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Heidari EA, Sarkhosh M, Alidadi H, Najafpoor AA, Esmaily H, Shamsara E. Assessing VOC emissions from different gas stations: impacts, variations, and modeling fluctuations of air pollutants. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16617. [PMID: 39026008 PMCID: PMC11258221 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67542-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Gas stations distributed around densely populated areas are responsible for toxic pollutant emissions such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study aims to measure VOCs emission from three different kinds of gas stations to determine the extent of pollution from the gas stations and the most frequent type of VOC compound emitted. The concentrations of ambient VOCs at three refueling stations with a different type of fuels in Mashhad were monitored. The result of this study showed that CNG fuel stations are less polluting than petrol stations. In all the studied sites, the highest concentrations were related to xylene isomers, irrespective of the fuel type. Total VOCs at the supply of both compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline stations was 482.36 ± 563.45 µg m-3. At a CNG station and a gasoline station, total VOC concentrations were 1363.4 ± 1975 µg m-3 and 410.29 ± 483.37 µg m-3, respectively. The differences in concentrations of toluene and m,p-xylene between the fuel stations can be related to the quality and type of fuel, vapor recovery technology, fuel reserves, dripless nozzles, traffic density in these stations, meteorological conditions and the location of sampling sites. The combination of a sine function and a quadratic function could model the fluctuation behavior of air pollutants like m,p-xylene. In all the sites, the highest concentrations were related to xylene isomers, irrespective of the type of fuel. The changing rate of m,p-xylene pollutant in each station was also modeled in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Alsadat Heidari
- Master of Environmental Health Engineering, Health Center of Torbat-e Heydarieh, Torbat-e Heydarieh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Iran
| | - Maryam Sarkhosh
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
| | - Hosein Alidadi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Ali Asghar Najafpoor
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Habibollah Esmaily
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Biostatistics, Research Health Center, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Elham Shamsara
- Management and Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, 91778-99191, Iran
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2
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Chen JJ, Wang TB, Chang LT, Chuang KJ, Chuang HC, Chang TY. Exposure and health risk assessment of volatile organic compounds among drivers and passengers in long-distance buses. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:118959. [PMID: 38663669 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/30/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and formaldehyde from long-distance buses has been reported to adversely affect human health. This study investigates the concentrations of these five VOCs and evaluates their health risks to drivers and passengers on board. Ten trips from Taipei to Taichung were performed during the warm and cold seasons of 2021-2022. Two locations inside the bus were established to collect air samples by a 6-liter canister for drivers and passengers. Exposure concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were analyzed via gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector and the formaldehyde concentration was monitored using a formaldehyde meter. Subsequently, a Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to evaluate the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of the five VOCs. Formaldehyde emerged as the highest detected compound (9.06 ± 3.77 μg/m3), followed by toluene (median: 6.11 μg/m3; range: 3.86-14.69 μg/m3). In particular, formaldehyde was identified to have the significantly higher concentration during non-rush hours (10.67 ± 3.21 μg/m3) than that during rush hours (7.45 ± 3.41 μg/m3) and during the warm season (10.71 ± 2.97 μg/m3) compared with that during the cold season (7.41 ± 4.26 μg/m3). Regarding non-carcinogenic risks to drivers and passengers, the chronic hazard indices for these five VOCs were under 1 to indicate an acceptable risk. In terms of carcinogenic risk, the median risks of benzene and formaldehyde for drivers were 2.88 × 10-6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.11 × 10-6 - 5.13 × 10-6) and 1.91 × 10-6 (95% CI: 4.54 × 10-7 - 3.44 × 10-6), respectively. In contrast, the median carcinogenic risks of benzene and formaldehyde for passengers were less than 1 × 10-6 to present an acceptable risk. This study suggests that benzene and formaldehyde may present carcinogenic risks for drivers. Moreover, the non-carcinogenic risk for drivers and passengers is deemed acceptable. We recommended that the ventilation frequency be increased to mitigate exposure to VOCs in long-distance buses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Jie Chen
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Tiffany B Wang
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Li-Te Chang
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Jen Chuang
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Chi Chuang
- School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Yuan Chang
- Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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3
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Zarezadeh E, Jonidi Jafari A, Gholami M, Farzadkia M, Ashouri E, Shahsavani A, Kermani M, Nakhjirgan P. A comprehensive study on the spatial and temporal variation of BTEX and asbestos in the northwest of Iran: Human risk assessment. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31640. [PMID: 38845947 PMCID: PMC11153089 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Substances like asbestos and other air pollutants, such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), are hazardous compounds due to their adverse effects on human health. This study aims to investigate the levels, seasonal variations, spatial distribution, potential sources, and associated health risks associated with BTEX compounds and asbestos fibers in the ambient air of Tabriz. Air samples were taken at 16 different locations during the 2020-2021 period. Glass containers with charcoal were used for sample collection, and the BTEX content was determined using the GC-FID method. Phase-contrast microscopy (PCM) analysis was conducted with a low-volume peripheral pump for asbestos fiber sampling. The results showed that the average concentration of ∑BTEX was 37.94 and 27.98 μg/m3 in autumn and spring, respectively. The same parameter was 2.26 and 1.68 f/L for asbestos in the autumn and winter, respectively. The contribution of BTEX to ozone formation potential (OFP) in the research area showed that xylene and toluene were the major contributors to ozone production in different seasons. The risk of exposure to benzene compounds was 24 × 10-4 in children and 55.9 × 10-4 in adults, while the risk of exposure to ethylbenzene was 3.78 × 10-4 in children and 3.25 × 10-4 in adults. The estimated lifetime cancer risk was found to be the highest for benzene, followed by ethylbenzene. The estimated cancer risk for benzene and ethylbenzene exceeded the threshold values set by EPA, which signals a significant carcinogenic risk due to exposure to these substances in the ambient air of Tabriz. According to the EPA guidelines, the low carcinogenicity risk levels are between 10-4 and 10-6. According to the findings for the exposure to asbestos fibers, the maximum values of excess cancer risk (ECR) and estimated lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were observed in the 16-30 age range across all locations, suggesting increased exposure to asbestos fibers compared to other age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Zarezadeh
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Jonidi Jafari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mitra Gholami
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Farzadkia
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Ashouri
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Shahsavani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Air Quality and Climate Change Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Kermani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Pegah Nakhjirgan
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Sim W, Dominic Ekpe O, Lee EH, Arafath SY, Lee M, Kim KH, Oh JE. Distribution and ecological risk assessment of priority water pollutants in surface river sediments with emphasis on industrially affected areas. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 352:141275. [PMID: 38253089 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Priority water pollutants comprising six plasticizers, 18 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), 1,4-dioxane, epichlorohydrin, formaldehyde, acrylamide, and cyanides were determined in surface river sediments to assess their distribution patterns and ecological risks. Among these, di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), toluene, TPH, and acrylamide were frequently found in sediments. The industrial sites had higher concentrations of ∑plasticizers (median 628 ng/g dry weight (dw)), ∑VOCs (median 3.35 ng/g dw), acrylamide (median 0.966 ng/g dw), and TPH (median 152 μg/g dw) in sediments than the mixed and non-industrial areas. The other pollutants did not show the significant differences in levels according to site types because of their relatively low detection frequencies. Volatile and soluble substances as well as hydrophobic pollutants were predominantly detected in surface sediments from industrial areas. Sediment contamination patterns were affected by the size and composition of the industrial zones around the sampling sites. The ecological risks determined using the sediment quality guidelines (DEHP, VOCs, and TPH) and the mean probable effect level quotients (DEHP) were mostly acceptable. However, the two most representative industrial regions (the largest industrial area and the first industrial city) showed risks of concern for DEHP and TPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonjin Sim
- Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea.
| | - Okon Dominic Ekpe
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea.
| | - Eun-Hee Lee
- KEEY Envitec, Wonju, 26339, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sharfudeen Yasar Arafath
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea.
| | - Mikyung Lee
- National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea.
| | - Kyung Hee Kim
- National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jeong-Eun Oh
- Institute for Environment and Energy, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea.
