Toxic heavy metals and nutrient concentration in the milk of goat herds in two Iranian industrial and non-industrial zones

This work aimed to explore the concentration of nickel, manganese, iron, copper, chromium, and lead in the milk of goat herds in the industrial area of Asaluyeh (southern Iran) and the non-industrial area of Kaki. The milk of 16 goat herds (each herd had at least ten goats) was collected in several villages in each area, and at the same time, the drinking water and forage of goats were sampled. The concentration of elements in the samples was determined by ICP-OES. The mean concentrations of chromium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and nickel in milk samples of the Asaluyeh area were 16.423 ± 0.349, 0.146 ± 0.118, 6.111 ± 0.501, 0.239 ± 0.016, 0.141 ± 0.030, and 1.447 ± 0.101 mg/kg, respectively. Concentrations of heavy metals (except for copper) in the milk of goats in the industrialized area of Asaluyeh were significantly higher than that of Kaki (P < 0.05). Also, the content of heavy metals was significantly correlated with lactose levels (P < 0.05). The hazard index for drinking the goat milk was computed to be 0.444 and 0.386 for the Asaluyeh and Kaki area, respectively, which shows a minimal effect of this exposure pathway

Potential of green/brown algae for monitoring of metal(loid)s pollution in the coastal seawater and sediments of the Persian Gulf: ecological and health risk assessment

The current investigation evaluates metal (loid)s biomonitoring using algae as well as the metal(loid) pollution of seawaters and sediments in the northern part along the Persian Gulf. Algae, seawater, and sediment samples were collected from four coastal areas with different land applications. The concentration of Ni, V, As, and Cd in abiotic samples (seawater and sediment) and four species of algae (Enteromorpha intestinalis, Rhizoclonium riparium, Cystoseira myrica, and Sargassum boveanum) was measured using an ICP-AES device. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements in seawater, sediments, and algae species followed the trend of “Ni˃V˃As˃Cd.” The area of Asaloyeh (with the highest industrial activity) and the Dayyer area (with the lowest industrial activity) provided the highest and lowest amounts of metal(loid)s pollution, respectively. The average concentrations of V and As in four algae species significantly differed for all sampled areas. Obtaining the bio-concentration factor (BCF) > 1 for seawater and Ganaveh>Bushehr>Dayyer. Algae species of C. myrica and E. intestinalis can often serve as suitable biological tools for monitoring seawater and sediment quality

Performance of ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of date stones activated carbon for copper ions removal from aqueous media and electroplating wastewater

Copper (Cu2+) is found in various industrial wastewaters and has been associated to environmental and health adverse effects. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the adsorption property of ultrasonic-assisted- synthesized adsorbent prepared from date stones for copper ions elimination from aqueous solution. Physicochemical characteristics of the adsorbent including surface morphology, specific surface area, pore volume, functional groups, and pHzpc were determined. The adsorbent showed a high specific surface area of 512.38 m2 g-1, pore volume of 0.314 cm3 g-1, and the mean pore diameter of 26.6 nm. The effect of pH (3, 5, 6), adsorbent dose (0.25-4 g L-1), and contact time (3-60 min) on the copper adsorption was investigated. The copper adsorption by studied adsorbent was dependent on pH and the maximum removal was achieved at the solution pH of 6. The copper concentration of 40 mg L-1 was completely removed at the adsorbent dosage of 3 g L-1 and the contact time of 30 min. The equilibrium study was observed to conform with the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.997 and qmax = 188.67 mg g-1). Adsorption data were suitably described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 > 0.99). Besides, used mesoporous activated carbon could be effectively reused for at least five times after treatment with HCl solutio

Empirical cumulative entropy as a new trace elements indicator to determine the relationship between algae-sediment pollution in the Persian Gulf, southern Iran

In this paper, the amount of 19 elements in three species of algae and associated sediment in the northern margin of the Persian Gulf was investigated. A sampling of algae was performed on the coast with a length of 5 km in each station and surface sediment was sampled at the same time in low and middle intertidal zones. The values of elements in the samples were measured by using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) device. Then, the amount of bioaccumulation factor in algae tissue relative to sediment (biota-sediment accumulation factor, BSAF) was determined. The value of BSAF was compared with the empirical cumulative entropy (ECE). ECE is based on comparing the element information in algae with those in sediments. The results showed that BSAF was very closely related to the ECE factor so that significant correlations were obtained for algae species of P. gymnospora (ECE = 0.477 BSAF, R2: 0.967), H. hamulosa (ECE = 0.542 BSAF, R2: 0.979), and C. membranacea (ECE = 0.356 BSAF, R2: 0.976). The ECE values > 0.4 were similar to those obtained for BSAF > 1, exhibiting that the element accumulation in algae was higher than in sediments. Based on ECE, to determine the vanadium accumulation in the environment, the C. membranacea algae are more appropriate than H. hamulosa. Overall, the data showed that ECE is a good alternative to BSAF in estimating marine pollution

