Iranian Journal of Health, Safety and Environment (IJHSE)
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Species Composition and Seasonal Activity of Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Paveh County, West of Iran
Get PDFPhlebotomine sand flies are biological vectors of leishmaniasis in Iran and many other countries. In order to determine fauna and seasonal activity of sand flies, an investigation was carried out in Paveh County, Kermanshah Province, west of Iran. Using sticky traps sand flies collected in 5 sites of Paveh County from May to October of 2015. Activity of sand flies started in late April and ended in early October. Totally 2110 (71.1% male and 28.9% female) phlebotominae were collected from outdoors (64.6%) and indoors (35.4%) respectively. Twelve species in two genera were identified including: Phlebotomus alexandri, Ph. Sergenti, Ph. papatasi, Ph. major, Ph. tobbi, Ph. brevis, Sergentomyia sintoni, S. dentata, S. antennata, S. palestinensis, S. pawlowskyi and S. tiberiadis. Phlebotomus alexandri was predominant species in the region with 50% all of collected sand flies and Ph. brevis comprised only 0.04% of specimens. Due to documented report of seropositive cases of visceral leishmaniasis in Paveh County and presence of proven vectors in this area, further studies on epidemiological and entomological aspects of disease are recommended
Knowledge and Practice of Nursing Staff about Sharp Waste Management in Selected Hospitals of Military (Tehran) and Non- Military (Qom) in 2012
Get PDFHealthcare wastes are a major challenge in public health and comprise all types of wastes generated by healthcare centers, research facilities, and laboratories. The aim of this study was surveying the knowledge and practice of nursing staff about sharp waste management in selected military (Tehran) and non- military (Qom) hospitals in 2012. This was a descriptive-analytical study on 143 nursing stuff in Military and Non-Military hospitals. Data was collected using a self-report questionnaire. Statistical tests such as the student t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation were used to data analysis. The mean age of participants was 32(±6.3) and the majority were female. The mean score of knowledge was 54.7(±14.4) and their knowledge classified on a moderate level. Also, the mean score of practice was 65.44(±11.6) and was classified on a moderate level. The means of these variables were higher among personnel of Military than Non-Military. There were positive correlations between knowledge, practice and age variables (
Feasibility Study for Reuse of Zarand Thermal Power Plant Wastewater Passed through Reverse Osmosis Process
Get PDFIncreased urbanization and industrialization have disturbed the balance between water demand and water supply. Thermal power plants are among the largest water consumers and wastewater producers, while wastewater reuse can deal with the both concerns. Effluents of thermal power plants contain various pollutants, so remediation is needed before any other usage. Assessment the efficacy of Reverse Osmosis (RO) system in treatment of Zarand power plant wastewater for reuse was the aim of present work. Physical and chemical parameters including pH, temperature, turbidity, BOD, COD, chromium, sulphate, chloride, nitrate, and phosphate ions were determined in samples collected from three locations of power station: feed water, influent to RO, and effluent. Sampling was done in the first six months of 2012. Data was characterized using descriptive statistics and Excel software. The average performance of RO in the removal percent of turbidity, BOD, COD, chromium, sulphate, chloride, nitrate, and phosphate was 57.5, 14.5, 27.4, 28, 46, 26, 73, and 99% respectively. In spite of less satisfying values of efficiency, mean values of pH, turbidity, BOD, COD, chromium, chloride, nitrate, and phosphate measured in effluent passing through RO were 7.5, 0.14 NTU, 1.8, 2.83, 0.018, 320, 1.6, and 0.001 mg/l respectively, all in compliance with discharging or irrigation standards, while 704 mg/l of sulphate ions detected in effluent, were much higher than acceptable limits
Effects of Occupational Exposure on the Health of Rag Pickers Due to Fungal Contamination at Waste Dumping Sites in Gwalior (India)
Get PDFWe investigated fungal contamination near different waste dumping sites and assessed the health risk factors of rag pickers associated with collection of waste in Gwalior during the year 2014-15. Petri plates were exposed at waste dumping sites and were transferred to the laboratory, analysis and identification was mainly carried out by culturing the fungal colonies by following standard procedures. A pretested questionnaire was used to evaluate the health problems among the rag pickers. Results indicated that all the dumping sites are contaminated with different types of fungal pathogens like Alternaria alternate, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigates, A. niger, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium and Rhizopus. Our study reported higher incidence of musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases among rag pickers. There is also strong need for carrying out similar assessment studies for other cities too. This will entail generation of more precise site specific information regarding fungal species and associated health risk factor
