Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering最新文献

Phthalates are one of the most common environmental contaminants and endocrine disruptors. Environmental exposure to phthalates may increase the risk for allergic diseases. However, the existing literature presents conflicting findings regarding the long-term impact of early-life exposure to these substances.

We searched the Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar, Medline and Embase databases for all related publications from 1974 to September 1st, 2024. Ultimately, 22 studies with a total of 16,161 participants were selected. The relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to evaluate whether prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with allergic endpoints. To assess statistical heterogeneity across studies, both the Q-test and I² statistic were adopted. Publication bias of the included studies was evaluated using Begg’s and Egger’s tests. Stratified analysis was conducted based on the gender of children, molecular weight of phthalates, disease type, phthalate species, parental exposure period and region. The systematic literature search protocol was formally registered in PROSPERO.

Childhood wheeze (RR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.21), eczema (RR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01–1.17), and rhinitis (RR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.09) are potentially associated with prenatal exposure to phthalates, particularly butyl-benzyl phthalate (RR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.06–1.24), di-ethyl-hexyl phthalate (RR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02–1.15) and di-iso-nonyl phthalate (RR 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02–1.23).

Maternal phthalate exposure during pregnancy exhibits a significant association with elevated risks of childhood respiratory and allergic manifestations, including wheezing episodes, eczematous dermatitis, and rhinitis symptoms.

Climate change is a global issue that presents significant challenges for countries worldwide, including Iran. Researchers need up-to-date information on climate change within their own country, including statistics on its severity, efforts to address it, and the impacts on the environment, temperatures, extreme weather events, water resources, agriculture, biodiversity, migration, air quality, and human health. This review provides an overview of these topics in the context of Iran, discussing challenges, sustainable practices, renewable energy, government responses, and international collaborations to mitigate climate change effects. It aims to offer a comprehensive perspective on the current and potential future implications of climate change in Iran. Climate change in Iran has resulted in higher temperatures, droughts, and wildfires, impacting agriculture and exacerbating water scarcity. Extreme weather events such as floods and storms are causing damage to infrastructure. Climate change poses a significant threat to global health, with direct consequences including severe storms, heat stress, and deteriorating air quality. Despite this uncertainty, it is imperative to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Rising global temperatures are contributing to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, resulting in widespread damage and loss of life. Iran's efforts to address climate change include investing in renewable energy, and implementing sustainable practices. Collaboration between the government and local communities is crucial for mitigating the effects of climate change through effective policies and initiatives. Iran aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability through investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives.

Human pesticide exposure results in the development of several chronic diseases, including cardiometabolic, carcinogenic, neurological, and autoimmune processes. The induction of oxidative stress, subsequent tissue injury, and inflammatory response are widely accepted mechanisms related to environmental pollutants-induced diseases. In this line, several studies have been reported on the induction of systematic inflammatory state related to pesticide exposure. Nevertheless, there needs to be a consensus on the best inflammatory biomarker for measuring in response to pesticide exposure, and sources of risk of bias need to be assessed for future studies. This meta-analysis assessed whether pesticide exposure can start an inflammatory response in humans. A systematic review was performed focused on original reports that analyzed the relationship between human pesticide exposure and pro-inflammatory biomarkers. Fifteen studies were analyzed. The present meta-analysis included 3172 participants. The pooled analysis suggested that pesticide exposure can induce an inflammatory response and indicates that standardized clinical inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein are more recommended than hematological index or pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, the need to consider multivariate statistical analysis is noted. The results suggested that pesticide-induced inflammatory response could be considered a mechanism through pesticide-induced diseases. These findings contribute to our understanding of the health effects of pesticide exposure and show the need for performing future studies to explore this area further, potentially leading to improved public health strategies.

