ABSTRACT
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is considered an innovative and promising tool for estimating community exposure to a wide range of chemical and biological compounds by analyzing wastewater. Despite scholars' interest in WBE studies, there are uncertainties and limitations associated with this approach. This current review focuses on the feasibility of the WBE approach in assessing environmental pollutants, including pesticides, heavy metals, phthalates, bisphenols, and personal care products (PCPs). Limitations and challenges of WBE studies are initially discussed, and then future perspectives, gaps, and recommendations are presented in this review. One of the key limitations of this approach is the selection and identification of appropriate biomarkers in studies. Selecting biomarkers considering the basic requirements of a human exposure biomarker is the most important criterion for validating this new approach. Assessing the stability of biomarkers in wastewater is crucial for reliable comparisons of substance consumption in the population. However, directly analyzing wastewater does not provide a clear picture of biomarker stability. This uncertainty affects the reliability of temporal and spatial comparisons. Various uncertainties also arise from different steps involved in WBE. These uncertainties include sewage sampling, exogenous sources, analytical measurements, back-calculation, and estimation of the population under investigation. Further research is necessary to ensure that measured pollutant levels accurately reflect human excretion. Utilizing data from WBE can support healthcare policy in assessing exposure to environmental pollutants in the general population. Moreover, WBE seems to be a valuable tool for biomarkers that indicate healthy conditions, lifestyle, disease identification, and exposure to pollutants. Although this approach has the potential to serve as a biomonitoring tool in large communities, it is necessary to monitor more metabolites from wastewater to enhance future studies.
ABSTRACT
Today air pollution caused by particulate matter (PM) is a global issue, especially in densely populated and high-traffic cities. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by various toxicological studies is considered as one of the important effects caused by airborne particles that can lead to adverse effects on human health. In this study, to answer the question of whether particle size affects oxidative potential (OP), we searched the main databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science, and defined search strategy based on the MESH terms for the above-mentioned search engines. All articles published until 2021 were searched. An ANOVA was run using R software to show the correlation between the size distributions of particulate matter and oxidative potential (base on mass and volumetric units) in ambient air. As expected, the regression results showed that the relationship between particle size and OP values for the studies based on mass-logarithm has a significant difference in the different distribution size categories, which was related to the difference between the <2.5 and < 1 categories. However, ANOVA analysis did not show a significant difference in the volumetric OP logarithm in the different distribution size categories. In this study, it was found that sizes higher than 2.5 µm did not have much effect on human health, and it is recommended that future research focus on PM2.5. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-021-00768-w.
ABSTRACT
Exposure to lead can cause adverse health problems incorporating hypophosphatemia, heart and liver disease, cancers, neurological and cardiovascular diseases, central nervous disorders, and sensory disorders. This study investigated the blood lead level in the general Iranian population with environmental exposure to lead. In the presented systematic review and meta-analysis, the authors searched Iranian dataset, including Magiran, SID, Iranmedex, and Nopa, and the main dataset, comprising PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science, all available articles until 12 January 2019, and extracting 55 studies (with 63 data for analysis) to a meta-analysis. A comprehensive meta-analysis software, pooled standard deviation, mean, sample size, and the utterly random effects model was analyzed in this study. The results showed that the overall mean BLL (95% CI) in total inquiries was 6.41 µg/dL (5.96 to 6.87). Besides, the results for gender and age subgroups were as follows: mean BLL, 6.47 µg/dL, 95% CI, 5.79, to 7.15, mean BLL, 6.44 µg/dL, 95% CI, 5.96, to 6.91, respectively. Conclusively the mean BLL in the Iranian population was higher than the recommended level by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Results indicated that the mean BLL in men and adults was more elevated than in women and children, respectively. Therefore, BLL monitoring and screening of the general Iranian population are is necessary to determine a reference value.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Exposure to inorganic arsenic through drinking water is a threat for public health. Using the arsenic-containing water in the long-term causes a variety of skin diseases, high blood pressure, and skin cancer. Arsenic also damages the nervous system. A wide range of studies have studied the effect of arsenic in drinking water on the level of intelligence in children. METHODS: For the purpose of our research, we searched three electronic databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline (PubMed) in English from 2000 to January 2018. We used the dose-response meta-analysis through applying random effect models in order to estimate the pooled association (with a 95% uncertainty) between water arsenic concentration and intelligence level. RESULTS: Using a two-stage random effect model to investigate the dose-response association between arsenic concentration and Intelligence Quotient scale, we estimated a significant linear association as -0.08 (95% CI: -0.14, -0.01). Actually, for each unit increase in arsenic concentration (one microgram per liter), intelligence quotient scale decreases by 0.08%. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the significance of the relationship between arsenic concentration in drinking water and the level of intelligence quotient as an important factor in training, the level of arsenic and its associated risks should be decreased in water resources.
ABSTRACT
Ciprofloxacin (CIP) antibiotic is considered as an emerging and biological resistant pollutant. This study aimed to improve of the removal of CIP from synthetic aqueous solutions in photocatalytic process through copper oxide nanoparticles as catalyst (CuO/UV). The effect of CIP concentration (10-200 mg/l), catalyst dosage included CuO (0.01-0.1 g/l) and pH (3-11) as independent variables on the COD removal efficiency as response in photocatalytic process using UV-C lamps with three different powers of 8, 15 and 30-W were optimized through the central composite design in response surface method using design-expert software. A second order model was selected as the best model with R2 values and lack of fit as 0.85 and 0.06 for lamp 8-W, 0.89 and 0.11 for lamp 15-W, and 0.86 and 0.19 for lamp 30-W, respectively. Optimum conditions were obtained in CIP concentration of 11.2 (mg/l), CuO dosage of 0.08 (g/l), and pH value of 8.17. In this condition, predicted maximum COD removal was respectively found 83.79, 93.18, and 98.90% for lamps 8, 15 and 30-W. According to the results, photocatalytic process using copper oxide nanoparticles can effectively compose CIP in aqueous solutions.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to review the prevalence of rice contamination to heavy metals in Iranian grown and imported rice brands by conducting a systematic review and assess the related human health risk. Multiple keywords such as "rice, heavy metals, and Iran" were used to search in related databases. The average concentration of Cd, Pb, As, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni and Co for Iranian grown/imported rice were calculated as 0.16±0.08/0.13±0.05, 0.196±0.16/0.55±0.56, 0.046±0.002/0.057±0.0035,0.29±0.05/0.61±0.31, 26.13±10.3/3.46±2.49, 0.22±0.04/0.76±0.101, 16±7.3/2.08±0.34 and 0.29±0.047/0.29±0.07 mg kg-1, respectively. Except Co, there were significant differences between Iranian and imported rice brands. Estimated weekly intake for none of the metals exceeds the provisional tolerable weekly intake value. Accordingly, the rice types consumed in Iran have no health hazard for consumers.
