Measurement of mass emission values of gaseous pollutants from the stack of Doroud Cement Plant

Background and Aims: Cement industries are known as one of the important sources of air pollution especially hazardous gases. Although several samples have been taken from stacks by environmental experts, accurate assessment of pollutant emissions, which can be used as basic modeling of air pollution and managing, is not available. The purpose of this study is to measure and investigate gases volumetric concentrations from stack of Doroud Cement Plant and finally compare with standards.Materials and Methods: The volumetric concentrations of gases (ppm) measured by Testo XL350 during a period of six months. After standardization of pressure and temperature on the ideal gas law, the detected values were converted to mass concentrations and then gases mass emission (g/s) was computed considering the stack flow.Results: Results showed that detected pollutants’ volumetric concentrations were higher than their standard levels for stack cement industrials (Electro Filter and Pre-heater). It has also been found that due to the use of oil fuel as a kiln fuel, the emissions of CO and SO2 gases increased in winter.Conclusion: This method can be applied as a model for gas emission. Long distance detection of gas pollutants should be considered for environmental monitoring of pollutants around cement industries.Key words: Mass emission, Pollutant gases, Doroud Cement Plan

A Systematic Review of Factorial Structure of the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS)

Background: The attitude towards lactation is one of the best predictors of breastfeeding. Iowa Infant Feeding Attitudes Scale (IIFAS) is used to measure the attitude toward lactation. IIFAS is a valid and reliable tool but factorial structure of this tool was reported various in different studies. The aim of this study is to assess factorial structure of IIFAS. Materials and Methods: An extensive search was done in databases of databases of Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL until May 2018. Two independent researchers screened articles and in the next step, full texts of probably relevant articles were read and summarized. The quality of studies was performed by COSMIN checklist. The following keywords were used: (Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale OR IIFAS) AND (Factor Analysis OR exploratory factor analysis OR confirmatory factor analysis OR Validity OR psychometric). Results: Six studies were assessed in systematic review. In Spanish version, single- factor solutions with 9 items in sample of 1,294 pregnancy women was tested and showed a satisfactory fit to the data. In Japanese version, authors provided single-factor- model with 16 items.  Factors loading were ranged from -0.06 to 0.68. Arabic version, EFA identified 6 factors with eigenvalues more than 1 explained 61% of total variance.  However, scree plot suggested unidimensional structure. In Chinese version, EFA extracted four factors and labeled "Favorable to breastfeeding", "Favorable to formula-feeding", "Convenience" and "Sociological influences". In Canadian and Singapore version, the most sense model based on EFA was a three –factors model and labeled "Favorable to breast feeding", "Convenience" and "Favorable to formula feeding". Conclusion: Four-factor model and three- factor model can be used in clinical practices and research.  There is a need to further test single-factor model

Examining the concentrations of volatile organic compounds and pollutant gases in printing and copying centers in Khorramabad, Iran in 2015

Background : Given the large amount of gaseous and aerosol pollutants produced by the printing press industry, the indoor and outdoor air quality of such centers in Khorramabad, Iran was assessed. Methods and Materials: In a descriptive study, five gaseous pollutants from among criteria air pollutants (CO, NO, NO2, SO2, O3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured. Overall, 360 samples were taken from the indoor and outdoor air of printing press centers during the two seasons of summer and winter. In addition to the direct reading sampling method, environmental sampling was also conducted. In the direct reading method, the environmental analyzer device was used to measure criteria gaseous pollutants and the phocheck5000 device was used to measure the VOCs. In the sampling by environmental pumps, SKC activated carbon absorbent tubes were used randomly/continuously during the work hours and periodically for all centers. The samples were prepared using a carbon disulfide solution and were analyzed using a gas chromatograph device. Statistical t-tests were used to analyze the results. Results: The results of the study demonstrated that, the concentrations of the all of the criteria pollutants except for the CO gas and, among the VOCs, the concentrations of benzene and toluene in the air of the printing press centers was higher than the standards set by the EPA for indoor areas. Further, there was a significant difference between the concentrations of benzene and toluene during the summer and winder seasons (p<0.05). In all the measurements carried out in summer and winter, the amount of O3 was significantly higher inside the printing press centers than that of outdoor areas (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although printing press centers cannot be considered as serious hotspots for the emission of pollutants into public places in urban areas, the pollutants produced in these centers, especially O3 can jeopardize the health of the employees of these centers

