Assessment of groundwater quality around municipal solid waste landfill by using Water Quality Index for groundwater resources and multivariate statistical technique: a case study of the landfill site, Qaem Shahr City, Iran.

Groundwater is a precious natural water resource which can be considered as an available and safe source of water for domestic uses. In some cities in northern Iran, groundwater is being polluted due to various human activities. In this regard, the located municipal solid waste landfills close to these areas without the requested controls regarding the landfill leachate and gas emission are among the major sources of environmental pollution, which are deteriorating groundwater quality around landfill sites. In this context, the current study was aimed to assess the quality of collected groundwater samples around a landfill site using the modified Water Quality Index for groundwater resources (WQIG). Also, the water quality map has been prepared by using WQIG in GIS environment. Therefore, thirty-three groundwater samples were collected and analyzed around 11 water wells close to the landfill site. Variety of physicochemical parameters including nitrate (NO3), fecal coliform, sodium absorption ratio (SAR), electrical conductivity, biological oxygen demand (BOD5), phosphate (PO4), total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, pH were assessed in groundwater samples based on recommended standard methods by American Public Health Association (APHA). Geostatistics analysis including Kriging, semi-variogram, and variogram methods also was used to evaluate the spatial variations in the variables and to provide the necessary data for further interpolation. According to the results of WQIG, most of the groundwater wells (98.85%) are polluted due to the existing of the landfill site in the investigated area. Generally speaking, based on the WQIG the water samples were defined as not suitable for drinking applications. Also, the high concentrations of nitrate and hardness in the downstream wells (W1-W11) of the landfill were demonstrated by the results of Kriging assay which can be correlated with the penetration of leachate into these wells. Considering the SAR results, all wells in the studied area are classified as (C3S1) that means the groundwater of this area is suitable for agricultural approaches. Moreover, the reduction in the water quality from the south to the north and northeast was demonstrated by the results of spatial dispersion. Evaluation of the changes in water quality near landfill sites showed that 2149.56 m2 of total area had a relatively poor potential for the region's groundwater recharge.

Distribution of fluoride contamination in drinking water resources and health risk assessment using geographic information system, northwest Iran.

This paper considers exposure to the concentration of fluoride in drinking water resources of Showt city in West Azerbaijan Province in, Iran, and its related potential health risk assessment issues to the resident populations. For this purpose, 88 drinking water samples were analyzed in 2016 by using the spectrophotometric method. Non-carcinogenic health risks due to F exposure through consumption of drinking water were assessed using the US EPA method. In addition, the associated zoning maps of the obtained results were presented using a geographic information system (GIS). The results indicated that fluoride concentration in drinking water ranged from 0.0 to 5.5 mg L-1 of the study area. Based on this research, 36.36% of the samples had a fluoride level higher than the permissible level, 13.63% had less than the permissible limit, and 50% of the samples had a level within the optimum limit of 0.5-1.5 mg L-1. The Hazard Quotient index (HQ) for children, teenager and adults had health hazards (HQ > 1) in 54.55%, 31.82%, and 22.73% of samples, respectively. Groundwater resources having a risk of more than one were located in the villages of Khilajajam, Kolos, and Shorboulagh. So, in these study areas, there are potential risks of dental and skeletal fluorosis.

Investigation of thermal exposure in traditional neyshabur bakeries using heat strain and physiological indices.

Bakery is one of the occupations which are exposed to the high shear stress. The incidence of heat discomfort among traditional bakery workers is much more than machinery bakery. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of heat strain index and temperature of drumhead under physical conditions in this group of workers. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 103 workers of the Bakeries in winter 2018. Heart rate and oral temperature were respectively measured using a heart rate meter and an oral thermometer. The Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index was recorded and the Heat Strain Score Index (HSSI) was completed simultaneously was used. Data obtained from this study were analyzed by comparing means, t test, and Person tests with the SPSS 20 software. The results of the assessment of WBGT, and HSSI showed that 28.69(1.41)and 15.02(2.6) percent of workers exposed to heat stress higher than permissible limits proposed by standard bodies. Also, the present study proved that the mean rate of Heat Strain indicating the presence of strain level 2. According to the results from this study, the oral temperature and drumhead were higher in workers who performed baking activity than other two groups. It is concluded that there is a significant relationship between Heat strain index and Distance of bakery floor ratio to stre.