2023 Impact Factor: 1.3
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pISSN: 2251-6085
eISSN: 2251-6093
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief:
Dariush D. Farhud, MD, Ph.D., MG.
This journal is a member of, and subscribes to the principles of, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 
Vol 7 No 2 (1978)
Articles
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Planning of air pollution control programs need knowledge of pollutants emitting sources; the Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tehran University, performed an air monitoring program for a period of six months in 1976-77. A daily sampling was done from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at ten different stations in metropolitan Tehran. Saltzman's sampling and analysis procedures were employed in this investigation. Here are the main results drawn from this conduction. Monthly trend of Nox concentration shows a decrease from September through February. The highest concentration of Nitrogen Oxides was observed at Railway Station Square that was about 2.2 times more than the University. The Nox concentration ranged between 0.17 to 0.62 ppm at Rail-Station Square (maximum) and 0.04 to 0.21 ppm at University (minimum). The hourly fluctuation shows two peaks of maximum concentration.
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Milk and milk products containing antibiotics especially penicillin may present a health hazard to individuals who are super sensitized to penicillin. A total of 620 samples of raw milk which were delivered to Tehran pasteurization plant were examined. 294 samples were antibiotic-negative and 326 samples showed to contain antibiotic. Considering the results obtained, certain recommendations were made to prevent public health hazards and economic losses.
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For purposes of planning and programming of environmental health activities at the community level, it is important to gather information regarding people's need, demands, and the basic socio demographic data, as well as relevant community resources. It is more likely, that in this way, the people not only will participate and get involved with the programme, but the health activities will be more appropriate to their needs. This descriptive exploratory survey, aimed at gathering sociodemographic data, and information about community's attitudes and knowledge about their drinking water, and its degree of safety, as far as the health of people is concerned. The rural community under the study is Jalil-Abad village with 325 inhabitants, located near Garmsar, south-east of Tehran. The study carried out on 70 households, selected by random sampling technique. The data has been collected by various means: available documents, questionnaires, observation, and laboratory tests for the analysis of drinking water. The findings revealed that the population structure of this rural community is young, with an average size of he family of 4.6. Eighty per cent of the population is illiterate and 11.4 per cent had education to the primary level; over one quarter of the families (25.7 per cent) had an annual income of less than 50.000 rials nearly 13 per cent had more than 200.000 rials and the remaining between these figures. The environmental health facilities are poor and the drinking water is collected manually by public system through several brooks branching out from Hableh-Roud River, the population draws their drinking water from the public taken. The laboratory tests on ten water samples from existing drinking water showed that water has been contaminated by bacteria. (Minimum M.P.N. and Fecal M.P.N. were 1100 and 1000 per 100 ml respectively.) Considering the maximum allowable concentration of 45 mg/l as Nō3 for Nitrate in drinking water in United States and W.H.O. standard, the minimum concentration of Nitrates in Jalil-Abad drinking water (55mg/I as Nō3) This implies that necessary measures should be taken before water is to be consumed for domestic purposes, though the most common diseases among the infants under 5 years of age is reported to be diarrhea, which can be assumed that its main reason should be chemical (Nitrate) and bacterial contamination of water. In general the population under the study has relative knowledge about the relationship between sickness and unhealthy environment, particularly drinking water. Although most of the people under the study stated that the existing water should be boiled in order to make it safe for drinking, but failed to do so regularly. It can be concluded that the people of the community stressed their desire for cooperation in the improvement of the existing drinking water.
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Forty bacteria species commonly found in soil, sediments, and sewage effluent were exposed for acclimation to inorganic and organic mercury compounds using sterilized sediments as the culture medium. Screening tests for the ability of microorganisms to methylate inorganic mercury were made on all 40 species after acclimation to 13.5 mg/I mercuric chloride. Additional screening tests for demethylation of methylmercuric chloride were carried out with 21 acclimated microorganisms in sediments containing 2.5 mg/I methyI-mercuric chloride. Sediments and trap solutions were tested for total mercury, alkylmercury and dialkylmercury compounds using flameless atomic absorption, gas chromatography and a combination of gas chromatography-atomic absorption, respectively. 22-52% reduction in total inorganic mercury was observed in some bubblers containing microorganisms, indicating vaporization of metallic mercury. None of the microorganisms screened was able to methylate mercury; however, 16 aerobes and 1 anaerobe demonstrated the ability to demethylate methylmercuric chloride. Demethylation by individual organisms ranged from 32% to 84% of the initial dose after 16 days of experimentation. Tests for the formation of alkylmercurials and dialkylmervury compounds were negative in all cultures.
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Serum samples were obtained from the southern part of Iran by random sampling in a health survey program. A total of 4,869 from these serum samples, 3,319 from the coastal province, 853 from Khuzestan province and 697 from the Ghashghai tribe were screened for the presence of Hb Antigen by counter electrophoresis method. On the assumption that the frequency of Hb Ag in a collection of healthy persons reflects the prevalence of carriers, it was demonstrated that 1.1% of population of the coastal province, 1.7% of Ghashghai tribe and 3.75% of Khuzestan province were Hb Ag carriers. The level of SGOT, SGPT, and Alk. Phosphatase were measured in 82 positive cases and the results revealed that 20.4 and 14 of carriers had higher Alk. Phosh., Gpt and Got levels respectively.
