Assess the annual effective dose and contribute to risk of lung cancer caused by internal radon 222 in 22 regions of Tehran, Iran using geographic information system

Radon gas is one of the most influential sources of indoor exposure. All its physical properties together make it a significant risk factor for lung cancer in the population. The research aims are outlined as (1) to measure the radon concentration in Tehran city and compare results with the international standards (2) to determine spatial distribution of radon gas concentration using Geographical Information System (GIS) software and (3) to estimate the annual effective dose and potential risk of lung cancer by radon-222 in Tehran city. In this study, 800 Alpha Track detectors were installed in houses in 22 regions of Tehran city and retrieved after 3 months. The measurements were repeated for spring and summer and autumn seasons. The annual effective dose and risk of lung cancer were assessed using standard equations. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Result showed the minimum and maximum radon concentration were observed in and Ghalee-kobra (0.13 Bq.m-3) and Charbagh-ponak district (661.11 Bq.m-3) respectively. There was no observed relationship between radon concentration and houses' model, cracking condition and constructionn materials. Expectedly, the storehouses and basements had significantly higher (P = 0.016) radon concentration than occupied rooms. The min and max of the estimated annual effective dose were 0.65 and 2.03 mSv, respectively. Result showed that around 5 of the sampling sites had higher level of radon than the maximum allowed by EPA. A rough estimation of the expected radon-attributed lung cancer incidences yielded approximately 5958 cases in the total population of Tehran every year. In view of the growing trend in cancer incidences, appropriate measures addressing radon should be undertaken in areas of increased exposure to this noble gas. © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Sensitivity Comparison of Different 16s rDNA- Specific Primers for Detection of Legionella Species in Aquatic Samples

Background and Objectives: Legionella are gram-negative bacteria widely dispersed in natural and man-made water sources. Some Legionella species are pathogenic and could cause respiratory infections. Cultivation technique is the conventional method for the detection of Legionella spp. in aquatic samples. However, the method has low sensitivity and require prolonged incubation period. Therefore, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a rapid method with extreme sensitivity is used. The present study was designed to evaluate the feasibility and sensitivity of PCR method for detection of Legionellas pp. in aquatic samples using three sets of primers.Materials and Methods: In this study, 60 water samples were investigated for the presence of Legionella species using Nested- PCR technique. The sensitivity of this technique was evaluated for the detection of Legionella species in aquatic samples using three primer sets, including (LEG225-LEG858), (LEG448-LEG858), and (LEG448-JRP).Results: The nested PCR assay revealed that detection percentage of Legionella in samples was 70 when LEG448-JRP primers were used, whereas this percentage reduced to 50 and 45 when we applied prime sets of LEG225-LEG858 and LEG448 - LEG858, respectively.Conclusion: The results of the study showed that contamination of aquatic samples to the Legionella spp. could be easily and rapidly detected by nested PCR. However, selecting appropriate method for DNA extraction and choosing the primers are important factors in efficiency and sensitivity of detection method

Data on assessment of groundwater quality with application of ArcGIS in Zanjan, Iran

The aim of this study was to Monitoring of physical and chemical characteristics of ground water including Ca2+, Mg2+, EC, pH, TDS, TH, HCO3− , Na+, K+, Cl−, SAR, %Na and SO42− in Zanjan city, Iran. For assessing the physic-chemical parameters from 15 wells, water samples 4 times at different times were collected and examined. Data were analyzed using R and Arc GIS software. According to the calculated correlation coefficients, the highest correlation Coefficient belonged to TDS-EC while HCO3− and Cl− showed low and weak correlations. However, Na+, Mg2+, K+, Ca2+ exhibited good positive correlations with EC and TDS. The results show that the water in the study area at the time of the study was based on the WHO standards and appropriate for drinking. Keywords: Ground water, Zanjan, Ira

Assessment health status of ICU medical equipment levels at Neyshabur hospitals using ICNA and ACC indices

This study was conducted to evaluate the health status of medical equipment’s in Neyshabur hospital’s intensive care units (ICU) before and after daily cleaning in order to compare the efficiency of the observational and microbial methods in evaluating hygienic conditions and cleaning of the environmental surfaces at the hospitals in Neyshabur. The study was performed in a ten-week period, twice a week before and after daily cleaning according to the ICNA observational method and the ACC microbial method were performed on the selected sites. (before and after daily cleaning in order to compare ICNA observational method and the ACC microbial method which performed on the selected sites). Result showed in total, 826 ICNA checklists were completed in this research for the 13 studied spots, 27.12% of the spots were contaminated before cleaning procedures, which dropped to 7.75% after cleaning. Data of the samples using the ACC index revealed that 74.82 were contaminated and 7.75% were clean. Bottle suction with 8.2% and Electroshock with 1% were the most and the least contaminated spots, respectively. As the results proved, the microorganism of Staphylococcus epidermises is the most grown organism in the intensive care unit. This study suggests that visual assessment is not enough to ensure quality of the process and it is necessary to document the level of cleanliness by quantitative methods. Also preparing the integrated instructions and guidelines of cleaning and disinfection and its continuous monitoring with standard methods would be effective in reducing the microbial contamination. Methods name: The study was performed in a ten-week period, twice a week before and after daily cleansing in contrary to the ICNA observational method and the ACC microbial method were performed on the selected sites, Keywords: Intensive care units (ICU), Health status, ICNA, ACC, Hospitals, Disinfectio

Spatial Distribution Variation and Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Exposure to Fluoride in Ground Water Supplies: A Case Study in an Endemic Fluorosis Region of Northwest Iran

Prevalence of fluorosis is a worldwide public health issue, especially in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate fluoride concentration in drinking water resources within Maku city, in both the warm and cold seasons, to perform a health risk assessment. Fluoride were measured using UV-visible spectrophotometry. The spatial distribution was calculated by the software ArcGIS and Hazard Quotients (HQs) were calculated according to the US EPA method. The fluoride concentrations ranged between 0.29 to 6.68 and 0.1 to 11.4 mg/L in the cold and warm seasons, respectively. Based on this report, 30.64 and 48.15% of the samples revealed a fluoride level higher than the permissible level in the cold and warm seasons, respectively. Moreover, results showed that the HQ value in the warm season for different age groups was higher than the HQ value in the cold season. In both seasons, the non-carcinogenic risks of fluoride for the four exposed populations varied according to the order: children > teenagers > adults > infants. The HQ values for three age groups (children, teenager and adults) for both seasons were higher than 1 with a high risk of fluorosis. The results of this study, support the requests that government authorities better manage water supplies to improve health quality

Data on quality indices of groundwater resource for agricultural use in the Jolfa, East Azerbaijan, Iran

The aim of this study was to evaluate the groundwater quality Indices of Groundwater resource for Agricultural Use in jolfa city (Iran) during one decade (2003–2013). Data showed in the first and end year of the study period, the Mean±SD of Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Sodium Percentage (Na%) indices 5455.77±3878.02, 3638.69±3565.19 and 51.49±15.65, 41.58±17.69, respectively. The data indicate that the, in terms of sodium percentage and sodium adsorption ratio, the water quality in this area is not suitable for irrigation. Keywords: Groundwater, Indices changes, SAR, Na%, Jolf