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5
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Goodarzi B, Azimi Mohammadabadi M, Jafari AJ, Gholami M, Kermani M, Assarehzadegan MA, Shahsavani A. Investigating PM 2.5 toxicity in highly polluted urban and industrial areas in the Middle East: human health risk assessment and spatial distribution. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17858. [PMID: 37857811 PMCID: PMC10587072 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to particulate matter (PM) can be considered as a factor affecting human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of PM2.5 and heavy metals and their influence on survival of A549 human lung cells in exposure to PM2.5 breathing air of Ahvaz city. In order to assess the levels of PM2.5 and heavy metals, air samples were collected from 14 sampling stations positioned across Ahvaz city during both winter and summer seasons. The concentration of heavy metals was determined using ICP OES. Next, the MTT assay [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] was employed to ascertain the survival rate of A549 cells. The findings from this research demonstrated that average PM2.5 of the study period was (149.5 μg/m3). Also, the average concentration of PM2.5 in the urban area in winter and summer was (153.3- and 106.9 μg/m3) and in the industrial area this parameter was (191.6 and 158.3 μg/m3). The average concentration of metals (ng/m3) of urban areas against industrial, Al (493 vs. 485), Fe (536 vs. 612), Cu (198 vs. 212), Ni (128 vs. 129), Cr (48.5 vs. 54), Cd (118 vs. 124), Mn (120 vs. 119), As (51 vs. 67), Hg (37 vs. 50), Zn (302 vs. 332) and Pb (266 vs. 351) were obtained. The results of the MTT assay showed that the highest percentage of cell survival according to the exposure concentration was 25 > 50 > 100 > 200. Also, the lowest percentage of survival (58.8%) was observed in the winter season and in industrial areas with a concentration of 200 μg/ml. The carcinogenic risk assessment of heavy metals indicated that except for Cr, whose carcinogenicity was 1.32E-03, other metals were in the safe range (10-4-10-6) for human health. The high concentration of PM2.5 and heavy metals can increase respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and reduce the public health level of Ahvaz citizens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Goodarzi
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran
| | - Maryam Azimi Mohammadabadi
- Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Jonidi Jafari
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Air Pollution Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mitra Gholami
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Kermani
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Air Pollution Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad-Ali Assarehzadegan
- Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Abbas Shahsavani
- Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Stewart M, Ohno PE, McKinney K, Martin ST. Prediction of the Response of a Photoionization Detector to a Complex Gaseous Mixture of Volatile Organic Compounds Produced by α-Pinene Oxidation. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2023; 7:1956-1970. [PMID: 37876663 PMCID: PMC10592314 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Photoionization detectors (PIDs) are lightweight and respond in real time to the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making them suitable for environmental measurements on many platforms. However, the nonselective sensing mechanism of PIDs challenges data interpretation, particularly when exposed to the complex VOC mixtures prevalent in the Earth's atmosphere. Herein, two approaches to this challenge are investigated. In the first, quantum-chemistry calculations are used to estimate photoionization cross sections and ionization potentials of individual species. In the second, machine learning models are trained on these calculated values, as well as empirical PID response factors, and then used for prediction. For both approaches, the resulting information for individual species is used to model the overall PID response to a complex VOC mixture. In complement, laboratory experiments in the Harvard Environmental Chamber are carried out to measure the PID response to the complex molecular mixture produced by α-pinene oxidation under various conditions. The observations show that the measured PID response is 15% to 30% smaller than the PID response modeled by quantum-chemistry calculations of the photoionization cross section for the photo-oxidation experiments and 15% to 20% for the ozonolysis experiments. By comparison, the measured PID response is captured within a 95% confidence interval by the use of machine learning to model the PID response based on the empirical response factor in all experiments. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate the application of machine learning to augment the performance of a nonselective chemical sensor. The approach can be generalized to other reactive species, oxidants, and reaction mechanisms, thus enhancing the utility and interpretability of PID measurements for studying atmospheric VOCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew
P. Stewart
- School
of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Paul E. Ohno
- School
of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Karena McKinney
- Department
of Chemistry, Colby College, Waterville, Maine 04901, United States
| | - Scot T. Martin
- School
of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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7
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Li X, Xie W, Ding D, Wang M, Kong L, Jiang D, Deng S. An Analysis of the Spatial Characteristics and Transport Fluxes of BTEX in Soil and Atmospheric Phases at a Decommissioned Steel Mill Site in China with a Long History. TOXICS 2023; 11:868. [PMID: 37888718 PMCID: PMC10610661 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11100868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), as characteristic pollutants in chemical plant sites, are widely present in the environment and pose a serious threat to the health and safety of nearby residents. Studying the spatial distribution characteristics and transport fluxes of BTEX in soil and air at contaminated sites and the health risks they pose to humans is of great significance for fine pollution control and environmental management. This study took a typical decommissioned steel plant as a case study. A total of 23 soil and air samples were collected from different locations to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of BTEX in soil and air. The transport and fate of BTEX in soil and air were evaluated using the fugacity model, and finally, a human health risk assessment was conducted. The results indicate a relatively severe level of benzene pollution in both soil and air. The maximum exceedance factor of benzene in soil samples is 31.5, with the concentration exceedance depth at 1.5 m. The maximum concentration of benzene in air samples is 4.98 μg·m-3. Benzene, at 5.9% of the site, shows a low flux with negative values, while other components at various locations all exhibit a trend of transport from the soil phase to the atmospheric phase. Benzene is the pollutant that contributes the most to the transport flux from soil to air within the site. The coking area and sewage treatment area are key areas within the steel mill where BTEX accumulate easily in the soil. The non-carcinogenic risk values of the individual components of BTEX in the soil are below the acceptable risk level. However, the carcinogenic risk value of benzene in the children's exposure scenario exceeds the carcinogenic risk level of 10-6. The carcinogenic risk range of various components of BTEX in the air is 2.63 × 10-6~3.88 × 10-5, with 28.6% of the locations exceeding the threshold of 10-6. The range of the total HI (hazard index) is 2.08 × 10-4~1.81 × 10-1, all of which is below the safety threshold of 1. The results of this study will provide scientific support for the fine pollution control and environmental management of industrial contaminated sites with BTEX as their typical pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuwei Li
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Wenyi Xie
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Da Ding
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Mengjie Wang
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Lingya Kong
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Dengdeng Jiang
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Shaopo Deng
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China; (X.L.); (W.X.); (D.D.); (M.W.); (L.K.); (D.J.)
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing 210042, China
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8
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Kamani H, Baniasadi M, Abdipour H, Mohammadi L, Rayegannakhost S, Moein H, Azari A. Health risk assessment of BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) in different indoor air using Monte Carlo simulation in zahedan city, Iran. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20294. [PMID: 37809514 PMCID: PMC10560053 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene compounds (BTEX) in the breathing air outside and inside buildings is one of the most significant problems related to human health today. This study was performed to determine the concentration of BTEX pollutants in indoor environments. PhoCheck was used to detect the concentration of BTEX compounds. In this study, the concentration (BTEX pollutant) was assessed in four indoor spaces, including restaurants, laundries, hair salons, and photocopying centers. The results showed that the average concentration of all four searched compounds was higher than the recommended limit of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The results of carcinogenic risk assessment by benzene and ethylbenzene compounds show 2153 × 10-4 and 913 × 10-5 respectively. The HQ values for toluene and xylene were 1.397 and 0.505, respectively, indicating that exposure to toluene alone may have adverse effects on human health, while exposure to xylene alone has no adverse effects. The hazard index (HI) for toluene and xylene pollutants was higher than one. An HI value higher than one means that the two contaminants toluene and xylene in the air we breathe may have adverse effects on human health. As a result, the necessary control measures should be taken to prevent the unfavorable effects of these two pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Kamani
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan,Iran
| | - Marzieh Baniasadi
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan,Iran
| | - Hossein Abdipour
- Student Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Leili Mohammadi
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan,Iran
| | | | - Hossein Moein
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan,Iran
| | - Ali Azari
- Sirjan School of Medical Sciences, Sirjan, Iran
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9
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Maleky S, Faraji M. BTEX in Ambient Air of Zarand, the Industrial City in Southeast of Iran: Concentration, Spatio-temporal Variation and Health Risk Assessment. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2023; 111:25. [PMID: 37572109 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-023-03778-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The existence of several industries in Zarand, a city in Southeastern Iran, caused challenges for the residents about air pollutants and associated health effects. In the present study, the concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), spatio-temporal distribution and related health risks were evaluated. Passive samplers were used to collect 30 samples in the over the hot and cold periods in 2020. The ordinary Kriging method was used to predict the spatio-temporal distribution of BTEXs. Also, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to evaluate the related carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of BTEX for adults. The ranking of mean concentration of overall toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and benzene followed as 82.49 ± 26.86, 30.91 ± 14.04, 4.75 ± 3.28, and 0.91 ± 0.18 µg/m3, respectively. The mean value of lifetime carcinogenic risk (LTCR) for residents related to benzene was 7.52 × 10- 6, indicating a negligible carcinogenic risk for them. Furthermore, the ranking of non-carcinogenic risk calculated through hazard quotient (HQ) for investigated BTEX compounds followed as xylene > benzene > toluene > ethylbenzene over the hot period and xylene > toluene > ethylbenzene over the cold period which all points had HQ < 1. Additionally, according to the findings of the sensitivity analysis, the concentration of benzene was the main contributor in increasing the carcinogenic risk. According to our results, it can be stated that the existence of several industries in the study area could not possibly occur the significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks to the adults residents in the study period. Human studies are recommended to determine definite results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sobhan Maleky
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
| | - Maryam Faraji
- Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
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Jang E, Choi S, Yoo E, Hyun S, An J. Impact of shipping emissions regulation on urban aerosol composition changes revealed by receptor and numerical modelling. NPJ CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE 2023; 6:52. [PMID: 37274460 PMCID: PMC10226717 DOI: 10.1038/s41612-023-00364-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Various shipping emissions controls have recently been implemented at both local and national scales. However, it is difficult to track the effect of these on PM2.5 levels, owing to the non-linear relationship that exists between changes in precursor emissions and PM components. Positive Matrix Factorisation (PMF) identifies that a switch to cleaner fuels since January 2020 results in considerable reductions in shipping-source-related PM2.5, especially sulphate aerosols and metals (V and Ni), not only at a port site but also at an urban background site. CMAQ sensitivity analysis reveals that the reduction of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) further extends to inland areas downwind from ports. In addition, mitigation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in coastal urban areas can be anticipated either from the results of receptor modelling or from CMAQ simulations. The results in this study show the possibility of obtaining human health benefits in coastal cities through shipping emission controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunhwa Jang
- Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment, 120, Hambakbong-ro, 140beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, 46616 Republic of Korea
| | - Seongwoo Choi
- Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment, 120, Hambakbong-ro, 140beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, 46616 Republic of Korea
| | - Eunchul Yoo
- Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment, 120, Hambakbong-ro, 140beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan, 46616 Republic of Korea
| | - Sangmin Hyun
- Marine Environmental Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 385, Haeyang-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, 49111 Republic of Korea
| | - Joongeon An
- Risk Assessment Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje, 53201 Republic of Korea
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Dehhaghi S, Hasankhani H, Taheri A. Spatiotemporal variations, photochemical characteristics, health risk assessment and mid pandemic changes of ambient BTEX in a west Asian metropolis. STOCHASTIC ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT : RESEARCH JOURNAL 2023; 37:1-17. [PMID: 37362845 PMCID: PMC10218775 DOI: 10.1007/s00477-023-02476-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the concentration of BTEX in Tehran from 2018 to 2020 in five monitoring stations with different backgrounds, which has been accomplished using the combination of passive sampling and GC-FID method. The total concentration of BTEX was estimated to be 65.39 (µg/m3), with a higher average concentration in 2019-2020 (77.79 µg/m3) compared to 2018-2019 (53.48 µg/m3) due to the leaping concentration of Toluene in the pandemic era. Despite a Benzene concentration decline in recent years, the average annual concentration of Benzene (5.66 µg/m3) at five stations remained higher than the EU commission and India standards (5 µg/m3) as well as Japan and Iraq thresholds (3 µg/m3). Toluene dominated other species in terms of concentrations, mass distribution (~0.6%), followed by m,p-Xylene (~0.2%), Benzene (~0.05-0.1) and Ethylbenzene (< 0.05). The evidence regarding seasonal changes of BTEX in 2019 shows the maximum concentration of these compounds in autumn, which is probably due to heavier traffic compared to other seasons. In contrast, in the first half of 2020 (which encompasses the start of the pandemic period and urban lockdown), point sources seem to play a prominent role in concentration fluctuations, as confirmed by changes in interspecies relationships and lower traffic congestion. The highest mean concentrations were observed in high-traffic, residential and suburban sites, respectively. The study reveals that m,p-Xylene possess the highest Ozone formation potential (~109.46), followed by Toluene (~85.34), o-Xylene (~46.87), Ethylbenzene (~13.52) and Benzene (~2.61). Health risk assessment results indicated the high carcinogenic risk of Benzene (mean = 3.6 × 10-6) and the acceptable non-carcinogenic risk of BTEX (hazard index~0.03 < specified limit of 1). Finally, the estimated weighted exposures of BTEX emphasized that residents near the high-traffic districts are more exposed to BTEX. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00477-023-02476-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Dehhaghi
- Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ahmad Taheri
- Tehran Air Quality Control Company, Tehran Municipality, Tehran, Iran
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Ravindra K, Singh T, Singh V, Chintalapati S, Beig G, Mor S. Understanding the influence of summer biomass burning on air quality in North India: Eight cities field campaign study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160361. [PMID: 36464043 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Near real-time monitoring of major air pollutants, i.e., particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM1), trace gases (O3, CO, NO, NO2, NOx, NH3, CO2, SO2) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs: benzene, ethylbenzene, m-, p-xylene, o-xylene and toluene) along with climatological parameters was done in eight-cities field campaigns during the rabi (wheat) crop residue burning period in the northwest of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region. The phase-wise monitoring was done at eight locations representing rural, semi-urban and urban backgrounds. During the whole campaign, the semi-urban site (Sirsa) observed the highest average concentration of PM10 (226 ± 111 μg m-3) and PM2.5 (91 ± 67 μg m-3). The urban site (Chandigarh) reported the minimum concentrations of all the three size fractions of particulate matter with PM10 as 89 ± 54 μg m-3, PM2.5 as 42 ± 22 μg m-3 and PM1 as 20 ± 13 μg m-3 where the monitoring was done in the early phase of the campaign. The highest VOC concentration was recorded at the semi-urban (Sirsa) site, whereas the lowest was at a rural location (Fatehgarh Sahib). NH3 concentration was observed highest in rural sites (31.7 ± 29.8 ppbv), which can be due to the application of fertilizers in agricultural activities. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) based fire and thermal anomalies, along with HYSPLIT back trajectory analysis, show that major air masses over monitoring sites (22 %-70 %) were from the rabi crop residue burning regions. The characteristic ratios and Principal component analysis (PCA) results show that diverse sources, i.e., emissions from crop residue burning, solid biomass fuels, vehicles and industries, majorly degrade the regional air quality. This multi-city study observed that semi-urban regions have the most compromised air quality during the rabi crop residue burning and need attention to address the air quality issues in the IGP region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaiwal Ravindra
- Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India.
| | - Tanbir Singh
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India; Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Kyoto, 6038047, Japan
| | - Vikas Singh
- National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki 517502, India
| | | | - Gufran Beig
- Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pashan, Pune, India; National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Suman Mor
- Department of Environment Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India.
