Iranian Journal of

Background and Objective: Environmental burden of disease (EBD) studies are one of the most important needs for determining the current situation, increasing the effectiveness of health policies and programs and prioritizing environmental health interventions. This review article was evaluated the status of the EBD in Iran based on the results of the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, other international studies and national estimates in the country.
Materials and Methods: In this study, the researches on the EBD in Iran were identified by searching in the international and national scientific databases and the search results were studied and analyzed.
Results: The review of the EBD studies showed that based on the results of the GBD study, the share of environmental risk factors in the total burden of diseases in the country in 2017 according to the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths were about 8 and 13%, respectively. According to the results of the GBD study, the contributions of environmental risk factors in the attributable DALYs in the country in 2017 (a total value of 1,648,329) were as follows: ambient air PM_2.5 for 45.0%, occupational risk factors for 25.1%, exposure to lead for 19.4%, unsafe water source for 5.0%, tropospheric ozone for 1.7%, lack of access to handwashing facility for 1.5%, unsafe sanitation for 1.4%, residential radon for 0.6%, and household air pollution from solid fuels for 0.3%. The total DALY rate and death rate attributable to solar ultraviolet radiation in Iran in 2000 were estimated to be 46.2 and 0.7, respectively. The DALY and the DALY rate attributable to elevated levels of fluoride in drinking water due to dental fluorosis in the country in 2017 were 3,443 and 4.14, respectively. The evaluation of the effect of water fluoridation as an environmental protective factor showed that the intervention by reducing the risk of dental caries could fall the DALY and DALY rates in the country by 14,971 and 18.73, respectively. In the period of 2005-2017, the DALY rate (per 100,000 people) attributable to ambient air PM_2.5, tropospheric ozone, residential radon, and occupational risk factors rose that the result increases the importance of the preventive measures and controls of these risk factors.
Conclusion: There was a considerable difference in the burden of disease attributed to each risk factor in various international studies as well as between national and international studies. The results of national studies on the burden of diseases attributable to environmental risk factors are considered to be more reliable and practical due to the application of more detailed data and conducting subnational evaluations; therefore, the strengthening and continuing these studies at the national and sub-national levels with regard to priorities, needs, and spatiotemporal trends using domestic reliable data and information are necessary and strictly recommended.
 

Background and Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the long-term temporal trends and spatial variations of ambient PM₁₀, PM_2.5, O₃, concentrations in Tabriz city during the years 2006-2017.
Materials and Methods: Real-time hourly concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, O₃ measured at nine air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) were obtained from the Tabriz Department of Environment (TDoE) during 2006-2017 and analyzed. Spatial and temporal variations of pollutants using the Mann-Kendall's test and Moran’s I index were analyzed.
Results: The results of this study showed that the annual trend of PM₁₀, PM_2.5 was decreasing but remained almost constant for O₃ during the study period. During some of the studied days, PM₁₀, PM_2.5 levels were exceeded greater than the WHO AQG and National standard levels. Moreover, the highest monthly mean concentrations of PM₁₀ in October (80.3 µg/m³), PM_2.5 in January (42.9 µg/m³) and O₃ in June (77.8 µg/m³) were observed. Comparison between the stations indicated that the Raste Kuche station was more polluted than other stations.
Conclusion: Effective control planning and implementation policies are essential to improve the air quality of the Tabriz environment. Hence, information provided in this research can be used as a key step for city managers, policymakers, and health officials to reduce the health impacts of air pollution.

Background and Objective: Considering the significant number of injured people in spas, the main goal of this research is to provide a model for measuring and managing risk in spas.
Materials and Methods: To prepare the conceptual model of risk, four steps were taken, which include determining the general outline of the model, identifying the parameters, evaluating and scoring the parameters based on the questionnaire, using the hierarchical analysis method, and evaluating and determining the final risk of the pools. According to the allowed standard range of each parameter, five ranges for each parameter were obtained based on the obtained weights, health, safety and environmental risk classes. Finally, by summing up these parameters, the final score of the risk of using each pool is obtained. In order to evaluate the presented model, the risk value of hot mineral water pools in Ardabil province was obtained with the innovative method of this research.
Results: According to the results, according to the risk score, Gutursoi and Gamish-Goli spas have an unacceptable risk level, while Qainarjeh, Shabil, Barjelo and Sablan spas are at a high-risk level.
Conclusion: The presented model was validated with the evidence of forensic events. According to the results of the conceptual model of risk and the score obtained for each component and sub-components, appropriate solutions were presented, including the need to modify the current standards in each spa.

Background and Objective: Street dust, as both a source and sink of pollutants, is considered a reliable indicator for assessing atmospheric pollution. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the pollution levels and environmental toxicity of arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu) in street dust in the city of Hamedan in 2023.
Materials and Methods: A total of 108 street dust samples were collected from 12 sampling sites, including residential, commercial, and industrial regions, during the spring, summer, and fall seasons. The concentrations of the analyzed elements were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Additionally, pollution indices (PI), integrated pollution index (IPI), and mean effects range median quotient (mERM-Q) were calculated.
Results: The highest average concentrations of the analyzed elements in street dust were observed in the industrial regions and the fall season for As (5.79 mg/kg), Zn (405 mg/kg), Cd (0.758 mg/kg), and Cu (84.8 mg/kg). For Pb, the highest average concentration (110 mg/kg) was found in commercial regions during the fall season. PI values indicated pollution levels for As, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Cu ranging from "moderate" to "very high." The average IPI values varied between 2.52 and 3.90, reflecting "high" pollution conditions across all sampling sites and seasons. Furthermore, the average mERM-Q values suggested a 21% probability of elemental toxicity in the analyzed street dust samples.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the influence of human activities, seasonal variations, and emission source fluctuations on street dust pollution. To mitigate pollution, it is recommended to identify and control the release sources of these elements, particularly in regions with higher pollution levels.