A study of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Trace Elements in Ambient air PM2.5 in an Urban Site of Tehran, Iran

The concentrations of thirteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and six trace elements adsorbed to a fine fraction of particulate matter (PM ≤ 2.5 µm) were determined at an urban site in Tehran (Iran) during the spring period in 2013. The average concentration of PM2.5 was 41.19 µg/m3, which was 1.64 and 1.2 times higher than the annual average of WHO guidelines and EPA ambient air quality standards, respectively. The trace elements measured in the PM2.5 samples were Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, As and Zn with the mean concentrations of 38.05, 18.2, 4.24, 4.19, 1.34, and 69:92 ng/m3 respectively. Hg wasnot found in any sample in this study. Results from correlation tests between PM2.5 concentrations and different toxic metals; which were studied in various days of the week, including holidays, 1 day after the holidays, and the other days showed that the variability between groups were significant at the 0.05 level. Exception is Hg and Zn. The mean concentrations of PM2.5 and trace elements in 1 day after the holidays were higher compared other 2 groups. Total PAHs concentrations in PM2.5 were found to be 7.92 ng/m3.The most abundant PAHs found were high molecular weight homologues (4-6 ring PAHs) such as Inp, Bgp, Dba, Bkf and Bbf, which are contributing to constituents of vehicular emissions. In general, high molecular weight PAHs are more correlated than low molecular weight PAHs. Moreover a moderate correlation was observed between total PAH concentration and PM2.5 mass

Comparative Investigation of Health Quality of Air in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz Metropolises in 2011-2012

Background and Aims: Air pollution causes wide spectrum acute and chronic effects of health from slight physiological disorders to death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In order to set the control programs, air pollution monitoring and determination of air quality are necessary. The objective of this study was to compare health quality of air in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz cities in 2011- 2012.Materials and Methods: This Study was a descriptive–analytic study. The moment concentrations of Tehran,Isfahan and Shiraz air pollutants were gathered through referring to the environmental protection agency.Then, Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated based on the criteria pollutants’ levels (CO, NO2, SO2, PM10,PM2.5 and O3) for three cities through linear interpolation and was classified into describing classes accordingto tables of National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Data analysis was performed with Excel and SPSS software using One-Way ANOVA test.Results: The results showed that the AQI in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz was higher than Iran’s environmental protection agency standards (AQI>100) in 341, 323 and 85 days, respectively. Furthermore, particulate matter (PM10) has been the critical pollutant in three cities for most days of the year. One-Way ANOVA test between AQI mean of the three cities showed a significant difference.Conclusion: The air quality of the three cities was unhealthy in 2011-2012 and the situation of Tehran andIsfahan air, however, was in the “bad situation”.Key words: Air pollutants, Air quality index, Pollution standard index, Responsible pollutan

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coastal sediments from urban and industrial areas of Asaluyeh Harbor, Iran: distribution, potential source and ecological risk assessment

The distribution and toxicity levels of 16 EPA priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sediments of Asaluyeh shore, Iran were investigated. The total concentrations of the PAHs in surface sediments ranged from 1,054 to 17,448 ng/g dry weights with a mean concentration of 8,067 ng/g. The spatial distribution of PAHs showed that PAH levels are much higher in the industrial areas in comparison with urban areas. Based on diagnostic ratios, pyrogenic activities were dominant sources of PAHs pollution in sediments comparing petroleum sources. The toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQ Carc) of PAHs ranged from 172 to 2,235 ng TEQ/g with mean value of 997.9. Toxicity levels were evaluated using sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and toxic equivalent factors. Samples were collected from industrial and urban stations in Asaluyeh shores. According to SQGs, ΣPAHs concentrations in sediments of urban areas were below the ERL (effects range low), but the industrial samples had ΣPAHs concentrations between ERL and ERM (effects range median). Furthermore, ΣHPAHs (heavy PAHs) and some individual PAHs in some industrial stations exceeded ERM, indicating adverse ecological risk effects frequently occur. Findings demonstrate that the surface sediment from Asaluyeh shore is highly to very highly contaminated with PAHs

The statistical analysis of seasonal and time variations on trend of important air pollutants (SO2, O3, NOx, CO, PM10)-in western Iran: A case study

Western Iran, for example, Kermanshah, is one of the industrial cities of Iran that due to industrial development and transport development and located in the west side of country, the levels of its air pollutants have a lot of fluctuations. So the aim of this study is to determine the trend of variations in Kermanshah air pollutants (sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and particulates).This is a descriptive - analytical study, so that the data of various air pollutants in Kermanshah city during the period of 5 years (2006-2011) obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency of Kermanshah, then data analysis was attempted using SPSS and Excel software. Results showed that the highest average concentrations of pollutants based on years, season and months were 2010, summer and July for O3, 2005, autumn and December for NO, 2008, spring and April for NO2, 2008, summer and July for PM10, 2008, summer and September for SO2 and 2005, Autumn and June for CO. Increasing the some pollutants such as O3, NO and NO2 from 2006 years onwards is related to increasing the vehicle and industries. Therefore, it is essential to understand the causes of increasing and reducing the emissions is needed to Public education to deal, harm reduction and management measures