The measurement of volatile organic compounds in the ambient air of Khorramabad city and its comparison with current standards

Background : The first step in controlling pollutants is to measure and analyze them, because comparing them with standards and practically controlling them will not become possible without full awareness of the qualities and quantities of pollutants. The present study was conducted to assess and determine the amount of volatile organic compounds in the air in Khorramabad, Iran. Methods and Materials: The present research is a descriptive study. On the whole, a total of 144 samples were randomly taken from the air in Khorramabad during one year. Sampling was done through an environmental sampling pump and activated carbon absorbent tubes. The sampling method the continuous random 24-hour type. The preparation of the samples and the extraction of the pollutants were carried out by solvent carbon disulfide. The samples were analyzed using Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) device equipped with capillary columns. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 17 and t-tests. Results: The results of the present study showed that the total concentration of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air of Khorramabad was 1140.9 µg/m3, which was about 7 times greater than the maximum acceptable amount set by USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Additionally, the findings of the present research indicate that, totally the mean concentration of all volatile organic compounds in different areas of the city of Khorramabad was higher than the permissible level set by EPA for breathable air. The comparison of the mean concentration of VOCs in the air in Khorramabad in the warm and cold seasons using the t-test indicated that there is a significant relationship between the concentrations of benzene and toluene and the season of the year (p < 0.05). But for the other identified hydrocarbons no significant relationship was found despite the fact that they have higher concentrations during the warm season. Conclusion: Regarding the results of this study which indicated that the concentration of the VOCs in the air of Khorramabad is seven times greater than the amount set by international standards, it can be concluded that taking action to prevent the contamination of the air in Khorramabad is absolutely essential and calls for the design of an appropriate management system, proper planning, a continual monitoring system, and enhancement of the level of awareness of the people

اندازه گیری و بررسی مقادیر نشر جرمی گازهای آلاینده خروجی از دودکش کارخانه سیمان دورود

Background and Aims: Cement industries are known as one of the important sources of air pollution especially hazardous gases. Although several samples have been taken from stacks by environmental experts, accurate assessment of pollutant emissions, which can be used as basic modeling of air pollution and managing, is not available. The purpose of this study is to measure and investigate gases volumetric concentrations from stack of Doroud Cement Plant and finally compare with standards.Materials and Methods: The volumetric concentrations of gases (ppm) measured by Testo XL350 during a period of six months. After standardization of pressure and temperature on the ideal gas law, the detected values were converted to mass concentrations and then gases mass emission (g/s) was computed considering the stack flow.Results: Results showed that detected pollutants’ volumetric concentrations were higher than their standard levels for stack cement industrials (Electro Filter and Pre-heater). It has also been found that due to the use of oil fuel as a kiln fuel, the emissions of CO and SO2 gases increased in winter.Conclusion: This method can be applied as a model for gas emission. Long distance detection of gas pollutants should be considered for environmental monitoring of pollutants around cement industries.زمينه و هدف: صنعت سیمان منبع مهم تولید آلاینده‌های خطرناک می‌باشد. اگرچه اندازه گیری‌هایی توسط کارشناسان محیط زیست انجام گرفته اما ارزیابی دقیق میزان انتشار آلاینده‌ها که می‌تواند بعنوان داده اولیه در مدل سازی آلودگی هوا و بررسیهای مدیریتی مورد استفاده قرار گیرد، موجود نمی‌باشد. هدف از این مطالعه، اندازه گیری و بررسی مقادیر نشر جرمی گازهای آلاینده خروجی از الکتروفیلتر و پیش گرمکن کارخانه سیمان دورود می‌باشد. مواد و روش‌ها: در این پژوهش مقادیر مختلف غلظت حجمی(ppm) گازهای اندازه گیری شده بوسیله دستگاه سنجش Testo مدل XL350 پس از استاندارد سازی فشار و دما بر اساس قانون گازهای ایده آل به غلظت جرمی(mg/m3) تبدیل شدند. سپس میزان انتشار جرمی(g/s) گازها با توجه به اندازه دبی خروجی دودکش محاسبه گردید. يافته‌ها: نتایج حاصل از این تحقیق نشان داد که مقادیر حجمی گازها بالاتر از استاندارد آلاینده‌های خروجی از دودکش صنایع سیمان (الکتروفیلتروپیش گرمکن) می‌باشد. میزان تولید گازهای آلاینده CO و SO2 در فصل زمستان افزایش یافته است که عمده دلیل آن استفاده از مازوت به عنوان سوخت کوره در این فصل می‌باشد. نتيجه گيري: این روش در مدل سازی پراکنش گازها کاربرد دارد. به منظور پایش زیست محیطی آلاینده‌های خروجی لازم است که این آلاینده‌ها در فواصل دورتر و در اطراف کارخانه سیمان نیز مورد بررسی قرار گیرند. &nbsp

