The time series model has been exploited to estimate the relationship between meteorological variables and air in Mashhad with respiratory mortality. For this purpose, data on respiratory mortality was based on data recorded on March 2014 to 2015. In order to investigate the effect of meteorological variables and air pollution values on respiratory mortality, the Box- Jenkins time series model has been utilized. Moreover, the effect of age and seasons on the number of respiratory deaths was assessed by the linear regression and ANOVA test. The fit of the final model to determining the monthly relationship between meteorological variables and air pollutants with the number of respiratory mortalities is a (1,0,2) ARIMA. In the monthly survey, temperature and rainfall have the inverse relationship and pressure has the direct relationship with the average of 7.4, 3.2, and 17.42 on the respiratory mortality. It was also found direct relationship between the mortality from respiratory diseases and CO and O3 and inverse relationship with SO2, NO2 and PM2.5 pollutants with an average of 67.40, 17.42, 17.89, 6.83, and 0.68, respectively. Also, the results of this study indicate that older people are more likely to be affected by the inappropriate status of air quality by 0.37%. The results showed a significant difference between respiratory mortality in different seasons of the year, and the highest number of deaths occurred in the winter.

In recent times, the brick kiln contributes to air pollution is one of the most emerging issues worldwide. In this research work, the Peshawar city, ambient air quality was measured, using a fixed air monitoring station to evaluate the impact of gaseous emission from brick kilns on ground level. In this study, the portable gas analyzer (PG-250) was used to quantify brick-based emitting carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) from 3 brick kilns in the city of Peshawar. It was noticed that the average concentration of SO2 and NOx exceeds the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) of Pakistan specifically, in terms of air quality. The brick kilns in District Peshawar have shown negative effects on the environment. It is necessary to take various measures to monitor the brick kiln embosom regularly before it becomes a significant risk for individuals. In conclusion, the impact of air pollution on physical activity and sedentary behavior at a specific time may be different.

A pot experiment was carried out in the green house of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), Dhaka to study the response of jute (Corchorus capsularies and Corchorus olitorius) to the accumulation of As from soil to plants when various rates of As were applied. In the experiment, four treatments of arsenic (control, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) were applied. The salt sodium meta-arsenite (NaAsO2) was used as a source of As. Three jute varieties of CVL-1, 0-9897 and OM-1 were used.  CVL-1 variety is As sensitive whereas the 0-9897 and OM-1 varieties appeared to be As tolerant and OM-1 takes up the highest amount of As. Arsenic will be ingested into the body exceeding the maximum allowable daily limit (0.22mg/kg per day) through the consumption of 100g of jute leaves of these three varieties per day. Accumulation of As at 10 and 40 mg/kg treatment, the maximum was observed at 52 days harvest for CVL-1 while for the other two treatments, the maximum was observed at 42 days of growth. In the case of 0-9897 and OM-1 varieties, overall the maximum accumulation of As was observed at 42 days of growth at 40 mg/kg treatment.

Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits in the urban sewer system affect the optimal performance of the wastewater collection system and treatment plant, while increasing sewer maintenance costs. The interaction of microplastics (MPs) and FOG in the sewer system could drastically change the quality of deposited materials and the fate of MPs in raw sewage. In this study, the batch experiment was conducted to explain the mechanism of FOG formation by synthetic wastewater and its interaction with polystyrene (PS) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) particles. We found three different segments for FOG deposits in the batch, namely static and buoyant micro-deposits, gel-like, and solid deposits. The average size of micro-deposits adhered to the solid-liquid interface of the container was 25 µm and buoyant deposits with a small size of 3 µm adsorbed onto the MPs at the liquid-air interface. The gel-like formation promoted a virtual liquid phase where PS and PMMA were confined and segregated. Some PMMA particles were entrapped in the self-assembly of biopolymers that formed between the PS particles. This research indicates that FOG deposition in the urban sewers contains high numbers of MPs, such that any plan involving a reuse or disposal program requires a risk assessment.

In this research, the capability of vermiculite in arsenic extraction, associated with characterizing its main properties was evaluated. To address this purpose, vermiculite was artificially contaminated with arsenic at 7 and 28-day intervals. Then, arsenic was extracted from contaminated soils by different extractants. Various physical and mechanical tests were performed to investigate the effect of arsenic as an anionic contaminant on the properties of the vermiculite, as well as to evaluate how the properties of the contaminated soil were altered by the extraction process. The carbonate bonding phase was probably mainly responsible for the adsorption and fixation of arsenic with more than 50% portion among measured fractions at different curing times. Based on the vermiculite condition, hydrochloric acid was the best extractant for removing arsenic in all studied samples (around 3 -18 % more than other extractants). The clay soil demonstrated few changes due to arsenic contamination and modification. In general, the most promising characteristics of vermiculite as clay liner are its stability after contamination due to high CEC and SSA; however, its workability and strength (UCS between 110 to 220 kPa at different soil conditions) is a challenge and must be improved by adding coarser fractions like silt particles. In general, the results of this study regarding the effects of arsenic contamination and extraction onto vermiculite’s physical properties can provide appropriate information for researchers and geo-environmental engineers.