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Exposure assessment of wastewater treatment plant employees to BTEX: a biological monitoring approach. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21433. [PMID: 36509850 PMCID: PMC9744860 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25876-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To monitor employees' work safety and exposure against air contaminants, Trans, trans-muconic acid, Hippuric acid, Methyl hippuric acid, Mandelic acid and Phenylglyoxylic acid can be used as reliable biomarkers of exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds. This study aims to determine the level of urinary metabolites of BTEX compounds using biological monitoring in the employees of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the south of Iran. The study was performed on 56 employees of the WWTP of one of the southern cities of Iran in 2020. Urine samples (n total = 112) consisting of 60 samples of employees working in the operation section (exposed group) and 52 samples of employees working in the administrative section (control group) in the WWTP were collected before and at the end of their shift. The mean concentration of urinary metabolites of BTEX of both groups ranged from 546.43 (μg/g cr) for trans, trans-muconic acid to 0.006 (μg/g cr) for methyl hippuric acid, which indicates that most of the evaluated metabolites showed a higher concentration than their occupational threshold limit value urine (p < 0.05). Regression analysis results showed a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between age and utilization of flame heaters with changes in the measured BTEX metabolites in the urine. The results of this study illustrate that WWTPs should be considered as one of the workplaces with potential sources of BTEX exposure for employees. Future investigations are recommended to perform itemized appraisals of BTEX intake sources, particularly in employees of the operational sections of WWTP.
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Dutta S, Barman R, Radhapyari K, Datta S, Lale K, Ray B, Chakraborty T, Srivastava SK. Potentially toxic elements in groundwater of the upper Brahmaputra floodplains of Assam, India: water quality and health risk. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:923. [PMID: 36258132 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10637-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents the groundwater quality assessment of the upper Brahmaputra floodplains of Assam on a seasonal basis. A total of 88 samples were analyzed for the presence of potentially toxic elements in two seasons. In addition, an attempt is made to identify any possible associated health risks to the residents via the drinking water pathway. The study reveals the presence of various potentially toxic elements, in particular, manganese, iron, nickel, and fluoride concentration exceeding the drinking water specifications set by BIS and WHO drinking water standards. The degree of groundwater contamination was assessed using the Water Quality Index, Heavy metal Pollution Index, Heavy metal Evaluation Index, and Degree of Contamination. The spatial distribution maps of groundwater quality were prepared using geographical information system. The non-carcinogenic health risk was evaluated using hazard quotients and hazard index as per the United States Environmental Protection Agency methodology. The hazard quotient of fluoride and manganese have values > 1, which exceeds USEPA recommended benchmark. The health risk assessment identified that the risk was highest during the pre-monsoon season, and the child population is more vulnerable to non-carcinogenic risk than the adults. Findings of cancer risk identified that pre-monsoon groundwater samples from the Golaghat District pose the highest health risks in the upper Brahmaputra floodplains. The risk is highest in the southwest of the study area, followed by the south and then by the north.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snigdha Dutta
- Central Ground Water Board, North Eastern Region, Guwahati, 781035, Assam, India
| | - Rinkumoni Barman
- Central Ground Water Board, North Eastern Region, Guwahati, 781035, Assam, India
| | - Keisham Radhapyari
- Central Ground Water Board, North Eastern Region, Guwahati, 781035, Assam, India.
| | - Suparna Datta
- Central Ground Water Board, Eastern Region, Kolkata, 700091, West Bengal, India
| | - Kiran Lale
- Central Ground Water Board, North Western Region, Chandigarh, 160019, India
| | - Biplab Ray
- Central Ground Water Board, North Eastern Region, Guwahati, 781035, Assam, India
| | - Tapan Chakraborty
- Central Ground Water Board, State Unit Office, Shillong, 793001, Meghalaya, India
- Central Ground Water Board, Central Head Quarters, Faridabad, 121001, Haryana, India
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Stanton R, Russell E, Trivedi DJ. Computational Investigations of Metal-Organic Frameworks as Sorbents for BTEX Removal. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:8150-8156. [PMID: 36001471 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sequestration of aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as sorbents is a viable means of environmental preservation. In this investigation, we shed light on the key features associated with MOFs that govern the selective uptake of a subclass of VOCs containing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). We investigate, through a multistep computational framework including ab initio electronic structure and classical molecular dynamics simulations, the energetic and dynamical properties associated with BTEX capture in three MOFs: HKUST-1, ZIF-8, and MIL-53. Our work demonstrates the importance of considering both static and dynamical properties upon introduction of guest molecules in such computational investigations. We elucidate the key geometric factors associated with efficient capture of BTEX compounds and highlight possible postsynthetic modifications that can be used to produce next generation sorbents for BTEX capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Stanton
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
| | - Emma Russell
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
| | - Dhara J Trivedi
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
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Singh BP, Kumari S, Nair A, Kumari S, Wabaidur SM, Avtar R, Rahman S. Temporary reduction in VOCs associated with health risk during and after COVID-19 in Maharashtra, India. JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY 2022; 80:53-76. [PMID: 35992767 PMCID: PMC9382016 DOI: 10.1007/s10874-022-09440-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED A novel coronavirus has affected almost all countries and impacted the economy, environment, and social life. The short-term impact on the environment and human health needs attention to correlate the Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and health assessment for pre-, during, and post lockdowns. Therefore, the current study demonstrates VOC changes and their effect on air quality during the lockdown. The findings of result, the levels of the mean for total VOC concentrations were found to be 15.45 ± 21.07, 2.48 ± 1.61, 19.25 ± 28.91 µg/m3 for all monitoring stations for pre-, during, and post lockdown periods. The highest value of TVOCs was observed at Thane, considered an industrial region (petroleum refinery), and the lowest at Bandra, which was considered a residential region, respectively. The VOC levels drastically decreased by 52%, 89%, 80%, and 97% for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene, respectively, during the lockdown period compared to the previous year. In the present study, the T/B ratio was found lower in the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period. This can be attributed to the complete closure of non-traffic sources such as industries and factories during the lockdown. The Lifetime Cancer Risk values for all monitoring stations for benzene for pre-and-post lockdown periods were higher than the prescribed value, except during the lockdown period. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10874-022-09440-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhupendra Pratap Singh
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability (Institute of Eminence) & Department of Environmental Studies, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Saumya Kumari
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability (Institute of Eminence) & Department of Environmental Studies, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Arathi Nair
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability (Institute of Eminence) & Department of Environmental Studies, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Sweety Kumari
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability (Institute of Eminence) & Department of Environmental Studies, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Ram Avtar
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810 Japan
| | - Shakilur Rahman
- Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
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Dang N, Zhang H, Abdus Salam MM, Li H, Chen G. Foliar dust particle retention and metal accumulation of five garden tree species in Hangzhou: Seasonal changes. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 306:119472. [PMID: 35580713 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As particulate matter and heavy metals in the atmosphere affect the atmospheric quality, they pose a threat to human health through the respiratory system. Vegetation can remove airborne particles and purify the atmosphere. Plant leaves are capable of effectively absorbing heavy metals contained by particulates. To evaluate the effects of different garden plants on the particulate matter retention and heavy metal accumulation, the seasonal changes of dust retention of five typical garden plants were compared in the industrial and non-industrial zones in Hangzhou. Results revealed that these species differed in dust retention with the descending order of Loropetalum chinense > Osmanthus fragrans > Pittosporum tobira > Photinia × fraseri > Cinnamomum camphora, which were related to the microstructure feature of the leaf. These species also showed seasonal variation in dust retention, with the highest in summer, followed by winter, autumn, and spring, respectively. The total suspended particle per unit leaf area was higher in the industrial site (80.54 g m-2) than in the non-industrial site (19.77 g m-2). Leaf particles in different size fractions differed among species, while coarse particles (d > ten μm) predominated in most cases. The L. chinense and C. camphora plants accumulated the greatest Pb and Ni compared to other plants. Overall, L. chinense was the best suitable plant species to improve the air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Dang
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, 311400, China; College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China
| | - Handan Zhang
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, 311400, China
| | - Mir Md Abdus Salam
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistokatu 7, P.O. Box 111, 80100, Joensuu, Finland; Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Yliopistokatu 6B, 80100, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Haimei Li
- College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China
| | - Guangcai Chen
- Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, 311400, China.
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Ghobadi H, Rostami R, Saranjam B, Aslani MR, Fazlzadeh M, Ghaffari HR. Urinary concentrations of BTEX in waterpipe smokers and nonsmokers: Investigating the influence of conventional activities and multiple factors. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 241:113717. [PMID: 35679732 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the concentrations of the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds in the urine of smokers and the control group considering the role of age, weight, job, history of waterpipe and cigarette smoking, and driving time. The chemicals in the urine of 99 smokers and 31 nonsmokers were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction method and their concentrations were measured by liquid injection GC/MS. The mean concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, o-xylene, p-xylene, and total BTEX in waterpipe smokers were found to be 471.40, 670.90, 127.91, 167.64, 90.62, 46.04, and 1574.50 ng/g. creatinine, respectively. For the waterpipe&cigarette smokers, the concentration of the compounds were 708.00, 959.00, 146.40, 192.50, 93.30, 53.07, and 2152.00 ng/g.creatinine, respectively. For nonsmokers the concentrations of these compounds were 88.12, 140.40, 36.68, 57.29, 31.53, 26.21, and 380.30 ng/g.creatinine, respectively. Driving time, waterpipe smoking and cigarette smoking were positively associated with BTEX concentration (p < 0.05). Fruity tobacco showed higher concentrations of BTEX compared to the regular tobacco, and athlete persons had les urinary BTEX than the non-athletes. There was not significant correlation between the BTEX and age, height, weight, and BMI. High concentrations of BTEX compounds in the urine of waterpipe and cigarette smokers compared to nonsmokers indicate that waterpipe and cigarette can be an important source of exposure to these compounds and the known adverse effects of these compounds, especially carcinogenicity, threaten the health of smokers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Ghobadi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Division, Faculty of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran; Lung Diseases Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Roohollah Rostami
- Research Center for Health Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Behzad Saranjam
- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Aslani
- Lung Diseases Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Mehdi Fazlzadeh
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hamid Reza Ghaffari
- Tobacco and Health research center, Hormozgan university of medical sciences, Bandar abbas, Iran.
