Mineralogical Composition of the Urinary Stones from Different Provinces in Iraq

For this study, 25 samples of urinary stones were chosen from different provinces in Iraq as representative sampling localities. These samples of urinary stones were collected to represent kidney, urate, and bladder stones. The main objectives of this study are to try to shed some light on the possibilities of tracking down the effective environmental factors that determine the mineralogical and chemical composition of these stones. The stones were examined using several techniques, the most important of which was the use of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique to determine the mineralogical composition of these stones. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test was conducted to determine the crystallographic forms and structures for the minerals forming these stones. Optical properties of these minerals were studied using a polarizing microscope. All these techniques revealed that the calcium oxalate, represented in Whewellite mineral, is the most dominant type of these stones, in addition to other minerals such as Hydroxy apatite, Struvite, and Uricite. Dittmarite was pointed out for the first time ever in some samples. This mineral has not been determined in any previous study worldwide.Considering the results of mineralogical and chemical examinations of the urinary stones in question, and the statistical information gathered from the Iraqi Health Ministry, statistical analyses were applied. The ratio of male-female cases in this study happened to be 4:1, which was higher than the ratio in the years 1988–1989 and 1993–1994, 2:1; 3:1 respectively. The highest percentage of the cases was in the 15–50 age group, which is considered as the most productive years of human lifetime. This study showed that one of the most significant factors was that the mineralogical variation of urinary stones in some Iraqi provinces was due to geographical differences, which reflect the variation in lithogenic factors and also climatological factors. Other factors may be socioeconomic, genetic, physiological, and pathological, which remain the important factors in forming urinary stones

MEASUREMENT OF GROUND LEVEL OZONE IN SELECTIVE LOCATIONS IN BAGHDAD CITY

The ground level ozone concentration at different locations in Baghdad city was identified. Five different sites have been chosen to identify the ground level ozone concentration. Al- Dora and Al- Za'afarania were chosen as areas contained point source ( power plant station ) in addition to high traffic load , while Al –Uma park, Aden square and Al-Mawal square were chosen as area contained heavy traffic only (line source). The measurement focuses on spring and fall because these periods display favorable meteorology to ozone formation. During the research period the maximum values (peaks) for ground level ozone concentration were observed at fall: at Al-Za'afarania area 101ppb as an average, at Al-Dora 87 ppb as an average and at line source areas 48 ppb as an average. Among the line sources area Al-Mawal square represent the highest peak value at fall 68 ppb. At spring the peaks of ozone concentration observed to be at the same height, 50 ppb for all sites. The downwind sites from the power plant stations at Al-Dora and Al-Za'afarania areas record higher ozone peaks compared with up wind sites. It can be concluded that the effect of power plant stations in forming ozone is larger than traffic load. The comparison between the ground level ozone concentrations that measured during the research period in spring and fall, and the ambient air quality standards (AAQS) shows that: • No exceeded levels were observed in spring for all sites. • In fall the AAQS for ozone was exceeded in Al-Za'afarania area at 12: PM, 1: PM, 2: PM and 3: PM, and in Al-Dora at 2: PM