Biofuels and bioenergy production are increasingly being viewed as viable alternatives to conventional energy sources because of their renewable nature and ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Waste products, lignocellulosic materials, and agricultural residues are some of the feedstocks that can be used to create biofuels, including biodiesel, bioethanol, and biogas. The production of biofuels not only promotes sustainable energy but also addresses environmental problems. This review article explores the challenges posed by dependence on non-sustainable resources and the environmental benefits of renewable energy sources. It provides a detailed examination of the advancements, possibilities, and obstacles linked to biofuels and bioenergy. It outlines the harmful effects of prolonged fossil fuel use on the environment, including soil degradation, air and water contamination, and climate change, highlighting the critical necessity to shift towards renewable energy alternatives. The analysis evaluates the socioeconomic effects of bioenergy and its capacity to enhance food and energy security, generate employment, and boost rural economies. Nevertheless, it also recognizes important obstacles that need to be overcome for wider adoption, competition with food crops, issues related to water consumption, and regulatory constraints. It explores the potential of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and battery electric vehicles as replacements for conventional vehicles that rely on fossil fuels. It emphasizes the need to explore alternative feedstock sources and implement next-generation conversion processes prioritising environmental sustainability by incorporating recent advancements in machine intelligence (MI), including machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques. The study dedicates considerable effort to exploring the global regulatory and policy landscape, including how various nations promote bioenergy initiatives through financial incentives, blending mandates, and sustainability criteria. To encourage the adoption of bioenergy solutions and facilitate a fair and effective energy transition, the research winds up by highlighting the importance of international collaboration, interdisciplinary investigation, and innovation. With the appropriate laws and technologies in place, biofuels and bioenergy could play an important role in achieving a sustainable, low-carbon future.

Purpose

This study aimed to determine the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in decision-making, research, policy-making, and the implementation of an adaptation plan, with a comprehensive view of their positions, influence, and power.

Methods

This descriptive-analytical research was conducted using a social network analysis approach. The opinions of 25 university professors, experts, and executives were gathered through a questionnaire utilizing a Likert scale, selected via purposive and snowball sampling. Data analysis and graph design were performed using Microsoft Excel and Gephi software (version 0.9.2). Stakeholder interaction patterns were identified using the Force Atlas 2 algorithm and graph theory concepts.

Results

The network comprised 37 nodes, 3 clusters, and 63 edges. It closely resembled a complete graph, with a density of 0.971. Within the network of stakeholders, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emerged as the most active participant, exhibiting relatively strong external interactions with other stakeholders. In contrast, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education showed relatively weak and very weak external interactions, respectively.

Conclusion

Given the conflicting interests between industrial sectors and the health sector, it appears that the Ministry of Health and Medical Education should enhance its power and influence over other stakeholders. Additionally, involving representatives from the health sector in policy reviews and stakeholder consultations may help bridge the gap between health and other sectors regarding climate change issues.

Clinical trial number

Not applicable.

Over the last couple of decades, thyroid cancer cases have dramatically increased in frequency year by year. According to certain research, thyroid cancer may be linked to per-fluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure. Our study aimed to investigate the possible link between thyroid cancer and PFAS exposure. Three researchers have looked up the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, Science Direct, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) to get the whole articles before March 2024. In addition, Google Scholar was used as a complementary search engine. Finally, eight articles were included in our meta-analysis. It was shown by our results that the link between thyroid cancer and PFAS exposure was not statistically significant, for perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), odds ratio (OR): 0.71, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.30–1.12; for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.5–1.28; for PFAS mixtures, OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.19–2.01. Furthermore, our study revealed that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposure could decrease the risk of thyroid cancer (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.44–0.95). These associations of PFOS and PFNA with thyroid cancer were robust in sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, these results increase our knowledge of the impact of PFAS on the thyroid cancer in a novel manner. At the same time, our study has certain limitations, we encourage the inclusion of more high-quality studies in the future.

Purpose

This study investigates the effectiveness of sodium-bentonite geosynthetic clay liners (Na-GCLs) in controlling low-pH leachate from metal industries, simulating conditions in tailings impoundments at zinc and copper mines.

Methods

An experimental setup comprising five chambers was used to test Na-GCL performance under 100 kPa pressure with synthetic leachate at four pH levels (1, 3, 5, and 7) and deionized water as a control. The Na-bentonite was characterized using FE-SEM, FTIR, EDX, XRD, swelling index (SI), and pHpzc tests. Hydraulic conductivity (k) was modeled using the Katsumi approach. Leachate samples were collected every 14 days over a 4-month period and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations using ICP-OES.

