Evaluation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Attributed to Atmospheric O3, NO2 and SO2 in Tehran City, from 2005 to 2014

Air pollution in Tehran is considered as one of the most important factors threatening human health. High concentrations of pollutants have adverse effects on citizens and the environment. We calculated the relation between COPD and criteria air pollutants in Tehran, one of the most polluted cities in the world during 2005 to 2014. Hourly data of pollutants include SO2, O3 and NO2 were taken from the Tehran environmental protection agency and Air Quality Control Company. The AirQ2,2,3 model that proposed by the WHO, is used to health impact assessment of pollutants in terms of hospital admission due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Results indicated that the total cumulative number of cases due to hospital admission due to COPD in Tehran city from 2005 to 2014 for SO2, O3 and NO2 was 1806, 2941 and 2454 cases, respectively. The finding of this study showed that total mean of SO2, O3 and NO2 was higher than the standard concentration. By comparison with guideline and standards, annual concentration for SO2, O3 and NO2 was exceeded on standard level in during the study period. This study demonstrated that a high percentage of hospital admission due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease resulting from these pollutants could be due to the high average concentration in the air of Tehran during 2005 to 2014. So, authorities must apply the efforts and necessities actions based on comprehensive scientific researches to control air pollutants and abate their negative effects on human health

Estimation of Short-term Mortality and Morbidity Attributed to Fine Particulate Matter in the Ambient Air of Eight Iranian Cities

Amongst the various pollutants in the air, particulate matters (PM) have significant adverse effects on human health. The current research is based on existing epidemiological literature for quantitative estimation of the current health impacts related to particulate matters in some selected principal Iranian megacities. In order to find the influence of air pollution on human health, we used the AirQ software tool presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH), Bilthoven Division. The adverse health outcomes used in the study consist of mortality (all causes excluding accidental causes), due to cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory (RES) diseases, and morbidity (hospital admissions for CVD and RES causes). For this purpose, hourly PM10 data were taken from the monitoring stations in eight study cities during 2011 and 2012. Results showed annual average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in all megacities exceeded national and international air quality standards and even reached levels nearly ten times higher than WHO guidelines in some cities. Considering the short-term effects, PM2.5 had the maximum effects on the health of the 19,048,000 residents of the eight Iranian cities, causing total mortality of 5,670 out of 87,907 during a one-year time-period. Hence, reducing concentrations and controlling air pollution, particularly the presence of particles, is urgent in these metropolises

The Effects of Climate Change on Food Security

In the current situation, ensuring food security and maintaining it, especially due to growing demand and significant population growth on the one hand and excessive and incorrect use of limited and non-renewable resources and reserves and the emergence of challenges such as climate change on the other hand is very important.  According to the World Bank, food security is achieved when all people have access to enough food at all times to live a healthy life. This has three aspects: "food availability", "access to food" and "sustainability in food intake" (Eslami AR, 2021). The threat of declining food security due to climate change is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. The impact of climate change on agricultural benefits and food security depends on the scale of climate change (Marzban et al., 2023)

Urban Agriculture and Food Security: A Narrative Review

Today, the world is facing the problems of population growth, urbanization, increasing need for food, depletion of water resources, and environmental degradation. Therefore, the present study investigates the impact of urban agriculture on food security. Methods: Search engines including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Science Direct, Google scholar, Magiran, and scientific information database (SID) were applied with keywords such as population growth, food security, sustainable development, urban agriculture, food system to find related articles published up to 2022. Results: The impact of urban agriculture on food security can be seen through several factors such as nutritional stability, food availability, affordable food supply, and revenue generation through sales. Conclusion: Urban agriculture refers to production of food products in urban environment, where food is produced on rooftops, backyards, gardens, or in public open spaces. This work proposes new opportunities for sustainable development and urban management to make significant changes in living environment, health and land management. Furthermore, this research provides the poor in the city a chance to achieve food security by reducing household food cost

A Survey of Air Quality Index and Quantification of Cardiovascular Mortality due to Exposure to Particulate Matter Smaller than 2.5 Micron in Boukan in 2015

Background: The influx of dust to the North West of Iran during past decade has become a serious threat to the health and economy of the region and has created many human and financial damages. So, the aim of this study is to quantifying cardiovascular mortality resulted from exposure to Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micron in Bokan in 2015 using Air Q software. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out in Bokan. The measurement of PM2.5 Concentration was done using MP101M Device around the clock in 2015, which yielded data collected for 321 days. Meteorological data, including wind speed and direction, and relative humidity were obtained from office of Meteorology. The software, using data processed with Excel, calculated Relative Risk, baseline incidence and attributable proportion and showed the output in terms of mortality. Results: Based on the statistics of air pollution monitoring station, maximum hourly PM2.5 concentration was 400.52 micrograms per cubic meter and the number of total mortality attributed to exposure to PM2.5 in 2015 was 50 cases. Conclusion: The number of total mortality attributed to exposure to PM2.5 resulted from the influx of dust, necessitates immediate action to solve the dust problem, as well as dissemination of all facilities and information through public media in order to educate people about how to deal with this dangerous phenomenon