Dataonmetalcontents(As,Ag,Sr,Sn,Sb,andMo) in sedimentsandshellsof Trachycardiumlacunosum in thenorthernpartofthePersianGulf

In thisdataarticle,byusinginductivelycoupledplasmaoptical spectrometry (ICP-OES)1, weaimedto(1)determinethecon- centration levelsofAs,Ag,Sr,Sn,Sb,andMointhesedimentsand the shellsof Trachycardiumlacunosum simultaneously intwo separatedareas(unpollutedandpollutedareas)(2)comparison between themetalcontentsofsedimentsintheunpollutedand polluted areasaswellasshells.Analysisofdatashowedthat sediment aswellasshellsamplesinpollutedareacontainedsig- nificantly higherconcentrationlevelsofallmeasuredmetals compared withunpollutedare

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers in various plastic products and have aroused considerable concern over their ubiquitous presence and potentially hazardous effects on the environment. This research provides the first data on PAEs distribution in the sediments of northern part of the Persian Gulf. To determine the concentration of 16 PAEs, 26 samples of sediments were collected from industrial stations (IS), urban stations (US), agricultural stations (AGS), and natural field stations (NS) from Asalouyeh Harbor coasts from Nov 2016 to Jan 2017. The mean values of Ʃ16PAEs in the samples taken from IS, AGS, US, and NS were 78.08, 11.69, 46.56, and 5.180 μg/g, respectively. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Ʃ16PAEs in the samples taken from IS and AGS areas were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the ones taken from US and NS areas. The order of PAEs concentrations in sediment samples were as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), respectively. DEHP was detected in all collected samples and the mean ± SD of its concentration in the IS, US, AGS, and NS regions were as 28.15 ± 4.9, 4.040 ± 0.53, 11.58 ± 1.2, and 1.780 ± 0.78 μg/g, respectively. The major sources of PAEs in the sediments collected from the study region were associated with the industrial and agricultural activities. The findings of this study indicated that the sediments of the Asalouyeh coasts are heavily contaminated with PAEs. They have shown potential ecotoxicological effects on the aquatic organisms and benthic. Therefore, more attention should be paid to prediction of the marine ecosystem in this region by the authorities. m

بررسي مقايسه اي كيفيت بهداشتي هواي كلانشهرهاي تهران، اصفهان و شيراز در سال 1390

Background and Aims: Air pollution causes wide spectrum acute and chronic effects of health from slight physiological disorders to death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In order to set the control programs, air pollution monitoring and determination of air quality are necessary. The objective of this study was to compare health quality of air in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz cities in 2011- 2012.Materials and Methods:&nbsp;This Study was a descriptive–analytic study. The moment concentrations of Tehran,Isfahan and Shiraz air pollutants were gathered through referring to the environmental protection agency.Then, Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated based on the criteria pollutants’ levels (CO, NO2, SO2, PM10,PM2.5 and O3) for three cities through linear interpolation and was classified into describing classes accordingto tables of National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Data analysis was performed with Excel and SPSS software using One-Way ANOVA test.Results:&nbsp;The results showed that the AQI in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz was higher than Iran’s environmental protection agency standards (AQI&gt;100) in 341, 323 and 85 days, respectively. Furthermore, particulate matter (PM10) has been the critical pollutant in three cities for most days of the year. One-Way ANOVA test between AQI mean of the three cities showed a significant difference.Conclusion:&nbsp;The air quality of the three cities was unhealthy in 2011-2012 and the situation of Tehran andIsfahan air, however, was in the “bad situation”.زمينه و هدف: امروزه وضعيت نامطلوب كيفيت هوا در كلانشهرها موجب ايجاد طيف وسيعي از اثرات بهداشتي حاد و مزمن ازاختلالات جزئي فيزيولوژيكي گرفته تا مرگ ناشي از بيماري هاي تنفسي و قلبي عروقي مي شود. بنابراين پايش آلاينده ها و تعيين مستمركيفيت هواي كلانشهرها به منظور تدوين برنامه هاي كنترل آن، ضروري است. لذا هدف اين مطالعه، مقايسه كيفيت بهداشتى هوايشهرهاي تهران، اصفهان و شيراز در سال 1390 مى باشد.مواد و رو شها: اين مطالعه از نوع توصيفي- تحليلى م ىباشد. غلظ تهاي لحظه اي آلايند ههاي هواي شهرهاي تهران، اصفهان و شيراز بامراجعه به سازمان حفاظت محيط زيست بدست آمد. سپس شاخص كيفيت هوا از طريق درون يابى بين غلظت آلاينده ها براي آلاينده های معیار هوای سه شهر و برمبنای جدول استاندارد کیفیت بهداشتی هوا به طبقات توصیف کننده طبقه بندی گردید. نتيجه گيري: كيفيت هواي سه شهر درسال 1390 بهداشتى نبوده و هواي شهرهاي تهران و اصفهان وضعيت نامطلوبترى نسبت به هوايشيراز داشته است

