the prevalence of bronchitis and reduced lung function in children and adults. Major sources of emissions are causing by human intervention particulate road traffic, stationary combustion and industrial processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate health- effects of carbon monoxide exposure in Ahvaz city (located in south-western Iran), during 2012. PM10 data were collected through Ahvaz Meteorological Organization and the Department of Environment. Raw data processing by Excel software includes (instruction set correction of averaging, coding and filtering) and after the impact of meteorological parameters was converted as input file to the Air Q model. Finally, respiratory mortality, cardiovascular death and hospital admissions respiratory disease of PM10 exposure was calculated. The results showed that the approximately 17% of total respiratory mortality, cardiovascular death and hospital admissions respiratory disease happened when the PM10 concentrations were more than 30μg/m3. The results showed that the concentration of PM10 was related to Ahvaz with an annual average 321 μg/m3. Sum of cardiovascular and respiratory death attributed to PM10 were 1055 and 189 cases in 2012. The higher percentage of these deaths perhaps could be the result of higher average PM10 or because of sustained high concentration days in Ahvaz. Therefore, the higher relative risk value can depict mismanagement in urban air quality
A novel method for recovery of acidic sludge of used-motor oil reprocessing industries to bitumen using bentonite and SBS
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Acidic sludge is a by-product from used motor oil reprocessing industries, which thousand tons of this sludge are disposed into the environment as a hazardous waste material daily. The acidic sludge contains unsaturated compounds that are polar and asphaltene. The bitumen under certain conditions is produced from mixing of bentonite, polymer styrene – butadiene – styrene (SBS), and acidic sludge.
Context and purpose: The objective of this study was the recovery of acidic sludge to bitumen using additives such as bentonite and SBS. Also, the effect of additives with different weight percentages (wt%(on the performance parameters of bitumen was evaluated. At first, spilled oil was separated from the acidic sludge by a centrifugal concentrator. Then, concentrated acidic sludge and additives were mixed in together. Finally, the performance tests were carried out to compare the quality of acidic sludge with the obtained products.The results indicated that performance parameters such as softening point (SP), weight loss, penetration degree, PI, Frass breaking point, and temperature susceptibility (TS) were promoted from 37°C, 1.3%, 230 dmm, -0.07854, -5°C and 0.0451 to 54°C, 1%, 130 dmm, 2.7094, -11°C , 0.02721, respectively. According to the paired sample t-test analysis, a significant difference was found between the bentonite dosage and the improved performance parameters from concentrated acidic sludge and obtained products (pvalue ≤.001). The bentonite and SBS with 2 and 4 wt%, respectively were determined as the suitable additives in the recovery of acidic sludge to bitumen
Combined effect of workplace noise and smoking on some hematological parameters on workers in a food manufacturing plant.
Get PDFGenerally, no industry can be found to be safe in terms of noise pollution. Noise is the wide- spread form of environmental stressor in the industrialized urban areas.
Aim: the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the combined effect of workplace noise and smoking on some hematological parameters on employing work in a food manufacturing plant.
This is a retrospective study before and after for five years since starting of the work. In this study, 50 male subjects participated: smokers (n=11) and nonsmokers (n=39), for further individual information and certain specific points, a developed standard questionnaire, were filled out by participants. For the past 4-year’s details, blood tests and medical records of persons since initially hired, were used. The details of the fifth year were measured by the presenters. Using the ISO protocol 1999 and 9612, workplace noise was measured and the noise map was drawn using arc-view GIS software. Statistical analysis SPSS software version 18 was investigated. Due to the nature of the study, the significance level was set at a P value ≤0.1.
Statistical findings and laboratory data showed that the effect of noise and smoking on red blood cells and white blood cells of smokers and nonsmokers was significant (
Porosity effects in flame length of the porous burners
Get PDFFurnaces are the devices for providing heat to the industrial systems like boilers, gas turbines and etc. The main challenge of furnaces is emission of huge air pollutants. However, porous burners produce less contaminant compared to others. The quality of the combustion process in the porous burners depends on the length of flame in the porous medium. In this paper, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) is used to investigate the porosity effects on the flame length of the combustion process in porous burner. The simulation results demonstrate that increasing the porosity increases the flame length and the combustion zone extends forward. So, combustion quality increases and production of carbon monoxide decrease. It is possible to conclude that temperature distribution in low porosity burner is lower and more uniform than high porosity one. Therefore, by increasing the porosity of the burner, the production of nitrogen oxides increases. So, using an intermediate porosity in the burner appears to be reasonable