Evaluation of Cardiovascular Death, Attributed to CO Exposure in Tehran Megacity in During a Five-Year Period (2010-2014) by Using AirQ Model

Background: Air pollution in large cities is one of the main difficulties that have harmful effects on humans and the environment and cause various diseases including cardiovascular disease. So, present study with aim of Estimation of Cardiovascular Death, Attributed to CO Exposure in Tehran Megacity in during a five-year period (2010-2014) by using AirQ Model were performed. Materials and Methods: This Study was a descriptive–analytic at first, hourly data of pollutants were taken from the environmental protection agency Tehran and Air Quality Control Company and validated according to the WHO guidelines. Required statistical parameters calculated for health effect quantifying and finally processed data converted to input and requirements AirQ model data and health effects quantifying were performed using this model. The final results on deaths due to cardiovascular disease were presented in tables and graphs format. Results: Results showed annual average concentration of CO in Tehran in 2010-2014 are 49, 31, 11,12,21,76 mg/ m3 respectively. In addition, the number of cardiovascular deaths in 2011-2015 is 52,37,29,31,42 respectively Conclusion: According to the results, CO as well as other pollutants can adversely affect human health. Due to high levels of air pollution and its related health consequences, particularly cardiovascular disease, should take appropriate measures to reduce air pollution

A Study on the Comparative Investigation of Air Quality in Tehran Metropolis Over a Five-year Period Using Air Quality Index (AQI)

Introduction and Purpose: Air pollution is one of the major problems of megacities that seriously threatens the health of their residents. Considering this, taking some actions such as studying pollutant variations, comparing pollutants with standards, and informing the health authorities and public paly a fundamental role in developing preventive schemes. This study was targeted toward a comparative investigation of the air quality of Tehran metropolis based on Air Quality Index (AQI) over a period of five years (2011-2015). Methods: This study was a descriptive–analytic one. Firs, hourly data of four criteria pollutants were taken from the Environmental Protection Agency and Air Quality Control Company. These data were validated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Then, the daily AQI for the given pollutants were determined based on the available standard tables and equation. Finally, the highest value among the calculated indexes obtained from all the stations was recognized as the final index and the pollutant which was responsible for this index was introduced as the responsible pollutant of day. Results: Tehran’s air quality was shown to exceed the standards of Environmental Protection Agency of Iran (AQI>100) _ 327, 330, 343, 350, and 352 days of the year during 2011-2015 respectively. Besides, PM2.5 was found to be the main pollutant which was responsible for this condition. Conclusion: Comparing air quality of Tehran over five years demonstrated that the air quality is not in a proper condition in terms of health status; and the level of air pollution in Tehran is constantly increasing

Knowledge, Attitude, and Nutritional Practice Related to COVID-19 in Students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences

Background: It has been known that healthy nutrition is important in increasing immunity and reducing diseases. Lack of some nutrients can lead to a decrease in the function of the immune system and, as a result, an increase in the probability of infections or their exacerbation. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19 in the students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The present descriptive and analytical study was conducted in 2022 on 350 students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The research tools included a demographic checklist and a questionnaire of knowledge, attitude and nutritional practice related to COVID-19, used in a similar study. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 22.15±4.98 year.  The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and nutritional behavior of students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences regarding COVID-19 were 23.17 ±4.17, 18.04 ±3.29, and 41.64 ±7.16, respectively. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge score with the educational level and history of infection with COVID-19 and the nutritional practice score with the variable of history of infection with COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Also, there was a positive and significant correlation between Knowledge, attitude, and practice. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the studied students had a relatively good knowledge, attitude, and practice towards nutritional issues related to COVID-19; however, there is still room for improvement

Health impact caused by exposure to particulate matter in the air of Tehran in the past decade

Background: Air pollution, especially the phenomenon of dust and particulate matter can cause mortality of many civilians, and causes various diseases including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. One of the major pollutants in the air is particulate matter that concentration has increased over recent years. So, present study with aim of Quantification Health Endpoints Attributed to particulate matter in Tehran, Capital of Iran during the past decade (2005-2014) by AirQ software, version 2.2.3 (WHO European Centre for Environment and Health) was performed. Methods: This study is a descriptive-analytic investigation. The process of performance this study lasted 12 months. Subject of this the study and research was in Environmental Health Engineering Department of Iran University of Medical Sciences. Exact data of every hour pollutants were taken from Department of environmental (DOE) Islamic Republic Iran and Air Quality Control Company of Tehran. Then validated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and Statistical parameters for quantifying health effects were calculated in excel software. Finally, assessment of cases total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality and cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease, with AirQ software was performed. Results: The results of this study showed that the number of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality and respiratory mortality caused by exposure to Particulate matter smaller than 10 microns (PM10) in the past decade is 11776, 12121 and 33066 cases respectively. Also the total number of hospital admission due to cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease in the past decade is 20990 and 54352 cases in 2005-2014 years. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, during the last decade the level of air pollution and Concentration of pollutants in Tehran Increased. Effects and health consequences due to exposure to Particulate matter smaller than 10 microns (PM10) in Tehran Metropolis Is very severe and increased mortality and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among the citizens of Tehran