Textile effluents are highly colored for synthetic dyes, cause significant water pollution due to high pH, TDS, EC, BOD, and COD content, and are harmful to aquatic species. Among different treatment processes, biological treatment process is considered as a promising approach. In this investigation, a mixed aerobic bacterial consortium was used for the treatment of wastewater. In addition, the fenton process with a normal sand filter was used for treatment and compared with the biological method. The mean values of BOD, COD, TDS, EC, DO, and pH in the raw wastewater indicated that the effluent was highly contaminated according to Bangladesh standard (ECR, 1997). Both the biological treatment process and fenton process separately showed promising removal of pollution load. The aerobic mixed bacterial consortium reduced TDS (66.67%), EC (60%), BOD (91.67%), and COD (85.45%) and fenton process reduced TDS (74.71%), EC (55.11%), BOD (88.33%), and COD (83.63%) compared to the raw effluent bacterial consortium simultaneously degraded dyes and decolorized the wastewater from dark deep green to transparent. Color removal for the mixed aerobic bacterial process after 72 hours of aeration was 58.57% and for the fenton process with a normal sand filter was 80%. BOD and COD removal percentages for aerobic mixed bacterial consortium showed higher removal efficiency than the fenton process with a normal sand filter. Though 92 hours of aeration showed the maximum satisfactory result, aeration time could be reduced to 72 hours which also satisfied the Bangladeshi standard (ECR, 1997).

High levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in the food and their adverse effects on human health are of increasing concern. Since milk is one of the most essential human nutritional resources, the present study aims at determining dioxins and PCBs in raw milk samples from four farms in North of Iran and raw and pasteurized samples from three farms and five dairy factories in Vicinity of Tehran (capital of Iran). Total toxic equivalence (TEQ) of dioxin and PCBs have been determined, using the DR-CALUX® bioassay. Results reveal that all samples are contaminated with dioxins and PCBs, comparatively. The total dioxins and PCBs levels in raw milk samples from the north range from 4.08 to 0.97 pg/gfat and for the raw samples and pasteurized samples from Tehran Province from 1.89 to 0.63 pg/gfat and 0.1 to 0.03 pg/gfat, respectively. The mean concentration of dioxins/PCBs is higher in samples from the north of Iran. This may be because of the common method of removing domestic and agricultural disposal in this area.

Aquatic environments, including wetlands, are one of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Considering their ecological importance, wetlands are rightly appraised as ‘natural kidneys’. In this current study, the city wetlands of Guwahati were viewed for the first time through the angle of lesser-explored bottom dwellers. Guwahati, a rapidly expanding metropolis, is the gateway to northeast India, part of an Indian biodiversity hot-spot region. This case study comprised the bridge between abiotic and biotic factors, thus directing the pave for characterization of wetlands through benthos analysis. The study, covering seasons, viz. winter, premonsoon and monsoon, revealed 15 definite taxa belonging to 10 orders. The dominance of Chironomidae and Culicidae in certain wetlands indicated high tolerance of Dipterans in a wide range of aquatic environments, including polluted water bodies. Similarly, the presence of Trichopterans, only in the wetland located distant from the mainland city, marked that with less anthropogenic impacts. The Shannon indices for benthos were in the range from 0.17 to 0.97. Density was found to have a significant positive correlation with dissolved oxygen (r = 0.567) and a negative correlation with free carbon dioxide (r = -0.377). In contrast to significant site- wise variation in density, there was no significant difference in benthic diversity across the sites and no significant seasonal variation of benthic density and diversity from the statistical point of view.

Air pollution damages children’s health in many different ways, through both chronic and acute effects. The aims of our research are to reveal the indoor air quality levels in schools. Subject and indoor air measurements were performed in 34 primary schools located in the Central Anatolia region. PM10, PM2.5, CO2, CO, CH2O, relative humidity, temperature, and total bacteria and fungus levels were measured. In the urban region, mean PM1 was higher than the other regions(p=0.029). PM10 and PM2.5 were higher in schools in rural areas. According to CO2 measurements, only one school was identified to be below the upper limit recommended by the WHO. Total microorganism concentration was exceeded in 44.1% of classrooms. Indoor PM1, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, total bacteria and fungus levels were high and above recommended limits. Human activities, movements of students could be considered the most important indoor factors for particle matter increase. Indoor parameters could be lowered by organizing the school environment.

Both noise and shift work generate oxidative stress, independently; however, in some work places workers are exposed to both at the same time, where their combined effect might increase the oxidative damage. This research is based on the question whether noise and shift work have a synergistic effect on oxidative stress or not. It tries to investigate the effects of these two factors simultaneously, at the biggest cement factory of Iran. For so doing, it enrols 88 male workers, equally in four groups, with one group serving as the control (i.e., Group 1 with 8 hours of fixed shift, exposed to less than 85 dB sound level) and three groups as the cases (Group 2 with 12 hours of rotational shifts, exposed to less than 85 dB sound level; Group 3 with 8 hours of fixed shift, exposed to more than 85 dB sound level; and Group 4 with 12 hours of rotational shifts, exposed to more than 85 dB sound level). Stress oxidative is evaluated by Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD).  Finally, the results show that SOD levels (p<0.001) are significantly decreased in Group 4 and Group 3, compared to the control. Also, MDA levels are significantly increased in Group 4 (in which, the workers are exposed to noise and shift work simultaneously) compared to the control (p < 0.001). The current study shows that co-exposure to noise and shift work has a combined effect (a synergistic role) in MDA. Thereore, more attention should be paid to shift workers, who are exposure to noise simultaneously.