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Khandare AL, Validandi V, Jamalpur RP, Dheeravath S, Kurella S, Chauhan A, Boiroju NK, Thingnganing L. Potential Health Risks Associated with the Heavy Metal Content in Commonly Consumed Food from Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Biol Trace Elem Res 2022; 200:3453-3461. [PMID: 34846674 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-021-02918-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated the heavy metal (HM) accumulation in some food items and associated potential human health risk in the Prakasam district. Food samples were collected from 9 villages of different mandals mainly comprising of rice, wheat, green gram, red gram, black gram, potato, and amaranthus. The HMs chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICPMS). The results showed that the HM concentrations in vegetables were higher than the cereals and pulses. The decreasing order of HM concentrations were observed as Cr > As > Pb > Cd > Hg, Cr > Pb > As = Cd > Hg and Cr > Pb > Cd > As > Hg in cereals, pulses, and vegetables, respectively. The dietary intake of cereals and vegetables contributed more exposure to HMs. The hazard index (HI) in case of cereals (3.648) and vegetables (1.003) exceeded 1 indicating the non-carcinogenic risk when these food items are consumed by adults. The HI in case of cereals (7.106) and vegetables (1.747) exceeded 1 indicating the health risks when these food items were consumed by children. The HI for cereals and vegetables in case of children is almost double to the HI of adults. The lifetime cancer risk was observed for Cr via consumption of rice and amaranthus, both in adults and children. In conclusion, health risk due to consumption of cereals and vegetables revealed both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk for adults and children. The findings of the present study can be used for the development of potential strategies for risk control and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun L Khandare
- Food Safety Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India.
| | - Vakdevi Validandi
- Food Safety Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Ravi Prakash Jamalpur
- Food Safety Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Srinivas Dheeravath
- Food Safety Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Srinivasu Kurella
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India
| | - Anitha Chauhan
- Food Composition & Nutrient Analysis Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India
| | - Naveen Kumar Boiroju
- Department of Statistics, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad, India
| | - Longvah Thingnganing
- Food Composition & Nutrient Analysis Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India
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Dörter M, Mağat-Türk E, Döğeroğlu T, Özden-Üzmez Ö, Gaga EO, Karakaş D, Yenisoy-Karakaş S. An assessment of spatial distribution and atmospheric concentrations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes: ozone formation potential and health risk estimation in Bolu city of Turkey. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:53569-53583. [PMID: 35288854 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19608-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric pollutants including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) compounds were evaluated concerning their spatial distribution, temporal variation, and health risk factor. Bolu plateau where sampling was performed has a densely populated city center, semi-rural areas, and forested areas. Additionally, the ozone formation potentials of BTEXs were calculated, and toluene was found to be the most important compound in ground level ozone formation. The spatial distribution of BTEXs and nitrogen dioxide pollution maps showed that their concentrations were higher around the major roads and city center, while rural-forested areas were found to be rich in ozone. BTEXs and nitrogen dioxide were found to have higher atmospheric concentrations in winter. That was mostly related to the source strength and low mixing height during that season. The average toluene to benzene ratios demonstrated that there was a significant influence of traffic emissions in the region. Although there was no significant change in sulfur dioxide concentrations in the summer and winter seasons of 2017, the differences in the spatial distribution showed that seasonal sources such as domestic heating and intensive outdoor barbecue cooking were effective in the atmospheric presence of this pollutant. The lifetime cancer risk through inhalation of benzene was found to be comparable with the limit value (1 × 10-6) recommended by USEPA. On the other hand, hazard ratios for BTEXs were found at an acceptable level for different outdoor environments (villages, roadside, and city center) for both seasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melike Dörter
- Department of Property Protection and Safety, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14900, Bolu, Türkiye
- Department of Chemistry, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Türkiye
| | - Esra Mağat-Türk
- Department of Chemistry, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Türkiye
| | - Tuncay Döğeroğlu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, 26555, Eskişehir, Türkiye
| | - Özlem Özden-Üzmez
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, 26555, Eskişehir, Türkiye
| | - Eftade O Gaga
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Eskişehir Technical University, 26555, Eskişehir, Türkiye
| | - Duran Karakaş
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14030, Bolu, Türkiye
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Evaluating Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Responses Induced by Low-Level VOCs in Zebrafish: Benzene as an Example. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10070351. [PMID: 35878256 PMCID: PMC9324908 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10070351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Urban environments are plagued by complex mixtures of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as mixtures of benzene, toluene, ethylene, and xylene (BTEX). Sources of BTEX that drive human exposure include vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, off-gassing of building material, as well as oil spillage and leakage. Among the BTEX mixture, benzene is the most volatile compound and has been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes. However, few studies have focused on the effects of low-level benzene on exposure during early development, which is a susceptible window when hematological, immune, metabolic, and detoxification systems are immature. In this study, we used zebrafish to conduct a VOC exposure model and evaluated phenotypic and transcriptomic responses following 0.1 and 1 ppm benzene exposure during the first five days of embryogenesis (n = 740 per treatment). The benzene body burden was 2 mg/kg in 1 ppm-exposed larval zebrafish pools and under the detection limit in 0.1 ppm-exposed fish. No observable phenotypic changes were found in both larvae except for significant skeletal deformities in 0.1 ppm-exposed fish (p = 0.01) compared with unexposed fish. Based on transcriptomic responses, 1 ppm benzene dysregulated genes that were implicated with the development of hematological system, and the regulation of oxidative stress response, fatty acid metabolism, immune system, and inflammatory response, including apob, nfkbiaa, serpinf1, foxa1, cyp2k6, and cyp2n13 from the cytochrome P450 gene family. Key genes including pik3c2b, pltp, and chia.2 were differentially expressed in both 1 and 0.1 ppm exposures. However, fewer transcriptomic changes were induced by 0.1 ppm compared with 1 ppm. Future studies are needed to determine if these transcriptomic responses during embryogenesis have long-term consequences at levels equal to or lower than 1 ppm.
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Integration of a Micropreconcentrator with Solid-phase Microextraction for Analysis of Trace Volatile Organic Compounds by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2022; 1673:463083. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2022.463083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Mokammel A, Rostami R, Niazi S, Asgari A, Fazlzadeh M. BTEX levels in rural households: Heating system, building characteristic impacts and lifetime excess cancer risk assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 298:118845. [PMID: 35031402 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) are a group of toxic organic compounds that exposure to them can cause adverse short and long terms health effects. We measured the levels of BTEX in the indoor and outdoor air of rural areas in Ardebil, Iran. We further assessed their health risks and determinants parameters. BTEX were sampled by drawing air through activated charcoal tubes, using low flow SKC pumps. Samples were extracted by adding carbon disulfide and analyzed by subjecting the aromatic fraction to GC-FID. The results indicated that the concentrations of BTEX in the indoor air were significantly higher than those of outdoor (p-value<0.05). The mean indoor concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were 41.69 ± 30.70, 96.73 ± 60.75, 38.73 ± 33.59, and 59.42 ± 35.99 μg m-3, while the mean outdoor concentrations of them were 8.94 ± 7.32, 36.93 ± 21.82, 7.66 ± 5.63, and 18.14 ± 10.25 μg m-3, respectively. The concentrations of BTEX in indoor and outdoor of the rural areas that used kerosene fuel for heating systems were significantly higher than those used natural gas. The results indicated that the tobacco smoke is a notable temporary source of indoor BTEX. The mean inhalation lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) value of benzene for residents of rural houses with the natural gas and kerosene heating systems were 28.6 × 10-6 and 97.2 × 10-6, while for ethylbenzene these figures stood out at 29.1 × 10-6 and 95.8 × 10-6, respectively. LTCR value for residents who used kerosene fuel for heating was higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Mokammel
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran
| | - Roohollah Rostami
- Research Center for Health Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Sadegh Niazi
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Faculty of Science, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH), Brisbane, 4001, Australia
| | - Amin Asgari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran
| | - Mehdi Fazlzadeh
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
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Jafari Roshan S, Mansoori Y, Hosseini SR, Sabour D, Daraei A. Genetic variations in ATM and H2AX loci contribute to risk of hematological abnormalities in individuals exposed to BTEX chemicals. J Clin Lab Anal 2022; 36:e24321. [PMID: 35235704 PMCID: PMC8993635 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Loci controlling DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) repair play an important role in defending against the harmful health effects of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), but their gene variants may alter their repair capacity. The aim of the current study was to determine the relationship of functional polymorphisms ATM‐rs228589 A>T, WRN‐rs1800392 G>T and H2AX‐rs7759 A>G in DBS repair loci with the abnormal hematological indices in workers who exposed to BTEXs. Methods We included 141 cases with one or more abnormal hematological parameters, who had been occupationally exposed to BTEX chemicals and 152 controls with a similar exposure condition but without any abnormal hematological parameters. Atmospheric concentrations of BTEXs were measured and whole blood samples were taken from the participants to determine hematologic parameters and SNP genotyping. Results Results showed that T allele of ATM‐rs228589 and G allele of H2AX‐rs7759 had a higher frequency in cases than controls (p = 0.012 and p = 0.001, respectively). Also, AT and TT genotypes of ATM‐rs228589 and AG and GG genotypes of H2AX‐rs7759 were higher in cases compared to controls. The AT and TT genotypes of ATM‐rs228589 have significant associations with a risk of hematological abnormalities in the codominant (AT vs. AA, p = 0.018), dominant (AT + TT vs. AA, p = 0.010) and overdominant (AT vs. AA + TT, p = 0.037) models. The GG and AG genotypes of H2AX‐rs7759 were in relation with increased risk of abnormal hematological indices under codominant (GA vs. AA, p = 0.009 & GG vs. AA, p = 0.005), dominant (AG + GG vs. AA, p = 0.001), and recessive (GG vs. AA + AG, p = 0.025) models. Conclusions These observations may help to understand the mechanisms of BTEX hematotoxicity and identify useful biomarkers of risk assessment for workers exposed to BTEX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Jafari Roshan
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.,Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Yaser Mansoori
- Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Seyed Reza Hosseini
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Davood Sabour
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Abdolreza Daraei
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
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Kermani M, Jonidi Jafari A, Gholami M, Shahsavani A, Goodarzi B, Fanaei F. Extraction and determination of organic/inorganic pollutants in the ambient air of two cities located in metropolis of Tehran. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:204. [PMID: 35182220 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09705-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, PM2.5, volatile organic compounds (VOC), heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-bonded PM2.5 as well as asbestos fibers were investigated in two cities in the east of Tehran, Iran. To this end, 72 samples were collected from six stations located in the cities of Varamin and Pakdasht from March 2018 to March 2019. The concentration of BTEX compounds, PAHs, and heavy metals were measured using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-Mas), and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), respectively. In addition, phase contrast microscopy (PCM) method was used to identify the properties of asbestos fibers. The results obtained from the present showed that the mean concentrations of PM2.5, heavy metals, PAHs, BTEX, and asbestos fibers were 52.05 µg/m3, 319.08 ng/m3, 3.97 ng/m3, 40.58 µg/m3, and 2.84 f/L, respectively. In addition, the results obtained from PCA and heavy metals sources showed that transport fleets were the natural source of most of these pollutants. In case of PAH sources, transport and incineration of coal had the highest contribution in the emission. Furthermore, the risk assessment showed that most of the compounds have a higher risk value than the guideline value spatial distribution and also showed that stations close to airports, city terminals, and highways were more polluted than other parts of the city. Therefore, in order to have healthy air and with the least pollution, it seems necessary to formulate the necessary strategies in the cities of Varamin and Pakdasht.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Kermani
- Research Center of Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Jonidi Jafari
- Research Center of Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mitra Gholami
- Research Center of Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Shahsavani
- Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Babak Goodarzi
- Research Center of Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
| | - Farzad Fanaei
- Research Center of Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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A novel preclinical model of environment-like combined benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) exposure: Behavioral and neurochemical findings. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2022; 91:107076. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
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Ziabari SEH, Tabatabaie T, Amiri F, Ramavandi B. Spatial distribution of BTEX emission and health risk assessment in the ambient air of pars special economic energy zone (PSEEZ) using passive sampling. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:118. [PMID: 35072808 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09767-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) are a challenging group of volatile organic compounds in industrial and energy areas. Since these aromatics may cause serious diseases such as cancer and respiratory illnesses, they must be monitored. Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) in Iran is the second largest energy zone of the world with numerous gas refineries and petrochemical complexes for producing a wide range of products. This study is focused on determination of BTEX concentration in the whole South Pars area (46 sampling points) which is the active site of PSEEZ using passive sampling. Then, the results of the passive sampling are used for providing spatial distribution of BTEX using GIS. The annual BTEX measurements revealed that benzene and toluene concentration violates the maximum permitted values at numerous points most of which are located in the vicinity of petrochemical complexes. Active sampling in these complexes not only confirms the results of passive sampling, but also suggests a more intensified BTEX pollution in the air quality of the area which reaches as high as 3500 μg.m-3 and 18,000 μg.m-3 for benzene and toluene, respectively, being far beyond the acceptable standards. Health risk analysis also confirms the intensity of BTEX at the selected points. This study suggests a reconsideration of the location of non-operational sites and personnel who are more vulnerable to BTEX contamination. Also, BTEX profile provided by GIS in this research gives a suitable plan for relocating.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tayebeh Tabatabaie
- Department of Environment, Bushehr Branch , Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Fazel Amiri
- Department of Environment, Bushehr Branch , Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran.