Assessment of Groundwater Quality for Drinking Purposes Using Water Quality Index (WQI) in Shiraz, Iran (2011 to 2015)
Get PDFDrinking water quality monitoring is a prerequisite for macro planning of development programs in metropolitans, improvement in health, and water resources management. Since WQIs (Water Quality Index) are known as comprehensive tools for interpretation of water quality, this study benefitted from this tool to determine the drinking water quality trends in Shiraz, Iran in a five year period from 2011 to 2015 and figure out the factors affecting its changes in this city. For this aim, annual data of 9 water quality parameters including DO, Fecal Coliforms, pH, BOD5, NO3, PO4, temperature deviation, turbidity, and TS were collected for 45 drinking water wells located in 4 zones (Dokuhak, Derak, Sabzpushan, and Chamran) to calculate the WQI. Pairwise comparison of years in terms of WQI values was analyzed statically using post-HOC analysis in Univariable repeated measure test. The results showed that the highest and the lowest water quality level both for annual and long term evaluations belonged to Derak and Chamran zones, respectively. All the studied wells in the five years were classified in "good" quality group. According to statistically analyze the highest significant change in water quality (p-value < 0.001) was found between the two years 2013 and 2015. In terminal years of the study, the increased concentration of TS and NO3 caused a partial decrease in water quality in some sources. These significant differences can be considered as a warning for the soon future. Therefore, it makes sense to accelerate the development of sewer systems and manage uncontrolled population growth in this city to prevent further water pollution. Permanent monitoring of water quality using WQIs seems to be essential to figure out a perspective of water quality trends and proper decision-making for developments in urban areas
Evaluation of the Bacteriological Quality of Dental Unit’s Waterlines, Tehran, Iran
Get PDFOral and dentistry (O&D) services processes may lead to exposing of personnel and patients with several microorganisms and arising of health problems. This cross-sectional study was investigated the bacteriological quality of dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) in one of the O&D center in Tehran, Iran. One hundred ninety two samples were collected and examined based on standard microbiological procedures for determining and enumeration of heterotrophic plate count (HPC), Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Data were analyzed by t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis and LSD tests with SPSS software (Ver.16). The results revealed that 70% of water samples (126 samples) had a high density of contaminations that higher than recommended values for DUWLs quality. The mean of bacterial density on Saturday was more than Wednesday and was 1838 CFU/ml, 739 CFU/ml and 11 CFU/ml for HPC, P. aeruginosa, and S.aureuse respectively. The LSD test implied that the mean of bacterial density of inlet and outlet waters had significant statistical difference in various wards of the O&D center (p < 0.05). In addition, the results demonstrated that bacteriological quality in discharging water of various wards was higher than the recommended values. This research revealed that microbial water quality assessment in O&D services centers should be considered for providing of an appropriate disinfection procedure from point of infection control in dental operation services
Prefer Parameters of Occupational Health Surveillance System (OSS) in Expert Opinions of Occupational Staffs: A Qualitative Study
Get PDFOccupational Health Surveillance System (OHSS) provides a critical opportunity to monitor and evaluate occupational disorders and injuries over the time. Among more than 21 million employees in Iran, 62.08% and 38.03% had been worked in the industrial and private sections respectively. Present qualitative study was designed for collection of expert opinion of staffs in this field and determined proper characters of suitable Iranian OHSS. Present qualitative study was performed on an interview based on data from occupational medicine staffs. Some questions about OHSS definition, temporary accompaniment of occupational diseases and injuries surveillance system, OHSS promoters and consumers, type of requested data for OHSS and rewarding and controlling systems to prepare qualitative and valid OHSS data. Interview answers were read, summarized and presented. Most of study participants’ staff believed that OHSS in the scientific base must cover all of essentially its parts including disorders, hazards and accidents together. They believed that this combination was made by a team working with occupational medicine staffs and other specialties such as occupational hygienist and information technologists. They emphasized that the Iranian ministry of health had the capacity to promote OHSS and organizing executive committee with all of OHSS involved as team working in this field. Occupational staff had been focused on this fact that OHSS data must cover all of needed data of Iranian working population and their relatives. Iranian occupational registry system must be change and develop as Occupational Health Surveillance system according the main parameters which were found in occupational staff interview