Results

The swelling index of Na-GCL dramatically decreased from 16 to 2 mL/2 g when exposed to low-pH leachate, significantly impacting its performance. The point of zero charge (pHpzc) was determined to be 4.1. Adsorption capacity for heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Pb) increased with higher pH values. The Katsumi model parameters for the relationship between hydraulic conductivity (k) and swelling index (SI) were a = -0.3, b = 8.69 mL/2 g-Solid, and R² = 0.875. FTIR analysis revealed subtle changes in OH vibrational peaks between pre- and post-leachate exposure bentonite.

Conclusion

Na-GCL performance is significantly affected by pH conditions, with decreased effectiveness in highly acidic environments typical of mining and metal industry waste. This highlights the need for careful consideration of leachate pH when selecting and implementing GCLs in landfill applications.

Land-use has an important effect on the generation of stormwater runoff, and the expansion of urbanization can intensify these conditions and its health and environmental consequences. This study was focused on the urban impact on the Seveso watershed, Italy. The objectives included quantify the effect of urbanization on the generation of stormwater runoff, and choosing the optimum management scenario based on control and prevention variables. Accordingly, the runoff was evaluated based on the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number (CN) method (SCS-CN) by a time series study of four-year precipitation data. Four scenarios were defined based on the available runoff management methods and compared economically. The CN value in the studied polygons was in the range of 62–80, while it was 30–88 based on the soil type. The estimated runoff for the entire study area was 203677103.8 m³, and the most intense runoff caused by rainfall events was 12263398.5 m³. The highest runoff volume contribution (more than 70%) corresponds to industrial and commercial areas. The retention tanks method was not significant effect on flood reduction and increased the environmental risk in the studied scenarios. However, using the sustainable urban drainage system method led to control the environmental risk in the dual method scenario and reduced the volume of stormwater by 30%. It is useful to use combined methods to reduce, control, and treatment of urban stormwater based on volume flow analysis.

The soil heavy metal pollution centered on landfills was often affected by the surrounding production and life. The traceability and risk assessment of different pollution sources were used to strengthen the scientific management of landfills and surrounding soils. Through literature review, field investigation and statistical methods, the environmental risk assessment and source analysis of heavy metals in landfill soil were studied. The results showed that Cr ((chromium)), Cd (cadmium), and Pb (lead) were typical soil heavy metals in the municipal solid waste landfills (MSW) in the study area. The Nemerow index of Cr was high, and the PI value reached 9.17, which was considered as serious pollution. Cd had potential ecological risks (E_r > 40), while Cd, Cu (copper) and As (arsenic) were greatly affected by parent materials. The health risk values of As and Cd in the study area (1.074E-04 and 1.366E-04) exceeded the tolerable value (10^–4). Cr had high homology with Cd, Cu, Ni (nickel), and Pb, and was mainly derived from landfill and leachate leakage. Landfill, incineration plant and aquafarm were the main sources of heavy metals in this study.

In recent decades, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and their discharge into the environment have caused serious consequences for aquatic and terrestrial organisms. The present study investigates the optimization of cefixime antibiotic decomposition by a powerful catalytic ozonation process. In this study, the MgAl-LDH /zeolite nanocomposite was synthesized and used as an ozonation-adsorption catalyst to degrade Cefixime antibiotic from an aqueous solution. XRD, FE-SEM, and FTIR analyses were scrutinized to reveal the main characteristics of the as-prepared nanocomposite, showing that it was well-synthesized. The investigated variables in the catalytic ozonation of Cefixime by the mentioned nanocomposite included solution pH level (5–9), nanocatalyst dose (0.5–2.5 g/L), Cefixime concentration (5–25 mg/L) and reaction time (5–60 min) which they were optimized by adopting RSM-CCD. The results showed that all variables positively affected the efficiency of the catalytic ozonation process. Nonetheless, the lowest effect of operational factor pH, the degradation of Cefixime was subjected to the initial content of Cefixime in this treatment system. The optimal conditions for cefixime removal by catalytic ozonation process were determined at pH of 7.72, nanocatalyst dosage of 1 g/L, cefixime concentration of 23 mg/L, and reaction time of 55 min. In the optimized operating conditions, the removal efficiency of Cefixime by MgAl-LDH /zeolite nanocomposite was high, up to 98.37%, and It is suggested that due to the high efficiency of this process, it can be used in the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater.

Graphical Abstract