Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, and Lead in Children’s Products in Iran

Background: Non-standard creativity tools and entertainment products may contain heavy metals. Children are more sensitive than adults to this potentially toxic chemicals. This study aimed at investigating harmful elements in children’s products in Iran. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, Iranian samples (13 play dough samples, 6 finger paint, and 1 face paint sample) and 10 imported samples were investigated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical package (version 19). Results: The results of this study showed that the lead content of 2 samples of play dough (76%), 10 samples of finger paint (100%) and 3 samples of face paint (100%) was higher than the permissible limits set by the Iranian National Standards Organization. Lead and cadmium contents of 100% of the samples of play dough, along with the face and finger paints exceeded the permissible limits set by the European Union. Conclusion: Research on prolonged exposure to harmful elements and comprehensive risk characterization for toys is recommended

Removal of 17β-estradiol (E2) from Aqueous Solutions by Adsorption Using Oak Jaft and Tea Waste, Isotherm Investigation, and Adsorption Kinetics

The present study aims to investigate wastewater treatment of hormones by oak jaft and tea waste adsorbents. Various factors were used to evaluate the adsorption process, such as the initial pollutant concentration, adsorbent concentration, contact time, and pH. The results showed that both adsorbents, jaft, and tea waste, can adsorb 17β-estradiol. Maximum adsorption was 82.4% for jaft adsorbent and 81.5% for tea waste at 85 min, 7 g/L of adsorbent dose, and pH = 4.5, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium was performed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Liu models, based on the results, Freundlich model with R2 values >0.97 demonstrated better agreement with the adsorption experimental data. To obtain information on adsorption velocity, three models of pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich were used. The findings revealed that the pseudo-second-order model with R2 > 0.98 is a better fit for the experimental data. Therefore, the jaft adsorbent and tea waste can be used as effective and economical adsorbents for the removal of organic pollutants in wastewater treatment plants