| | - Bahman Ramavandi
- Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
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Fly Ash as an Ingredient in the Contaminated Soil Stabilization Process. ENERGIES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/en15020565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Fly ash is the main by-product of coal combustion characterized by a large specific surface area. In addition to oxides, it also contains unburned coal and trace elements. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of using fly ash from pit-coal combustion (CFA) for the treatment of benzene-contaminated soil (S). The CFA was used as a mixture with Portland cement (PC) (70% PC + 30% CFA). The soil was treated with a PC-CFA mixture in amounts of 40, 60, and 80% of soil mass. During the process, the concentration of benzene was monitored with the flame-ionization detector. Produced monoliths (S+(PC-CFA)x) were tested for compressive strength and capillary water absorption. The experiment confirmed that the PC-CFA mixture limited benzene emission. The highest reduction in benzene concentration (34–39%) was observed for samples treated with the PC-CFA mixture in an amount of 80% (S+(PC-CFA)80). The average compressive strength of monoliths S+(PC-CFA)40, S+(PC-CFA)60, and S+(PC-CFA)80 was 0.57, 4.53, and 6.79 MPa, respectively. The water absorption values were in the range of 15–22% dm.
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Rafiee A, Delgado-Saborit JM, Sly PD, Amiri H, Hoseini M. Exploring urinary biomarkers to assess oxidative DNA damage resulting from BTEX exposure in street children. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 203:111725. [PMID: 34302825 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Children are highly susceptible to environmental contaminants as their physiology and some metabolic pathways differ from adults. The present cross-sectional study aimed to assess whether exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o,p-xylene, and m-xylene (BTEX) affects oxidative DNA damage in street children using a biomonitoring approach. Thirty-five boys (7-13 years of age), exposed by working at a busy intersection, and 25 unexposed boys of similar age and living in the neighborhood near the busy intersection were recruited. Urinary un-metabolized BTEX levels were quantified by a headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Urinary malonaldehyde (MDA) was measured with spectrophotometry. Sociodemographic and lifestyle conditions information was collected by interviews using administered questionnaires. Exposed subjects provided urine before (BE) and after work exposure (AE), while unexposed boys gave a single morning sample. Urinary BTEX concentrations in BE samples were similar to unexposed. Concentrations in AE samples were 2.36-fold higher than observed in BE samples (p < 0.05) and higher than those in the unexposed group (p < 0.05). In addition, urinary MDA levels in AE samples were 3.2 and 3.07-times higher than in BE samples and in the unexposed group (p < 0.05). Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increased urinary BTEX and MDA levels in both groups. Our findings confirm that street children working at busy intersections are significantly exposed to BTEX, which is associated with oxidative stress. Implementing protective measures is crucial to reduce exposure and to improve health outcomes in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Rafiee
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit
- Universitat Jaume I, Perinatal Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Clinical Research, School of Medicine, Castellon, Spain; ISGlobal Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona, Spain; Environmental Research Group, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Division of Environmental Health & Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Peter D Sly
- Children's Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Center, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Australia
| | - Hoda Amiri
- Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hoseini
- Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Tabatabaei Z, Baghapour MA, Hoseini M, Fararouei M, Abbasi F, Baghapour M. Assessing BTEX concentrations emitted by hookah smoke in indoor air of residential buildings: health risk assessment for children. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2021; 19:1653-1665. [PMID: 34900296 PMCID: PMC8617227 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-021-00721-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Hookah smoke is one of the major indoor sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), including Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes (BTEX). The present study aimed to investigate potential exposure to BTEX compounds among primary school children whose parents smoked hookah at home. BTEX concentrations in indoor air were measured in 60 residential buildings of Khesht, southwestern Iran (case = 30 and control = 30). Target compounds were sampled by charcoal tubes, and the samples were then analyzed by GC-FID. Monte Carlo simulation was used to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of BTX exposure for the children aged 7-13 years. The concentrations of benzene (7.19 ± 3.09 vs. 0.82 ± 0.5 μg/m3), toluene (1.62 ± 0.69 vs. 0.3 ± 0.22 μg/m3), and xylenes (2.9 ± 1.66 vs. 0.31 ± 0.22 μg/m3) were considerably higher in the indoor air of the case houses compared with the control houses (p < 0.05). The Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) of benzene for non-smoking and smoking houses were estimated 1.8 × 10-6 and 15 × 10-6, respectively, exceeding the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1 × 10-6). Moreover, Hazard Quotients (HQs) of all BTX compounds were < 1. The indoor benzene concentration was significantly influenced by the floor at which families lived and type of the kitchen. In order to prevent children's exposure to BTX emitted by hookah, banning indoor smoking is the only way to eliminate these compounds in the indoor air.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeynab Tabatabaei
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Baghapour
- Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hoseini
- Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Fararouei
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fariba Abbasi
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Melika Baghapour
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, Toronto, Canada
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31
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Rossi S, Buccarello A, Caffarra Malvezzi C, Pinelli S, Alinovi R, Guerrero Gerboles A, Rozzi G, Leonardi F, Bollati V, De Palma G, Lagonegro P, Rossi F, Lottici PP, Poli D, Statello R, Macchi E, Miragoli M. Exposure to nanoparticles derived from diesel particulate filter equipped engine increases vulnerability to arrhythmia in rat hearts. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 284:117163. [PMID: 33910133 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution is well recognized as a central player in cardiovascular disease. Exhaust particulate from diesel engines (DEP) is rich in nanoparticles and may contribute to the health effects of particulate matter in the environment. Moreover, diesel soot emitted by modern engines denotes defective surfaces alongside chemically-reactive sites increasing soot cytotoxicity. We recently demonstrated that engineered nanoparticles can cross the air/blood barrier and are capable to reach the heart. We hypothesize that DEP nanoparticles are pro-arrhythmogenic by direct interaction with cardiac cells. We evaluated the internalization kinetics and the effects of DEP, collected from Euro III (DEPe3, in the absence of Diesel Particulate Filter, DPF) and Euro IV (DEPe4, in the presence of DPF) engines, on alveolar and cardiac cell lines and on in situ rat hearts following DEP tracheal instillation. We observed significant differences in DEP size, metal and organic compositions derived from both engines. DEPe4 comprised ultrafine particles (<100 nm) and denoted a more pronounced toxicological outcome compared to DEPe3. In cardiomyocytes, particle internalization is fastened for DEPe4 compared to DEPe3. The in-vivo epicardial recording shows significant alteration of EGs parameters in both groups. However, the DEPe4-instilled group showed, compared to DEPe3, a significant increment of the effective refractory period, cardiac conduction velocity, and likelihood of arrhythmic events, with a significant increment of membrane lipid peroxidation but no increment in inflammation biomarkers. Our data suggest that DEPe4, possibly due to ultrafine nanoparticles, is rapidly internalized by cardiomyocytes resulting in an acute susceptibility to cardiac electrical disorder and arrhythmias that could accrue from cellular toxicity. Since the postulated transfer of nanoparticles from the lung to myocardial cells has not been investigated it remains open whether the effects on the cardiovascular function are the result of lung inflammatory reactions or due to particles that have reached the heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Rossi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; CERT, Center of Excellence for Toxicological Research, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Andrea Buccarello
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Silvana Pinelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Rossella Alinovi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Giacomo Rozzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Humanitas Clinical and Research Center -IRCCS, 20090, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Leonardi
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Valentina Bollati
- EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Giuseppe De Palma
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Paola Lagonegro
- National Research Council (CNR), Istituto Dei Materiali per L'Elettronica Ed Il Magnetismo (IMEM), Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Rossi
- National Research Council (CNR), Istituto Dei Materiali per L'Elettronica Ed Il Magnetismo (IMEM), Parma, Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Lottici
- Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Diana Poli
- INAIL Research, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, 00078, Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosario Statello
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Emilio Macchi
- CERT, Center of Excellence for Toxicological Research, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Michele Miragoli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; CERT, Center of Excellence for Toxicological Research, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Humanitas Clinical and Research Center -IRCCS, 20090, Rozzano, Milan, Italy; National Research Council (CNR), Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Milan, Italy.
