Biochemical and molecular alterations in freshwater mollusks as biomarkers for petroleum product, domestic heating oil.

To investigate the effect one of the oil products, domestic heating oil (DHO), on freshwater mollusks, Unio tigridis and Viviparous bengalensis were exposed to three DHO concentrations for each species (5.8, 8.7, and 17.4 ml L-1 for mussels; 6.5, 9.7, and 19.5 mlL-1 for snails, respectively). Antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase), malondialdehyde, acetylcholinesterase and DNA damage in both species tissues were monitored over 21 days. The results showed that both antioxidant enzymes concentration (SOD and CAT) increased in the lowest DHO concentrations (5.8, and 8.7 ml L-1), and then decreased in the highest concentration (17.4 ml L-1) as the same pattern for Unio tigridis, but this not occurred for Viviparous bengalensis. MDA values recorded significantly increased compared to control. No reduction was observed in AChE concentrations in soft tissues of both mollusks may due to that DHO was a non-neurotoxicant to Unio tigridis and Viviparous bengalensis. The results of DNA damage parameters were showed significant differences (p≤ 0.05) between control and DHO concentrations except lowest concentration for each parameter measured in digestive gland of Unio tigridis. As well as, these significant differences were recorded between control and three concentrations of DHO exposure for comet length, and tail length parameters, and between control and highest oil concentration for tail moment in Viviparous bengalensis. DHO has the ability to prevent the reproduction of Viviparous bengalensis snail relation to control, that is what we considered strong evidence of the toxicity properties of DHO on the reproductive status of this species of snails. SOD, CAT, and MDA were useful biomarkers for evaluating the toxicity of DHO in mussel and snails, and comet assay was a good tool to assess the potential genotoxicity of DHO.

Water quality monitoring of Al-Habbaniyah Lake using remote sensing and in situ measurements.

The use of remote sensing and GIS in water monitoring and management has been long recognized. This paper, however discusses the application of remote sensing and GIS specifically in monitoring water quality parameters in Al-Habbaniyah Lake, and the results were compared with in situ measurements. Variations of different parameters under investigation were as follows: temperature (15-33°C), pH (7-9), dissolved oxygen (6-11 mg/L), BOD5 (0.5-1.8), electrical conductivity (200-2280 µS/cm), TDS (147-1520 mg/L), TSS (68-3200), turbidity (5-51), nitrate (0.7-20 mg/l), phosphate (77-220 µg/l), and chlorophyll-a (0.9-130 µg/l). Remote sensing results revealed that the band 5 was most likely significantly correlated with turbidity in the winter. Band 2 and 3 was most likely significantly correlated with TDS in autumn and summer, while band 2 was most likely significantly correlated with TSS in autumn, band 2 is most likely significantly correlated with chlorophyll-a in autumn. The current study results demonstrated convergence between in situ and remote sensing readings. The models were used to explore the values of each of chlorophyll-a, TSS,TDS, and turbidity did not deviate much from the values actually measured in the three seasons. Nevertheless, they were very useful in anticipating all seasons of the study due to the insignificant deviation between the remotely sensed values and actual measured values.

Estimating the health risks associated with air pollution in Baghdad City, Iraq.

Data of total suspended particulate, O3, SO2, NO, NO2, CO, methane, and non-methane hydrocarbons gathered from three monitoring stations in Baghdad City for the period from 2009 to 2012 have been analyzed. So an attempt is made to calculate the monthly quality indexes based on US EPA and UK system. Concentrations of most air pollutants in Baghdad City have shown a downward trend in recent years, but they are generally in many instances worse than natural ambient air; thus, all pollutants (except CO) fluctuated between high and below limits certified by Iraqi and international standards. The results show that the average of TSP during 2009-2012 were very high, and they pose concern for Baghdad population. The SO2/CO concentration ratios were less than 1 suggesting that mobile emissions are the primary sources within the study area. It has been observed that the concentrations of the most pollutants are high in summer in comparison to the other seasons. The peak concentrations of pollutants are linked to traffic density, private generators, and chemical processes in the atmosphere. Aside from single air pollutant standards, AQI and API indices enable an additional assessment of the air quality conditions. The application of the UK system suppose low pollution with all pollutants expect TSP. Analysis of AQI values for an average of concentrations CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 are categorized as good to moderate during the study period, while the same index indicated that the TSP located within the three categories (unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous).