Study of chemical wastes in the Iranian petroleum industry and feasibility of hazardous waste disposal

Oil production activities have expanded and the use of chemicals in industry has increased and generated various types of wastes. The main objective of this paper Proposes to determine the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of chemical waste in the Iranian Petroleum industry. It is conducted in accordance with international laws and regulations such as RCRA and Basel. There is currently no disposal method for these substances, but the results show that more than 73% of the chemical waste can dispose through sanitary landfill. For the case study, more than 160 hazardous chemical substances were investigated. Due to the nearness of these warehouses to the residential area of Ahvaz downtown, the risk of these materials is higher and should be addressed quickly as possible.

Predictors of Beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane blood levels among people living close to a chemical plant and an illegal dumping site

BACKGROUND

Hexachlorocyclohexane is a synthetic chemical with several isomers, including β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH). In 2005, a large contamination of crude milk from some bovine farms along the Sacco River (Central Italy) was detected; it was related to the illegal disposal of large quantities of processing waste by a chemical industry of the area. A biomonitoring study, conducted in 2007 on a sample of the residing population, found high values of β-HCH in people living close to the river. These results led to the establishment of a clinical and epidemiological surveillance program on all the exposed population. The aim of the study was to evaluate the determinants of β-HCH blood levels in people living within 1 Km of the Sacco River, focusing on the role of specific foods, body mass index and risk factors not yet identified.

METHODS

The program involved all people living within 1 km of the river. A descriptive analysis of β-HCH blood levels was done in relation to the potential determinants including specific foods. Regression analysis was used to study the association between potential determinants and (natural log) β-HCH haematic concentration. The results were expressed as geometric mean ratios (GMR). To take into account similarities within the families we adjusted for family clustering.

RESULTS

A total of 602 subjects (87.2%) agreed to participate in the surveillance. The β-HCH geometric mean serum concentration was 72 ng/g lipid. The regression analysis showed that being female (GMR: 1.32, 95%CI: 1.14-1.53), elderly (GMR_{> 70yy}: 10.04, 95%CI: 6.65-15.15), obese (GMR: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.28-2.08), eating food of local/own production (GMR 1.47, 95%CI: 1.15-1.88) and using water from private wells (GMR_drink:1.47, 95%CI: 1.00-2.14 and GMR_wash: 1.48, 95%CI: 1.17-1.87) were associated with higher β-HCH values. There was inverse association with breastfeeding (GMR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.47-0.86). The focus on specific foods showed that the most important factors were eggs and beef.

CONCLUSIONS

The study indicated a greater contamination for older people, and those drinking and washing with water from private wells and consuming locally produced food, especially eggs and beef.

Characterization of chemical waste site contamination and determination of its extent using bioassays

Bioassays were used in a three-phase research project to (a) assess the comparative sensitivity of test organisms to known classes of chemicals, (b) determine if the chemical components in field soil and water samples of unknown chemical composition could be inferred from laboratory studies using pure chemicals and (c) investigate kriging (a relatively new statistical "mapping" technique) and bioassays as methods to define the areal extent of chemical contamination. The algal assay generally was most sensitive to samples of pure chemicals, soil elutriates and water from eight sites with known chemical contamination. Bioassays of nine samples of unknown chemical composition from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal site showed that a lettuce seed soil contact phytoassay was most sensitive. Preliminary evidence suggests that bioassays might be a useful tool in broadly identifying classes of toxic components of contaminated soil. Nearly pure formulations of insecticides and herbicides were less toxic than were their counterpart commercial formulations. This finding indicates that chemical analysis alone may fail to correctly rate the severity of possible environmental toxicity. Finally, we demonstrate that the lettuce seed phytoassay and kriging techniques can be used to map contamination in a portion of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal site and aid in cleanup decisions.