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Ghaffari HR, Kamari Z, Hassanvand MS, Fazlzadeh M, Heidari M. Level of air BTEX in urban, rural and industrial regions of Bandar Abbas, Iran; indoor-outdoor relationships and probabilistic health risk assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 200:111745. [PMID: 34303681 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This study focused on the measurement of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) concentrations in the air of various regions and indoor-outdoor environments in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Air samples were taken actively and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) during two one-month periods i.e., Feb 2020 (period I) and Sep/Oct 2020 (period II). The mean air temperature and the levels of all BTEX compounds were higher in period II. The highest total BTEX (t-BTEX) levels (median [min-max]) were found in the urban region (18.00 [5.21-67.24] μg m-3), followed by industrial region (7.00 [2.05-14.76] μg m-3) and rural region (2.81 [ND-7.38] μg m-3). The significant positive correlations between all BTEX compounds and T/B ratio >1 indicated the vehicular traffic as the main source of emission. At 95th percentile probability, the non-cancer risk of t-BTEX in urban region was only less than one order of magnitude below the threshold level of unity (1.91E-01) and the cancer risk of benzene exceeded the recommended level of 1.0E-06 by U.S. EPA in urban (7.69E-06) and industrial (2.97E-06) regions. It was found that the indoor/outdoor ratio of BTEX concentration in beauty salon and hospital was greater than 1. Overall, the current levels of BTEX in the ambient air of study area, especially near urban roadside and in some indoor environments, should not be overlooked and appropriate mitigation actions should be undertaken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Reza Ghaffari
- Food Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Zohreh Kamari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Mohammad Sadegh Hassanvand
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Fazlzadeh
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Mohsen Heidari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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El Mohajir A, Castro-Gutiérrez J, Canevesi RLS, Bezverkhyy I, Weber G, Bellat JP, Berger F, Celzard A, Fierro V, Sanchez JB. Novel Porous Carbon Material for the Detection of Traces of Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:40088-40097. [PMID: 34379387 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c10430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A highly sensitive and selective silicon-based microanalytical prototype was used to identify a few ppb of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air. Herein, a new nonactivated tannin-derived carbon synthesized by an environmentally friendly method, DM2C, a MIL-101(Cr) MOF, and a DaY zeolite were selected for the preconcentration of BTEX compounds (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes). Integrating a small amount of these nanoporous solids inside a miniaturized preconcentration unit led to excellent preconcentration performance. By taking advantage of the high adsorption-desorption capacities of the DM2C adsorbent, concentrations as low as 23.5, 30.8, 16.7, 25, and 28.8 ppb of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, ortho- and para-xylene, respectively, were detected in a short analysis time (∼10 min) even in the presence of 60% relative humidity at 25 °C. The DM2C showed excellent stability over a period of 4 months and more than 500 tests, as well as repeatability, which makes it a very reliable adsorbent for the detection of trace VOCs in indoor air under realistic conditions in the presence of humidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achraf El Mohajir
- Institut FEMTO-ST, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 15B, Avenue des Montboucons, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
| | | | | | - Igor Bezverkhyy
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, 9 Avenue Alain Savary, BP 47870, 21078 Dijon, France
| | - Guy Weber
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, 9 Avenue Alain Savary, BP 47870, 21078 Dijon, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Bellat
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, 9 Avenue Alain Savary, BP 47870, 21078 Dijon, France
| | - Franck Berger
- Institut FEMTO-ST, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 15B, Avenue des Montboucons, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
| | - Alain Celzard
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, F-88000 Épinal, France
| | - Vanessa Fierro
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, IJL, F-88000 Épinal, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Sanchez
- Institut FEMTO-ST, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 15B, Avenue des Montboucons, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France
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Santiago ÍS, Silva TFA, Marques EV, Barreto FMDS, Ferreira AG, Rocha CA, Mendonça KV, Cavalcante RM. Influence of the seasonality and of urban variables in the BTEX and PM 2.5 atmospheric levels and risks to human health in a tropical coastal city (Fortaleza, CE, Brazil). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:42670-42682. [PMID: 33818727 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13590-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies benzene in group 1 (carcinogenic to humans). Particulate matter (PM) has recently also been classified in this category. This was an advance toward prioritizing the monitoring of particles in urban areas. The aim of the present study was to assess levels of PM2.5 and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), the influence of meteorological variables, the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and urban variables as well as risks to human health in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil, in the wet and dry periods. BTEX compounds were sampled using the 1501 method of NIOSH and determined by GC-HS-PID/FID. PM2.5 was monitored using an air sampling pump with a filter holder and determined by the gravimetric method. Average concentrations of BTEX ranged from 1.6 to 45.5 μg m-3, with higher values in the wet period, which may be explained by the fact that annual distribution is influenced by meteorological variables and the PBL. PM2.5 levels ranged from 4.12 to 33.0 μg m-3 and 4.18 to 86.58 μg m-3 in the dry and wet periods, respectively. No seasonal pattern was found for PM2.5, probably due to the influence of meteorological variables, the PBL, and urban variables. Cancer risk ranged from 2.46E-04 to 4.71E-03 and 1.72E-04 to 2.01E-03 for benzene and from 3.07E-06 to 7.04E-05 and 3.08E-06 to 2.85E-05 for PM2.5 in the wet and dry periods, respectively. Cancer risk values for benzene were above the acceptable limit established by the international regulatory agency in both the dry and wet periods. The results obtained of the noncarcinogenic risks for the compounds toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene were within the limits of acceptability. The findings also showed that the risk related to PM is always greater among smokers than nonsmokers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Íthala S Santiago
- Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
- Undergraduate Course in Environmental Science - Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Tamiris F A Silva
- Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
- Undergraduate Course in Environmental Science - Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Elissandra V Marques
- Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
- Undergraduate Course in Environmental Science - Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Francisco M de S Barreto
- Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology - IFCE, Fortaleza Campus, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Antonio G Ferreira
- Earth Observation Labomar Laboratory (EOLLab), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Camille A Rocha
- Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Kamila V Mendonça
- Laboratory of Economics, Law and Sustainability (LEDS/LABOMAR), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, CEP: 60165-081, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Rivelino M Cavalcante
- Laboratory for Assessment of Organic Contaminants (LACOr), Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil.
- Undergraduate Course in Environmental Science - Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brazil.
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Alahabadi A, Fazeli I, Rakhshani MH, Najafi ML, Alidadi H, Miri M. Spatial distribution and health risk of exposure to BTEX in urban area: a comparison study of different land-use types and traffic volumes. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2021; 43:2871-2885. [PMID: 33411121 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00799-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Many previous studies have investigated BTEX concentrations in urban areas; however, the available evidence on the association of different land-use types and BTEX concentrations is still scarce. In this study, the BTEX concentrations were measured and compared in different land-use types and traffic volumes of Mashhad metropolis, Iran. Sampling was conducted in summer and winter of 2018 based on NIOSH 1501 method in six land-use types, including Residential, Commercial/official, Industrial, Greenspace, Transportation, and Tourism. The spatial autocorrelation model was used to investigate the emission pattern. The Monte Carlo simulation technique and sensitivity analysis were used to assess the health risk of exposure to BTEX compounds. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene m-xylene, o-xylene and total BTEX concentrations based on overall mean were 4 (2.23), 8.37 (4.48), 1.2 (1.46), 0.89 (2.59), 0.8 (1.73) and 17.7 (8.19) µg/m3, respectively. Benzene and toluene had clustered emission patterns (z-score > 1.96). Exposure to benzene in the study area had a carcinogenic risk for inhabitants. The concentration of BTEX compounds was significantly different based on land-use type. The maximum and minimum concentrations of BTEX were observed in Transportation and Greenspace land uses, respectively. The BTEX concentrations in summer were significantly higher than in winter, and traffic had a significant effect on BTEX concentrations. Overall, our results supported a significant relationship between land-use type and BTEX concentrations in the urban area. Moreover, ambient benzene concentration had a carcinogenic risk potential for inhabitants of study area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Alahabadi
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Iman Fazeli
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hassan Rakhshani
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Moslem Lari Najafi
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Cosmetic Products Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Hossein Alidadi
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Miri
- Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 319, Sabzevar, Iran.
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Amoatey P, Al-Mayahi A, Al-Harthy I, Al-Jabri K, Addi MN, Siddiqi SA, Sulaiman H, Al-Mamun A, Baawain MS. Characterization and exposure assessment to urban air toxics across Middle Eastern and North African countries: a review. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:529. [PMID: 34322756 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09229-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Middle East and North African (MENA) countries over the decades are experiencing rapid industrial and infrastructural growth combined with being the global hub of oil and gas industries. These economic transformations are associated with release of air pollutants including urban air toxics (UAT) through industrial, traffic, and constructional activities into ambient urban environments. UAT concentrations levels may exacerbate in most MENA countries considering high number of vehicular traffic populations and petrochemical industries which are one of the main sources of this pollutant. Therefore, the main objective of the study is to review major findings of UAT levels in urban areas across thirteen (13) MENA countries. The study characterizes various measured UAT, assesses their concentrations in ambient environment, and identifies their major sources of emissions by reviewing more than 100 relevant UAT papers across the selected MENA countries. It was found that benzene, heavy metals, formaldehyde, and dioxin-like compounds are the most reported UAT. The study concluded that road traffic, fuel stations, and petrochemical industries were identified as the main sources of ambient UAT levels. It was further reported that most of the studies were based on short-term ambient environment with limited studies in indoor environments. Therefore, it is highly recommended that future research should focus on innovative health impact assessment and epidemiological studies from exposure to UAT levels. Also embarking on sustainable mitigation approaches through urban greenery, eco-industrial estates infrastructural developments, and renewable energy shares will reduce UAT levels and improve human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Amoatey
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman
| | - Ahmed Al-Mayahi
- Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 34 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman
| | - Issa Al-Harthy
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman
| | - Khalifa Al-Jabri
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman.
