Assessment of land use effect, mapping of human health risks and chemometric analysis of potential toxic elements in topsoils of Aran-o-Bidgol, Iran.

This study examines topsoil contamination in Aran-o-Bidgol urban region of central Iran, with a focus on potentially toxic elements (PTEs). A total of 135 topsoil samples in different land types were characterized, ranging from areas with agricultural farms, desert, industrial and residential activity, and brick kilns. The average concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Co, Fe, Zn, and Mn were 0.

Occurrence and abundance of macro, meso and microplastics along the coasts of the Persian Gulf (case study: Bushehr Province coast).

One of the most critical emerging pollutants in aquatic environments is plastic waste. During this study, the presence and abundance of macro, meso, and microplastics at 17 stations on the coast of Bushehr province were investigated. The average abundances of macro-plastics and meso-plastics in coastal sediment were 41.

The effect of irrigation with treated and untreated wastewater on the yield and chemical composition of essential oil of Mentha spicata L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L.

Today, the lack of quality water supply has led to the tendency to use unconventional water to irrigate agricultural products. Considering the importance and application of essential oils of mint plants in various pharmaceutical, food, and health industries and also considering the approach of using unconventional waters in the cultivation of medicinal plants, the present study aimed to investigate and compare the chemical composition of essential oils of two species of Mentha spicata L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L.

Occurrence, abundance and characteristics of microplastics in some commercial fish of northern coasts of the Persian Gulf.

This study assessed the abundance of microplastics (MPs) in muscle, liver, gill, and gastrointestinal tissues of 14 fish species from the Persian Gulf. The quality control showed no significant difference in MPs abundance between blank samples and muscle and liver tissues. The mean abundance of MPs accumulated in gill and gut was 2.

A web-based GIS system for wildlife species: a case study from Khouzestan Province, Iran.

Recent efforts to aggregate, process, and use biodiversity information have appended novel opportunities and challenges for the field, and a rapid increase in studies that integrate and analyze data in the biological-ecological realm. We developed a web-based GIS system for the wildlife of Khouzestan Province that provides potential distribution maps and other spatial and nonspatial data on the wildlife of Khouzestan Province and its protected areas. We used MaxEnt and a fuzzy inference system to model distributions of species.

Tissue distribution and oral exposure risk assessment of heavy metals in an urban bird: magpie from Central Iran.

Direct ingestion of soil and/or soil attached to the food items is a potential rout for wildlife exposure to contaminants. In this study, bioaccumulation of five heavy metals (HMs) in internal tissues of an urban bird (Pica pica) collected from Aran-O-Bidgol City, Central Iran and their related soil were investigated. A total of 15 magpie specimens were collected in autumn 2013 and then their internal tissues were digested using a mixture of HNO and HO, and finally, concentrations of HMs were detected by ICP-OES.

Stress induced by heavy metals on breeding of magpie (Pica pica) from central Iran.

The aim of this study was to address the impacts of some heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu) contamination on laying behavior, egg quality and breeding performance of Pica pica in north of Isfahan Province, Iran. During the breeding season of 2013, magpie's egg content and eggshell as well as nestling excrements and feathers were collected and total concentrations of heavy metals were measured by ICP-OES. Except for Zn in nestling feathers, the significantly higher concentrations of heavy metals were observed in nestling excrements than other samples.

Evaluation of some factors influencing on variability in bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rodents species: Rombomys opimus and Rattus norvegicus from central Iran.

In the present study, the effects of sex, age, nutritional status, and habitat use on hair and internal tissue concentrations of some trace metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb and Cd) in brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) from Aran-O-Bidgol City in Central Iran were investigated. Five sampling stations in different land-uses were selected for the study. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in liver and whole body concentration as well as concentration of Zn in hair of male rats were significantly higher than females.

Spatial Eco-Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Surface Soils of Industrial City of Aran-o-Bidgol, Iran.

Heavy metals usually accumulate and migrate in soil environment due to human activities and this in return poses potential ecological and health risks. A total of 135 surface soil samples were collected from Aran-o-Bidgol City, Iran and were analyzed for their Cd, Pb, Ni and Cu concentrations to determine these elements' spatial distribution and potential ecological risks. To this end, interpolation mapping was conducted using Ordinary Kriging.

Concentrations of Metals in Feathers of Magpie (Pica pica) from Aran-O-Bidgol City in Central Iran.

The present study aims to measure Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd concentrations in feathers of Magpies in urban areas to investigate the possibility of using Magpies to monitor metal contamination in urban areas. A total of 15 bird samples were collected in October 2013 from Aran-O-Bidgol City, in Central Iran and the concentration of metals were measured using a PerkinElmer ICP-OES. The average concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd in the feathers were 167.

Comparative study of heavy metals concentration in topsoil of urban green space and agricultural land uses.

The main objective of this study was to determine the concentration of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc in surface soils of two land uses including agricultural and urban green space in Semnan Province, Iran. For this purpose, the soil samples of 27 urban green space and 47 agricultural fields were collected and analyzed. The correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and geoaccumulation index were utilized to compare the mean values in the two land uses and pinpoint the possible sources of contamination in the study area.

Comparison of interpolation methods for the estimation of groundwater contamination in Andimeshk-Shush Plain, Southwest of Iran.

Selection of appropriate interpolation methods for the conversion of discrete samples into continuous maps is a controversial issue in the environmental researches. The main objective of this study was to analyze the suitability of three interpolation methods for the discrimination of groundwater with respect to the water quality index (WQI). The groundwater quality data consisted of 17 variables associated with 65 wells located in Andimeshk-Shush Plain.

The Extent and Prediction of Heavy Metal Pollution in Soils of Shahrood and Damghan, Iran.

The levels of 12 heavy metals (Ag, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Tl, V, Zn) were considered in 229 soil samples in Semnan Province, Iran. To discriminate between natural and anthropogenic inputs of heavy metals, factor analysis was used. Seven factors accounting for 90.

Levels and variability of metals in soils of the province of Golestan (Iran).

Studying the concentration distribution of metals is necessary for soil pollution monitoring and maintaining environmental quality. To date, very little large-scale research has been performed to investigate metal contamination in developing countries. In this study, the content and spatial distributions of five metals (cadmium [Cd], copper [Cu], nickel [Ni], lead [Pb], and zinc [Zn]) were quantified based on 346 topsoil samples from 12 districts in the province of Golestan (northeast [NE] Iran).