شناسایی و ارزیابی خطاهای انسانی در مشاغل حساس با استفاده از دو روش TAFEI وSHERPA: مطالعه موردی در یک پست برق فشار قوی

Backgrounds and Objectives: The work process is very important in complex jobs, so that if you forget or do not do it for any reason, it will have unpleasant consequences. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the human errors in sensitive jobs from two perspectives of human error identification in a high-voltage post station. Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, TAFEI and SHERPA techniques were employed to identify the operator's error. The necessary information was obtained by directly observing the human activities, interviewing and reviewing the tasks and sub-tasks with HTA method. The exploited techniques were thence compared in terms of error detection and applied field. Results: The results of matrix table in the job task using TAFEI method showed 29 cases of illegal transfer, so 29 human errors were identified; while totally 25 errors were identified by SHERPA method. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the TAFEI method performs better in identifying the number of human errors in the task sequence step. On the other hand, the SHERPA method can cover the weaknesses of the TAFEI method and provide the level of risk. Accordingly, it is recommended that the analyst consider the different available HEI techniques and apply the one that he/she considers the most suitable for their needزمینه و اهداف: در مشاغل حساس، ترتیب انجام مراحل کار از اهمیت بسزایی برخوردار است، به ­طوری که در صورت فراموشی یا عدم انجام آن به هر دلیلی پیامدهای ناگواری به ­همراه خواهد داشت. هدف از این تحقیق، شناسایی و ارزیابی خطای انسانی در مشاغل حساس از دو دیدگاه شناسایی خطای انسانی در یکی از پست­های برق فشار قوی می­باشد. مواد و روش ­ها: این مطالعه توصیفی به­صورت مقطعی با بهره­گیری از دو تکنیک TAFEI وSHERPA ، به شناسایی خطای اپراتور پرداخته است. اطلاعات لازم در این مطالعه از طریق مشاهده مستقیم فعالیت، مصاحبه و بررسی وظایف با استفاده از روش HTA بدست آمد. در نهایت، دو تکنیک به لحاظ شناسایی خطا و حوزه کاربردی مقایسه گردید. در طول مدت مطالعه، کلیه موازین اخلاقی رعایت گردید. &nbsp;یافته ­ها: نتایج جدول ماتریس در وظیفه شغلی مورد نظر با استفاده از روش TAFEI، 29 مورد انتقال غیر قانونی را نشان داد، بنابراین 29 خطای انسانی شناسایی گردید، در حالی که کل خطاها با روش SHERPA، 25 مورد شناسایی گردید. &nbsp;نتیجه ­گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نشان می­دهد که روش TAFEI در شناسایی تعداد خطاهای انسانی، در این حوزه بهتر عمل می­کند و از طرفی، روش SHERPA می­تواند نقاط ضعف روش &nbsp;TAFEIرا پوشش و سطح ریسک ارائه نماید؛ لذا توصیه می­شود، تحلیل‌گر تکنیک­های مختلف HEI موجود را در مطالعه موردی مشابه، برای دستیابی به شناسایی بهتر در نظر بگیرد و روشی را که در جهت برآورده کردن نیازها مناسب می­داند اعمال کند

An Investigation of the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorder Complaints among the Employees of the Administrative Section of the Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran, in 2015

