Background: Wastewater effluent in hospitals has been increasing during the recent decades due to developments in medical services and products. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the qualitative parameters of effluent wastewater in hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences (BUMS). Materials and Methods: Four hospitals were included and their wastewater effluent was studied. Ninety-six composited samples were collected and sent to the laboratory for determining pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorous (TP), heavy metals, total coliforms (TC) and total heterotrophic bacteria counts (THBC) based on standard methods. Results: Mean ± SD pH of the wastewater was 7.6 ± 0.4. Mean ± SD BOD 5, COD, TSS, TKN and TP were 372 ± 173 mg/L, 687 ± 231 mg/L, 289 ± 132 mg/L and 15 ± 5.5 mg/L, respectively. Mean concentration of Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, Co, Hg, Fe and Cu were 26..1 mg/L and 49 (g/L), respectively. The total coliforms and heterotrophic bacteria were 5.4 × 10 8 MPN/100 mL and 2.6 × 10 10 CFU/mL, respectively. Total wastewater quantity and its organic loading rate were 169 263 m 3 and 62 966 kg in a year, respectively. Conclusions: Most of the qualitative indices evaluated in wastewater effluent of hospitals of BUMS were higher than effluent discharge standards of Iran Environment Protection Agency (IEPA). These wastewaters are usually purified improperly by wastewater treatment plants of these hospitals and polluted effluents which empty to the Babol Rood River and Caspian Sea can potentially endanger public health, natural resources and wildlife.

Background:Bread is an important food product that furnishes as much as 50% to 90% of total calorie and protein intakes. Objectives: This research was aimed at investigating content of heavy metals in the different breads in Rasht metropolis of northern Iran. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 different bread types such as Barbari, Sangak, Lavash, and Baguette produced in 124 bakery shops in Rasht City were analyzed for some heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Co) by Inductive Coupled Plasma (ICP) instrument (ICP-QES). Results: The mean content of the As, Cd, and Pb in different breads were respectively as follows: Barbari, 0, 0.73, and 0.07; Sangak, 0, 0.13, and 0.64; Lavash, 0, 0.2, and 0.3; and Baguette, 0, 0.09, and 0.9 mg/kg of dry weight. The mean concentration of Cr, Ni, and Co levels in the selected breads was respectively as follows: 1.3, 1.2, and 0.6 mg/kg of Barbari; 0.8, 0.6, and 0.19 mg/kg of Sangak; 0.7, 0.4, and 0.14 mg/kg of Lavash; and 0.9, 0.7, and 0.07 mg/kg of Baguette. The mean daily intake of As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Cr with the consumed breads were 0, 0.5, 4.2, 6.4, 7.4, and 1.6 μg/kg, respectively. The total daily intake of the studied heavy metals was determined 17.5 μg/kg. The high levels Cr (8.4 μg/kg) in Barbari, Pb (5.8 μg/kg) in Baguette, and Cd (0.8 μg/kg) in Sangak breads were determined. Conclusions: The high contents of daily intake of Cr, Pb, Cd, and Hg by the breads cause undesirable health effects on people. Prevention of heavy metals in to the durums and breads during wheat, rice, and other agricultural productions in cultivation, harvest, and grinding stages, storage of flour, and baking breads is necessary.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the potential of produced compost from the sludge of wastewater treatment plant using earthworms and compare it with the vermicompost produced from household solid waste.MethodsIn the current study, three treatments with the same conditions in terms of organic wastes type were prepared to produce vermicompost from household solid waste and sewage sludges using earthworms. The standard methods were used to determine the physical and chemical parameters in the different produced vermicomposts.ResultsThe mean of C/N in the household solid waste, raw biological and chemical sludges was 32, 22.5, and 26.5, respectively. These levels were 16.5, 14.5, and 15 in the vermicomposts. The mean of nitrogen and phosphorus percentages in the vermicompost of solid waste, biological and chemical sludges was 2.2%, 2.6%, 2.3% and 0.72%, 0.54%, and 0.56%, respectively. The mean percentages of organic matters in the initial substrates and vermicomposts of solid waste, biological and chemical sludges were 97.2%, 90%, 80.5% and 65.8%, 67.8% and 63% respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals decreased in all vermicomposts. The EC levels in solid waste, biological and chemical sludges were 1459, 1041, and 1487 μs/cm, respectively. These levels were 544, 385 and 635 μs/cm in the produced compost.ConclusionEisenia fetida can convert household solid waste, and biological and chemical sludges produced from wastewater treatment plant into a high-quality and acceptable compost.

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Background: Currently there is much concern in the field of soil contamination with heavy metals due to rapid urbanization. Soil contamination significantly reduces environmental quality and affects human health.Objectives: This study was performed to determine the level of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soils of Babol city in Mazandaran province and to evaluate the pollution indices of heavy metals. Methods:Concentrations of heavy metals in 50 samples of surface soils (5 to 15 cm) in urban and rural areas of Babol city were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). In this study, various indices including contamination factor (Cfi), degree of contamination (Cdeg), Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) and the potential ecological risk (ERi) with heavy metals were assessed.Results: Mean content of As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Co in soil samples of different locations were 6.90 ± 2.60, 31 ± 5.70, 0.32 ± 0.1, 82.80 ± 15, 32.40 ± 8.30, 34.50 ± 7.50, and 22.6 ± 6 mg/kg, respectively. The average content of these metals is ranked in the following descending order: Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Co > As > Cd. The order of contribution of the potential ecological risk by metals was Cd (51.91%) > As (23.75) > Pb (7.61%) > Cr (5.57%) > Co (5.24%) > Zn (3.04%) > NI (2.88%). Conclusions:This study indicated that the risk assessments of the soil samples with heavy metals in the studied locations are categorized from low to moderate degree of contamination.

The aim of this study was to remove a known pharmaceutics, dexamethasone, from an aqueous solution using clinoptilolite zeolite (CP). CP is a natural, versatile and inexpensive mineral, which has been investigated and applied in the last few decades. Herein, the experiments were carried out in the common conditions of a batch system in room temperature, and the effects of some parameters such as pH of the solution, initial concentration of dexamethasone, adsorbent dose and contact time were studied. Kinetic and isotherm of adsorption processes of dexamethasone on CP were surveyed in the current study. Results revealed that the maximum efficiency (78 %) occurred in pH = 4. The adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model as well as Freundlich and Sips isotherm models fitted with the experimental data well.

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