Extending a Consensus-based Fuzzy Ordered Weighting Average (FOWA) Model in New Water Quality Indices
Get PDFIn developing a specific WQI (Water Quality Index), many quality parameters are involved with different levels of importance. The impact of experts’ different opinions and viewpoints, current risks affecting their opinions, and plurality of the involved parameters double the significance of the issue. Hence, the current study tries to apply a consensus-based FOWA (Fuzzy Ordered Weighting Average) model as one of the most powerful and well-known Multi-Criteria Decision- Making (MCDM) techniques to determine the importance of the used parameters in the development of such WQIs which is shown with an example. This operator has provided the capability of modeling the risks in decision-making through applying the optimistic degree of stakeholders and their power coupled with the use of fuzzy numbers. Totally, 22 water quality parameters for drinking purposes were considered in this study. To determine the weight of each parameter, the viewpoints of 4 decision-making groups of experts were taken into account. After determining the final weights, to validate the use of each parameter in a potential WQI, consensus degrees of both the decision makers and the parameters are calculated. The highest and the lowest weight values, 0.999 and 0.073 respectively, were related to Hg and temperature. Regarding the type of consumption that was drinking, the parameters’ weights and ranks were consistent with their health impacts. Moreover, the decision makers’ highest and lowest consensus degrees were 0.9905 and 0.9669, respectively. Among the water quality parameters, temperature (with consensus degree of 0.9972) and Pb (with consensus degree of 0.9665), received the highest and lowest agreement with the decision-making group. This study indicated that the weight of parameters in determining water quality largely depends on the experts’ opinions and approaches. Moreover, using the FOWA model provides results accurate and closer- to-reality on the significance of each of the water quality parameters. Thus, using this operator can be a precise and appropriate method to determine the parameters’ weights and importance in order to develop specific WQIs for drinking, industrial, and agricultural purposes
The Potential Ability of Plaster to Cause Breast Cancer as Indicated by CA15-3 and CEA Antigens in Women Working in Gypsum Factory
Get PDFPlaster is an important form of gypsum that mainly used in building construction. Breast cancer was investigated among women exposure to the dust of such material. The levels of CA15-3 and carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) as indicators for breast cancer were measured in the serum of 120 women working in a plaster factory. All of involved women showed a normal level of CEA, while 12.5% of them had moderately elevated levels of CA15-3. In conclusion; plaster dust has no significant effect to cause breast cancer in working women. Moderately high levels of CA15-3 in some of exposed women may relate to liver diseases
Fire Risk Assessment: A Systematic Review of the Methodology and Functional Areas
Get PDFFire is a physical and social phenomenon that affects both individuals and the environment. Fire risk assessment is a critical part of a fire prevention program. In this process, the fire risk associated with the possibility of occurrence and severity of damage resulting from the fire is estimated and calculated. In this paper, a classification scheme and a systematic literature review are presented in order to classify and interpret the current researches on fire risk assessment methodologies and applications. Based on the scheme, 93 scholarly papers from 13 journals are categorized into application areas and other categories. The application areas include the papers on the topics of environmental impact, production and industry, transportation, buildings, power industry, oil and gas industry, urban fires and other topics. Scholarly papers are also classified by (1) year of publication, (2) journal of publication, (3) year of publication and application areas and (4) authors’ nationality. The survey results show that the largest number of papers was published during the period 2010-2012 with 31 (33.33%), the most of the studies have been carried out on environmental impact (47.31%), the journal of Forest Ecology and Management had the highest percentage of articles with 26.88%. It is hoped that the paper can meet the needs of researchers for easy references of fire risk assessment methodologies and applications. Therefore, this work would be able to provide useful insights into the anatomy of the fire-risk assessment methods, and suggest academic researchers and experts a framework for future attempts and researches