Assessment of sanitary landfill leachate characterizations and its impact on groundwater at Alexandria

The total amount of solid waste generated in Alexandria is 2820 tons/d which increases to 3425 tons/day during summer. In the past, 77% of the collected solid wastes was open dumped. The open dumping sites did not have the minimum requirements for pollution control. Following the exacerbation of the problem, the Alexandria Governorate contracted a company to carry out the solid waste management The contracted company transferred 75% of the daily generated solid wastes to a new constructed sanitary landfill The site receives a daily average of 1910 tons. The landfilling is performed by trench method in the form of cells. The produced leachate is discharged into two lined aerated lagoons. The biogas formed from biodegradation of land filled solid wastes is burned and the produced heat is used for drying the lagoons leachate. The remaining residues are re-landfilled. The study aims at assessment of the solid waste sanitary landfill leachate characterization and its impacts on the groundwater. The analysis of the collected data confirms that leachates from the landfill are severely contaminated with organics, salts, and heavy metals. The fluctuations in concentration levels of the different parameters were attributed to aging and thickness of waste layers, stage of decomposition, and re-landfilling of the concentrated residues from the drying lagoons. The concentrations of NH4-N [600 mg/l] indicated that the process of stabilization was still in the initial stages and attributed to the compaction process. The high BOD5 results [28,833 mg/l] indicated that the process of stabilization was in the initial stages which were very slow. The high COD results [45,240 mg/l] can be attributed to the compaction of the wastes which also retards the degradation of the solid wastes. The BOD and COD values indicated clearly severe contamination. The BOD5/COD ratio measured in the current study [0.64] indicated that the leachate of the present study was biodegradable and unstabilized, and required time and favorable conditions for anaerobic biodegradation. Heavy metals were lower compared with what have been observed in other countries. Re-landfilling of the residue after drying the leachate in lagoons and the short time of biodegradation in the landfill site were factors which effected the high strength of most of the parameters concentrations of the leachate. Assessment of groundwater contamination through piezometer wells around the active cells indicated that there was no contamination from the leachate to the groundwater surrounding the site. The study recommended emphasizing the importance of adjusting the biodegradation factors, the monitoring program, the prohibition of disposing heavy metals, determination of the leachate generation rate, and treatment of leachate

Magnetic resonance imaging of normal lumbar intervertebral foraminal width

Objectives: To study the pattern and changes of lumbar intervertebral foraminal width in asymptomatic Jordanian sample in relation to age, sex and level

Methods: A total of 153 asymptomatic patients [87 males and 66 females] were selected during the study period between June 1999 to June 2000, at Jordan University Hospital and Faculty of medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. Measurements of intervertebral foraminal width at all lumbar levels were done on parasagittal magnetic resonance images. Values were analyzed and significant differences in the means of foraminal width at different levels in every age group and among age groups were determined

Results: The mean foraminal width measured was 10.2 + 0.9mm with a range of 8.5 - 12.4mm. As related to level, values increased in both genders to reach their maximum at L2/3 and L3/4 especially in older age groups. As related to age, foraminal widths in females increased significantly only at L3/4 and L4/5 and reached their maximum values in the 6[th] decade followed by a general decrease especially at upper lumbar levels. In males, foramina] widths exhibited a significant decrease up to the 5[th] decade at upper lumbar levels

Conclusion: As an entirety, the presented baseline data of lumbar FW and FH can serve as a reference for future studies on normal and degenerative spine and is essential to identify Jordanian population at risk of lumbar nerve root entrapment. It may also provide clinicians with a fundamental channel for refining the excellence of their diagnosis and management