| | - Maxwell Nana Addi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Sajjad Ahmad Siddiqi
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman
| | - Hameed Sulaiman
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 36 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman
| | - Abdullah Al-Mamun
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33 P.C. 123, Al-Khoudh, Muscat, Oman
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Chen D, Liu R, Lin Q, Ma S, Li G, Yu Y, Zhang C, An T. Volatile organic compounds in an e-waste dismantling region: From spatial-seasonal variation to human health impact. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 275:130022. [PMID: 33647682 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The dismantling of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) can release various Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), impacting the surrounding ambient environment. We investigated the spatio-temporal characteristics and health risks of the ambient VOCs emitted in a typical e-waste dismantling region by conducting multi-site sampling campaigns in four seasons. The pollution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in the e-waste dismantling park has relation to e-waste dismantling by seasonal trend analysis. The highest concentrations of most VOCs occurred in winter and autumn, while the lowest levels were observed in summer and spring. The spatial distribution map revealed the e-waste dismantling park to be a hotspot of BTEX, 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP), and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), while two major residential areas were also the hotspots of BTEX. The e-waste emission source contributed 20.14% to the total VOCs in the e-waste dismantling park, while it was absent in the major residential and rural areas. The cancer risk assessment showed that six VOCs exceeded 1.0 × 10-6 in the e-waste dismantling park, while only three or four compounds exceeded this risk in other areas. The noncancer risks of all compounds were below the safety threshold. This study supplements the existing knowledge on VOC pollution from e-waste dismantling and expands the research scope of chemical pollution caused by e-waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daijin Chen
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ranran Liu
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qinhao Lin
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Shengtao Ma
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Guiying Li
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yingxin Yu
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Chaosheng Zhang
- GIS Centre, Ryan Institute and School of Geography and Archaeology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Taicheng An
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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Popitanu C, Cioca G, Copolovici L, Iosif D, Munteanu FD, Copolovici D. The Seasonality Impact of the BTEX Pollution on the Atmosphere of Arad City, Romania. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18094858. [PMID: 34063249 PMCID: PMC8124805 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Benzene, toluene, and total BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) concentrations registered for one year (2016) have been determined every month for one high-density traffic area. The assessment was performed in Arad City, Romania, to evaluate these pollutants and their influence on the inhabitants’ health. The contaminants were sampled using a static sampling method and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Benzene was the most dominant among the BTEX compounds—the average concentrations ranged from 18.00 ± 1.32 µg m−3 in December to 2.47 ± 0.74 µg m−3 in August. The average toluene concentration over the year was 4.36 ± 2.42 µg m−3 (with a maximum of 9.60 ± 2.39 µg m−3 in November and a minimum of 1.04 ± 0.29 µg m−3 in May). The toluene/benzene ratio (T/B) was around 0.5, indicating substantial contributions from mobile sources (vehicles). The emission and accumulation of different aromatic compounds (especially benzene) could deteriorate the urban air quality. The lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) for benzene was found to be more than 10−5 in winter, including the inhabitants in the “probable cancer risk” category.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corina Popitanu
- Biomedical Sciences Doctoral School, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania;
| | - Gabriela Cioca
- Preclinical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, Romania;
| | - Lucian Copolovici
- Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310330 Arad, Romania; (D.I.); (F.-D.M.); (D.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-74-525-9816
| | - Dennis Iosif
- Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310330 Arad, Romania; (D.I.); (F.-D.M.); (D.C.)
| | - Florentina-Daniela Munteanu
- Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310330 Arad, Romania; (D.I.); (F.-D.M.); (D.C.)
| | - Dana Copolovici
- Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, Institute for Research, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310330 Arad, Romania; (D.I.); (F.-D.M.); (D.C.)
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Kermani M, Asadgol Z, Gholami M, Jafari AJ, Shahsavani A, Goodarzi B, Arfaeinia H. Occurrence, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, potential sources, and inhalation-based health risk assessment of organic/inorganic pollutants in ambient air of Tehran. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2021; 43:1983-2006. [PMID: 33216310 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00779-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The present study evaluated the concentrations, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, potential sources, and risk assessment of organic/inorganic pollutants in ambient air of Tehran city. Totally, 180 air samples were taken from 9 sampling stations from March 2018 to March 2019 and were analyzed to determine the concentrations of organic pollutants (BTEX compounds and PM2.5-bound PAHs) plus inorganic pollutants (PM2.5-bound metals and asbestos fibers). The results revealed that the mean concentrations of ∑ PAHs, BTEX, ∑ heavy metals, and asbestos fibers were 5.34 ng/m3, 60.55 µg/m3, 8585.12 ng/m3, and 4.13 fiber/ml in the cold season, respectively, and 3.88 ng/m3, 33.86 µg/m3, 5682.61 ng/m3, and 3.21 fiber/ml in the warm season, respectively. Source apportionment of emission of the air pollutants showed that PAHs are emitted from diesel vehicles and industrial activities. BTEX and asbestos are also released mainly by vehicles. The results of the inhalation-based risk assessment indicated that the carcinogenic risk of PAHs, BTEX, and asbestos exceeded the recommended limit by The US environmental protection agency (US EPA) and WHO (1 × 10-4). The risk of carcinogenesis of heavy metal of lead and chromium also exceeded the recommended limit. Thus, proper management strategies are required to control the concentration of these pollutants in Tehran's ambient air in order to maintain the health of Tehran's citizens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Kermani
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Asadgol
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mitra Gholami
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Jonidi Jafari
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Shahsavani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Babak Goodarzi
- Research Center for Environmental Health Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Hormozgan, Iran.
| | - Hossein Arfaeinia
- Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
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Rezaali M, Fouladi-Fard R, Mojarad H, Sorooshian A, Mahdinia M, Mirzaei N. A wavelet-based random forest approach for indoor BTEX spatiotemporal modeling and health risk assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:22522-22535. [PMID: 33420932 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12298-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
This study reports on BTEX concentrations in one of the largest parking garages in Iran with a peak traffic flow reaching up to ~9300 vehicles in the last few days of the Nowruz holidays. Samples were obtained on different days of the week at three main locations in the Zaer Parking Garage. A novel wavelet-based random forest model (WRF) was trained to estimate BTEX concentrations by decomposing temperature, day of the week, sampling location, and relative humidity data with a maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT) function and subsequently inputted into the WRF model. The results suggested that the WRF model can reasonably estimate BTEX trends and variations based on high R2 values of 0.96, 0.95, and 0.98 for training, validation, and test data subsets, respectively. The carcinogenic (LTCR) and non-carcinogenic health risk (HI) assessment results indicated a definite carcinogenic risk of benzene (LTCR = 2.22 × 10-4) and high non-carcinogenic risk (HI = 4.51) of BTEX emissions. The results of this study point to the importance of BTEX accumulation in poorly ventilated areas and the utility of machine learning in forecasting air pollution in diverse airsheds such as parking garages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reza Fouladi-Fard
- Research Centre for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
| | - Hassan Mojarad
- Student Research Committee, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Armin Sorooshian
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Mohsen Mahdinia
- Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Nezam Mirzaei
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Ismail AM, Sani MSA, Azid A, Zaki NNM, Arshad S, Tukiran NA, Abidin SASZ, Samsudin MS, Ismail A. Food forensics on gelatine source via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography diode-array detector and principal component analysis. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-020-04061-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThis study provided a step-by-step procedure to investigate the distribution of 17 amino acids (AAs) in 50 fish, 50 bovine and 54 porcine gelatines using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Diode-Array Detector (UHPLC–DAD) with the incorporation of principal component analysis (PCA). Dataset pre-processing step, including outlier removal, analysis of variance (ANOVA), dataset adequacy test, dataset transformation and correlation test was performed before the PCA. The method rendered linearity range of 37.5–1000 pmol/µL and accuracy of 85–111% recovery. The bovine and porcine gelatines showed a similar ranking while the l-Alanine (Ala), l-Arginine (Arg) and l-Glutamic acid (Glu) concentrations had differed the fish gelatine from the bovine and porcine gelatines. The PCA, which explained 77.013% cumulative variability at eigenvalue of 5.436, showed AAs with strong FL in PC1 had polar and nonpolar side chains while AAs with strong FL in PC2 had polar side chain. The AAs with moderate and weak FL in PC1 had a nonpolar side chain. The AAs with strong FL of in PC1 were also the same AAs with 7, 6 and 5 strong CMs as determined in the correlation test. The second PCA showed that the l-Serine (Ser), Arg, Glycine (Gly), l-Threonine (Thr), l-Methionine (Met), l-Histidine (His) and L-Hydroxyproline (Hyp) were significant in fish gelatine; Hyp, Met, Thr, Ser, His, Gly, and Arg in bovine gelatine; and l-Proline (Pro), l-Tyrosine (Tyr), l-Valine (Val), l-Leucine (Leu), and l-Phenylalanine (Phe) in porcine gelatine. The 100% fish, bovine and porcine gelatines accommodated grouping 1, 2 and 3, respectively, which proved that AAs with strong FL (Hyp, His, Ser, Arg, Gly, Thr, Pro, Tyr, Met, Val, Leu and Phe) were the significant AAs and becomes the biomarkers to identify the gelatine source. From this study, the PCA was a useful tool to analyse a multivariate dataset that could provide an in-depth understanding of AA distributions as compared to ANOVA and correlation test.
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Davidson CJ, Hannigan JH, Bowen SE. Effects of inhaled combined Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes (BTEX): Toward an environmental exposure model. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2021; 81:103518. [PMID: 33132182 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2020.103518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Combined environmental exposures to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene (BTEX) pose clear risks to public health. Research into these risks is under-studied even as BTEX levels in the atmosphere are predicted to rise. This review focuses on the available literature using single- and combined-BTEX component inhaled solvent exposures in animal models, necessarily also drawing on findings from models of inhalant abuse and occupational exposures. Health effects of these exposures are discussed for multiple organ systems, but with particular attention on neurobehavioral outcomes such as locomotor activity, impulsivity, learning, and psychopharmacological responses. It is clear that animal models have significant differences in the concentrations, durations and patterns of exposure. Experimental evidence of the deleterious health and neurobehavioral consequences of exposures to the individual components of BTEX were found, but these effects were typically assessed using concentrations and exposure patterns not characteristic of environmental exposure. Future studies with animal models designed appropriately to explore combined BTEX will be necessary and advantageous to discovering health outcomes and more subtle neurobehavioral impacts of long-term environmental exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John H Hannigan
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Scott E Bowen
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
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43
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Alsbou EM, Omari KW. BTEX indoor air characteristic values in rural areas of Jordan: Heaters and health risk assessment consequences in winter season. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 267:115464. [PMID: 32866878 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX) are known to affect environmental air and health quality. In this study, the levels of BTEX compounds were determined in indoor air environments during the winter generated by several different heaters: diesel pot-bellied heater with chimney (DH); electric heater (EH); unfluted gas heater (GH); kerosene heater (KH); and wood pot-bellied heater with chimney (WH). The samples were collected using a diffusion passive adsorbent (activated charcoal) and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the heaters differ in the quantity of BTEX released during operation. The KH was the most polluted heater based on BTEX measurement, followed by DH. The ∑BTEX for heaters were observed as follows: KH (290 μg m-3); DH (120 μg m-3); GH (84 μg m-3); WH (31 μg m-3); EH (16 μg m-3). Toluene was the predominant compound in all air samples. In KH and DH, the toluene to benzene ratios (T/B) were higher than 4 due to fuel evaporation, while GH had a T/B ratio of 3.9, indicating that the combustion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was the main source. Moreover, a risk assessment was performed to evaluate where the cancer risks (CR) for benzene and ethylbenzene exceeded the critical values (10-6). KH was found to be the most harmful heater for residents, followed by DH and GH. For non-carcinogenic compounds, hazard quotients (HQ) were found to be less than one and thus unlikely to cause health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eid M Alsbou
- Department of Chemistry, Science College, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma'an, Postal Code, 71111, Jordan.
| | - Khaled W Omari
- College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait.