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are the main cause of loss of work time, increases in costs, and human injuries. Therefore, the investigation of the prevalence of these disorders among administrative employees needs to receive attention, given the long hours they work with computers and the way they sit at their desks. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the administrative employees of the Lorestan University of Medical Sciences working in Khorramabad, Iran. In addition to collecting the personal characteristics and demographic data of the participants, questions were asked about the meantime of using computers during the day, and the standard Nordic questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the employees. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics were used to calculate the mean and standard deviation of each of the study variables. To analyze the relationships among the variables, the chi-squared test was used. All analyses were conducted using SPSS version 21. Results: The results of the study showed that the parts of the body most affected by the symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders were the upper back (60%), neck (59.4%), shoulders (50%), knees (49.4%), low back (47.1%), and wrist (42.4%) in order of prevalence. There were significant relationships between work experience with the prevalence of the symptoms in the shoulders, knees, thighs, ankles, and neck in the studied participants (p<0.05). However, no significant relationships were found in the areas of elbows, wrists, low back, and upper back. There was a significant relationship between the age of the employees and the occurrence of disorders in the elbows (p<0.05), such that the prevalence of disorders in this area increases with age, while increases in disorders in other areas of the body were not observed with age. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, musculoskeletal disorders are very frequently observed among administrative employees. In this regard, the implementation of ergonomic interventional programs in the work environment seems crucial. Some of the components of such a program can include training the users of computers regarding the ergonomic principles of working with computers, designing better workstations, and work shifts. &nbsp

An Investigation of Musculoskeletal Disorders Using the QEC Method among the Welders of Khorramabad, Iran, in 2015

Background: Based on recently conducted research, the reason for more than half of the absences from the work environment and one-third of the work-related compensation claims is attributable to musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders and assess the risk of these disorders among the welders of Khorramabad, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 170 welders employed in Khorramabad, Iran. The welders were selected using the census sampling method. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was evaluated using a Nordic questionnaire. To assess the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, the QEC method was used. Data analysis was done using the indices of central tendency and t-test. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of the musculoskeletal disorders is highest in the back (70%), the knees (54.1%), the trunk (50%). The QEC assessment results showed that, in 83.8% of the cases, the risk of developing such diseases is high and very high. Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the studied welders is high. Additionally, the risk of developing these disorders is also high. Based on these results, among the causes of musculoskeletal disorders among welders, uncomfortable working posture, manual lifting and carrying of loads, and the bending and twisting of the spine and back can be mentioned. In addition to these results, this study showed that the QEC method can offer reliable results

Eriochrme black-T removal from aqueous environment by surfactant modified clay: equilibrium, kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic studies

In this study, the removal of Eriochrome black T (EBT) from aqueous solutions was evaluated by cationic surfactant of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA)-modified montmorillonite clay (MC). The effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, EBT concentration, solution ion strength, and temperature were investigated on the EBT removal. HDTMA-MC was also examined by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results illustrated that the experimental data were well followed by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. The results also showed HDTMA-MC can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of EBT from aqueous solution. © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Grou

A simulation of pollutants dispersion from Dorud cement plant using SCREEN3 Software Model

Background: With regard to application of the oil fuel at winter in Dorud cement plant, the aim of this study was to investigaten NOX, SO2 and particulate matter (PM) dispersion from cement plant stack at downwind direction and atmospheric different conditions and thermal inversion in winter season up to distance 5000 m from emission source and its comparison with clean air and NAAQS standard. Materials and Methods: In this study, the sampling gases exited from cement plant stack were carried out using Testo XL350 and particulates measurement done by Westech device. SCREEN3 software model was used to evaluate air quality and dispersion NOX, SO2 and PM. Data interred into the model includin emission rate, physical factor related with stack, height, length and width building, mixing height, meteorological stability and wind speed. This model incorporates sources related factors, meteorological factors and emission rates to estimate pollutant concentration from continuous sources. The class stability and wind speed were at a&nbsp; hight of 10 meter. Results: The results showed that the maximum concentration predicted NOX, SO2 and PM by SCREEN3 in neutral condition (D) and wind speed 6 m/s was at 1084 m away from stack with concentration of 265.48&micro;g/m3, 168.39&micro;g/m3 and, 56.56&micro;g/m3 for NOX, SO2 and PM respectively. Also, at stability condition (F) with wind speed 4 m/s the maximum concentration predicted in 2647 m away of stack with amount of 195.71&micro;g/m3, 308.54&micro;g/m3 and 65.37&micro;g/m3 respectively.&nbsp; Conclusion: In order to reach the clean air &nbsp;standard, continuous monitoring and development methods are necessary for control gases and particulates exited from stack