Indicator bacteria community in seawater and coastal sediment: the Persian Gulf as a case.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The aim of present work was to assess the concentration levels as well as vertical distribution of indicator bacteria including total coliform, fecal coliform, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) in the marine environment (seawater and coastal sediments) and evaluate the correlation between indicator bacteria and some physicochemical parameters of surface sediments as well as seawaters. METHODS: A total number of 48 seawater and sediment samples were taken from 8 stations (each site 6 times with an interval time of 2 weeks) between June and September 2014. Seawater and sediment samples were collected from 30 cm under the surface samples and different sediment depths (0, 4, 7, 10, 15, and 20 cm) respectively, along the Persian Gulf in Bushehr coastal areas. RESULTS: Based on the results, the average numbers of bacterial indicators including total coliform, fecal coliform, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as HPC in seawater samples were 1238.13, 150.87, 8.22 MPN/100 ml and 1742.91 CFU/ml, respectively, and in sediment samples at different depths (from 0-20 cm) varied between 25 × 103 to 51.67 × 103, 5.63 × 103 to 12.46 × 103, 17.33 to 65 MPN/100 ml, 36 × 103 to 147.5 × 103 CFU/ml, respectively. There were no statistically significant relationships between the indicator organism concentration levels with temperature as well as pH value of seawater. A reverse correlation was found between the level of indicator bacteria and salinity of seawater samples. Also results revealed that the sediment texture influenced abundance of indicators bacteria in sediments. As the concentration levels of indicators bacteria were higher in muddy sediments compare with sandy ones. CONCLUSION: Result conducted Bushehr coastal sediments constitute a reservoir of indicator bacteria, therefore, whole of the indicators determined were distinguished to be present in higher levels in sediments than in the overlying seawater. It was concluded that the concentration levels of microbial indicators decreased with depth in sediments. Except total coliform, the numbers of other bacteria including fecal coliform, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and HPC bacteria significantly declined in the depth between 10 and 15 cm

Assessment of sediment quality based on acid-volatile sulfide and simultaneously extracted metals in heavily industrialized area of Asaluyeh, Persian Gulf: concentrations, spatial distributions,and sediment bioavailability/toxicity

Sediment samples from the coastal area of Asaluyeh harbor were collected during autumn and spring 2015. The acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEMs) were measured to assess the sediment quality and potential ecological risks. The average concentrations (and relative standard deviation (RSD)) of AVS in the industrial sediments were 12.32 μmol/g (36.91) and 6.34 μmol/g (80.05) in autumn and spring, respectively, while in the urban area, these values were 0.44 μmol/g (123.50) and 0.31 μmol/g (160.0) in autumn and spring, respectively. The average concentrations of SEM (and RSD) in the industrial sediments were 15.02 μmol/g (14.38) and 12.34 μmol/g (20.65) in autumn and spring, respectively, while in the urban area, these values were 1.10 μmol/g (43.03) and 1.06 μmol/g (55.59) in autumn and spring, respectively. Zn was the predominant component (34.25–86.24 %) of SEM, while the corresponding value for Cd, much more toxic ingredient, was less than 1 %. Some of the coastal sediments in the harbor of Asaluyeh (20 and 47 % in autumn and spring, respectively) had expected adverse biological effects based on the suggested criterion by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), while most stations (80 and 53 % in autumn and spring, respectively) had uncertain adverse effects

Concentrations and potential risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from indoor dust of Bushehr, Iran

Indoor dust samples were collected in the summer of 2017 from 10 residential buildings, 7 commercial buildings and 7 official buildings of Bushehr. Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed by GC-MS. The sum concentration of the 16 PAHs in dust spanned between 87.8 to 14619 mgkg-1d.w. with a mean of 2211.6 mgkg-1d.w. The mean concentration of PAHs for the dust samples from the commercial buildings was higher than from residential buildings and, from residential building was higher than from official buildings. The cancer risk through dermal and ingestion route ranged from 10-6 to 10-5 across all the dust samples, while the average of cancer risk through inhalation pathway was 10-9 to 10−12, about 104 to 106 times lower, when compared with other two pathways (ingestion and dermal contact). Also, the level of cancer risk for children was significantly higher than the corresponding risk for adults. The results of this work would be suitable to enhance the quality of living environment and human health in Bushehr province