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Yousefian F, Hassanvand MS, Nodehi RN, Amini H, Rastkari N, Aghaei M, Yunesian M, Yaghmaeian K. The concentration of BTEX compounds and health risk assessment in municipal solid waste facilities and urban areas. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 191:110068. [PMID: 32846179 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In this study, human exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX), along with their respective risk assessment is studied in four major units (n = 14-point sources) of the largest municipal solid waste management facilities (MSWF) in Iran. The results were compared with four urban sites in Tehran, capital of Iran. Workers at the pre-processing unit are exposed to the highest total BTEX (151 μg m-3). In specific, they were exposed to benzene concentrations of 11 μg m-3. Moreover, the total BTEX (t-BTEX) concentrations measured over the conveyor belt was 198 μg m-3 at most, followed by trommel (104), and active landfills (43). The mean concentration of ambient t-BTEX in Tehran is 100 μg m-3. On average, xylenes and toluene have the highest concentrations in both on-site and urban environments, with mean values of 24 and 21, and 41 and 37 μg m-3, respectively. Even though the non-carcinogenic risk of occupational exposure is negligible, BTEX is likely to increase the chance of carcinogenic risks (1.7E-05) for workers at the pre-processing unit. A definite carcinogenic risk of 1.3E-04, and non-carcinogenic effect, of HI = 1.6 were observed in one urban site. With the exception of the pre-processing unit, the citizens of Tehran had higher exposure to BTEX. Overall, BTEX concentrations in the largest MSWF of Iran remains an issue of public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Yousefian
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Sadegh Hassanvand
- Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramin Nabizadeh Nodehi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Heresh Amini
- Environmental Epidemiology Group, Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noushin Rastkari
- Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mina Aghaei
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masud Yunesian
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Research Methodology and Data Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Kamyar Yaghmaeian
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Center for Solid Waste Management (CSWM), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Khandare AL, Validandi V, Rajendran A, Singh TG, Thingnganing L, Kurella S, Nagaraju R, Dheeravath S, Vaddi N, Kommu S, Maddela Y. Health risk assessment of heavy metals and strontium in groundwater used for drinking and cooking in 58 villages of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2020; 42:3675-3701. [PMID: 32488799 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00596-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater is one of the most important sources of water for drinking and cooking in rural India. A total of 382 groundwater samples were collected from 58 villages and analyzed for HMs and Sr by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The average concentrations of HMs and Sr in water was in the order of strontium (Sr) > arsenic (As) > chromium (Cr) > lead (Pb) > mercury (Hg) > cadmium (Cd). Out of 58 villages, 21, 37, 35, 35, 35 and 39 villages had Cr, As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Sr higher (WHO limit) than their respectively permissible levels. Health risk assessment of HMs and Sr for humans revealed that the non-carcinogenicity hazard quotients (HQi+d) for HMs and Sr were higher than unity for adult and children. The hazard index (HI) was 531.066 for adult and 902.926 for children. The HI > 1 was observed in 45 villages for adults and 56 villages for children. The lifetime cancer risk in adult for Asi, Asd, and Pbi in 36, 25 and 23 villages, whereas in children was 42, 20 and 22 villages, respectively. In conclusion, the health risks arising from consumption of groundwater containing HMs and Sr indicated that there is a significant carcinogenic risks for adult and children. This is the first attempt to provide information on the health risks of Sr in drinking water in India. The present findings can be useful for the development of potential strategies for risk control and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Lakshman Khandare
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India.
| | - Vakdevi Validandi
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Ananthan Rajendran
- Food Composition and Nutrient Analysis Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India
| | | | - Longvah Thingnganing
- Food Composition and Nutrient Analysis Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India
| | - Srinivasu Kurella
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Raju Nagaraju
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Srinivas Dheeravath
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Nagaraju Vaddi
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Srinivasulu Kommu
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
| | - Yadaiah Maddela
- Food Safety Division, Department of Food Toxicology, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Jamai Osmania PO, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India
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Singha S, Pasupuleti S, Singha SS, Kumar S. Effectiveness of groundwater heavy metal pollution indices studies by deep-learning. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2020; 235:103718. [PMID: 32987235 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2020.103718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Globally, groundwater heavy metal (HM) pollution is a serious concern, threatening drinking water safety as well as human and animal health. Therefore, evaluation of groundwater HM pollution is essential to prevent accompanying hazardous ecological impacts. In this aspect, the effectiveness of various groundwater HM pollution evaluation approaches should be examined for their level of trustworthiness. In this study, 226 groundwater samples from Arang of Chhattisgarh state, India, were collected and analyzed. Measured concentration for various HMs were further used to calculate six groundwater pollution indices, such as the HM pollution index (HPI), HM evaluation index (HEI), contamination index (CI), entropy-weight based HM contamination index (EHCI), Heavy metal index (HMI), and principal component analysis-based metal index (PMI). Groundwater in the study area was mainly contaminated by elevated Cd, Fe, and Pb concentrations due to natural and anthropogenic pollution. Moreover, this study explored the performance of deep learning (DL)-based predictive models via comparative study. Two hidden layers with 26 and 19 neurons in the first and second hidden layers, respectively, were optimised along with rectified linear unit activation function. A mini-batch gradient descent was also applied to ensure smooth convergence of the training dataset into the model. Results demonstrated that the DL-PMI scored lowest errors, 0.022 for mean square error (MSE), 0.140 for mean absolute error (MAE), and 0.148 for root mean square error (RMSE), in the model validation than the other DL-based groundwater HM pollution model. Prediction performances of all pollution indices were also verified using artificial neural network (ANN)-based models, which also highlighted the lowest validation error for ANN-PMI (MSE = 3.93, MAE = 1.38, and RMSE = 1.98). Furthermore, the prediction accuracies of PMI using both ANN and DL models scored the highest R2 value of 0.95 and 0.99, respectively. Therefore it is suggested that groundwater HM pollution using PMI as the best indexing approach in the present study area. Moreover, compared to benchmark, ANN, the DL performed better; hence, it could be concluded that the proposed DL model may be suitable approach in the field of computational chemistry by handling overfitting problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudhakar Singha
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India
| | - Srinivas Pasupuleti
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India..
| | - Soumya S Singha
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India
| | - Suresh Kumar
- Central Ground Water Board, Patna 800001, Bihar, India
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47
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Moslem AR, Rezaei H, Yektay S, Miri M. Comparing BTEX concentration related to surgical smoke in different operating rooms. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2020; 203:111027. [PMID: 32888595 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The available evidence on the indoor air quality of operating rooms (ORs) in the Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) is very scarce. Moreover, there is no study on the comparing the concentration of indoor air pollutants in different ORs. Therefore, this study aimed to measure and compare the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) concentrations in the air of different ORs in hospitals of Sabzevar, Iran. Moreover, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of exposure to these pollutants were assessed using Monte Carlo simulations technique. This cross-sectional study was based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) passive sampling of eight ORs including General surgery, Curettage, Eye surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic, Laparoscopic, Cesarean and Ear, nose, throat (ENT) in two monthly campaigns from November 2019 to February 2020. One-way ANOVA and Post-hoc analyses were used to compare the concentration of BTEX compounds in different ORs. The overall mean (standard deviation (SD)) of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and total BTEX concentrations were 10.0 (1.8), 7.2 (1.9), 1.8 (0.6), 0.4 (0.2) and 19.4 (4.1) μg/m3. The Curettage OR had the highest (12.93 μg/m3) and ENT OR had the lowest (7.42 μg/m3) benzene concentrations. The highest concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene and total BTEX were observed in General surgery OR. The cancer risks of exposure to benzene in all ORs were higher than the acceptable range recommended by Unite State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA, 1 × 106). However, the hazard quotient (HQ) values for all ORs were at safe level (HQ < 1). Overall, our study suggested that the concentrations of BTEX compounds were significantly difference in different ORs and benzene had a carcinogenic risk for personnel and surgical staff in different ORs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Reza Moslem
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Hossein Rezaei
- Student Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Sima Yektay
- Student Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Mohammad Miri
- Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.
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48
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Ghanbarian M, Nazmara S, Masinaei M, Ghanbarian M, Mahvi AH. Evaluating the exposure of general population of Tehran with volatile organic compounds (BTEX). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2020.1781839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Ghanbarian
- School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Office of Environment and Occupational Health, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahrokh Nazmara
- School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Masinaei
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marjan Ghanbarian
- School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
| | - Amir Hossein Mahvi
- School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Solid Waste Research, Institute for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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49
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Hamid HHA, Latif MT, Uning R, Nadzir MSM, Khan MF, Ta GC, Kannan N. Observations of BTEX in the ambient air of Kuala Lumpur by passive sampling. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2020; 192:342. [PMID: 32382809 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-08311-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) are well known hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to their human health risks and photochemical effects. The main objective of this study was to estimate BTEX levels and evaluate interspecies ratios and ozone formation potentials (OFP) in the ambient air of urban Kuala Lumpur (KL) based on a passive sampling method with a Tenax® GR adsorbent tube. Analysis of BTEX was performed using a thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS). OFP was calculated based on the Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR). Results from this study showed that the average total BTEX during the sampling period was 66.06 ± 2.39 μg/m3. Toluene (27.70 ± 0.97 μg/m3) was the highest, followed by m,p-xylene (13.87 ± 0.36 μg/m3), o-xylene (11.49 ± 0.39 μg/m3), ethylbenzene (8.46 ± 0.34 μg/m3) and benzene (3.86 ± 0.31 μg/m3). The ratio of toluene to benzene (T:B) is > 7, suggesting that VOCs in the Kuala Lumpur urban environment are influenced by vehicle emissions and other anthropogenic sources. The average of ozone formation potential (OFP) value from BTEX was 278.42 ± 74.64 μg/m3 with toluene and xylenes being the major contributors to OFP. This study also indicated that the average of benzene concentration in KL was slightly lower than the European Union (EU)-recommended health limit value for benzene of 5 μg/m3 annual exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haris Hafizal Abd Hamid
- Institute for Environmental and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Talib Latif
- Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Royston Uning
- Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir
- Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
- Centre for Tropical Climate Change System, Institute of Climate Change, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Md Firoz Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Goh Choo Ta
- Institute for Environmental and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Narayanan Kannan
- Smart Green Consultancy Sdn Bhd, 20A Jalan Ipoh Kecil, Off Jalan Ipoh, 50350, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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50
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Hsieh MT, Peng CY, Chung WY, Lai CH, Huang SK, Lee CL. Simulating the spatiotemporal distribution of BTEX with an hourly grid-scale model. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 246:125722. [PMID: 31891849 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Modeling approaches have been utilized to simulate ambient pollutant concentrations, but very limited efforts have been made to estimate volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere. For this reason, an hourly grid-scale simulation model was developed to determine ambient air concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX). BTEX data were collected over a one-year time frame from the database of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration's photochemical assessment monitoring stations. Multivariate linear regression models were used along with correlation analysis to simulate hourly grid-scale BTEX concentrations, using criteria pollutants and selected meteorological variables as predictors. The simulation model was validated in the southern Taiwan area via a portable micro gas chromatography system (n = 121) with significant correlation (r = 0.566**, ** indicated p < 0.01). Moreover, the grid-scale model was applied to areas covering about 72% of the population in Taiwan. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to visualize the spatial distribution of BTEX concentrations from the modeling results. This new grid-scale modeling strategy, which incorporated the GIS output of the simulated data, provides a useful alternative tool for personal exposure analysis and health risk assessment of ambient air BTEX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Tsuen Hsieh
- Department of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chiung-Yu Peng
- Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Yu Chung
- Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Hsing Lai
- Environmental Engineering and Science, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Shau-Ku Huang
- National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taiwan; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Lou-Hu Hospital, Shen-Zhen University, Shen-Zhen, China
| | - Chon-Lin Lee
- Department of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Aerosol Science Research Center (ASRC), National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Applied Chemistry, Providence University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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