Occurrence, distribution, and potential sources of antibiotics pollution in the water-sediment of the northern coastline of the Persian Gulf, Iran

Occurrence and frequency of six most prescribed antibiotics (tetracycline, norfloxacin, azithromycin, anhydro erythromycin, cephalexin, and amoxicillin) were assessed in three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and in water and sediments of the Persian Gulf at Bushehr coastline, Iran. The antibiotics concentration in the influent and effluent of septic tank (the hospital WWTP), activated sludge (the hospital WWTP), and stabilization pond (municipal WWTP) ranged between 7.89 and 149.63, 13.49–198.47, 6.55–16.37 ng/L, respectively. Conventional treatment resulted in incomplete removal of most of the studied antibiotics. Furthermore, the activated sludge was more effective in terms of antibiotic elimination compared to the stabilization pond or septic tank. The mean concentration of antibiotics ranged 1.21–51.50 ng/L in seawater and 1.40–25.32 ng/g in sediments during summer and winter. Norfloxacin was the dominant detected antibiotic in seawater, sediments, and influent of two hospital WWTPs. Seasonal comparisons showed significant differences for erythromycin and amoxicillin concentrations in seawater. Spatial variation indicated the role of physicochemical properties on distribution of antibiotics in seawater and sediments. The results emphasize the need to pay attention to antibiotic contamination in water and sediments of the Persian Gul

Organochlorine pesticides contamination in agricultural soils of southern Iran

There is limited information about pesticide contamination in Iran's agricultural land, particularly in plains producing exportable fruits. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the concentration of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) including hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), chlordane (CHL), and their isomers compounds in agricultural soils of southern Iran. A total of 28 topsoil samples were collected from agricultural lands of Dalaki and Shabankare areas, Bushehr, Iran. In Dalaki area, the mean value of ΣHCH (α, β, γ, δ), ΣDDT (o,p-DDE, o,p-DDD, o,p-DDT, p,p-DDE, p,p-DDD, p,p-DDT, and DDT), and ΣCHL (Trans-chlordane, Cis-chlordane, Heptachlor-exo-epoxide, and Heptachlor) was found to be 0.411 ng/g (dry weight, dw), 4.37 ng/g dw, and 2.04 ng/g dw, respectively. In Shabankare area the mean value of ΣHCH, ΣDDT, and ΣCHL was measured to be 1.38 ng/g dw, 11.99 ng/g dw, and 1.62 ng/g dw, respectively. The concentration trend of pesticides in both areas was as follows: DDT > CHL > HCH. Source identification indicated recent usage of HCH and DDT in the studied areas. Obtaining a cis-chlordane/trans-chlordane ratio greater than one in Shabankare farmlands showed that chlordane was not used recently. The health risk assessment showed that children and adults groups in both areas are exposed to negligible cancer risk. More serious attempts are necessary to reduce usage of OCPs during the agricultural process and the protection of soil and human health in the studied areas

Heavy metals concentration in mangrove tissues and associated sediments and seawater from the north coast of Persian Gulf, Iran: Ecological and health risk assessment

We evaluated the concentration of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), and cobalt (Co) in the mangrove tissues (leaf and root) and adjusted sediments, as well as seawater samples in the north coast of the Persian Gulf from three counties (Mahshahr, Bord Khun, Asaluyeh). Assaluyeh and Mahshahr were selected because of their proximity to the oil and petrochemical industries and Bord Khun was considered for being away from pollution sources. The metal detected in highest concentration in mangrove leaves and roots was Cu (Asaluyeh: 1.507 μg/g and 1.198 μg/g, Bord Khun: 1.812 and 1.756 μg/g, and Mahshahr: 0.880 and 1.617 μg/g, for leaves and roots, respectively). For sediments, Cr (among the metals) had the highest concentration (1.325 μg/g) in Asaluyeh, whereas in Bord Khun and Mahshahr Ni was predominant: 2.542 and 2.237 μg/g, respectively. For seawater, Cu was the most abundant metal and Hg was the one with the lowest concentration. The bio-concentration factor for Zn and Cu revealed that mangroves in the study areas have suitable potential for phytoremediation of these two metals. Translocation factors from the roots to leaves also indicated higher transportability for Zn and Cu through the plant tissues, compared to the other metals. Ecological indexes quantified the contamination of sediments and revealed a low level of heavy metal accumulation in sediments of the north of the Persian Gulf. Human risk hazards appeared low in all the areas under study. Gas and petrochemical activities can be considered as a potential source of the discharge of heavy metals into the aquatic environment