Indian Journal of Science and Technology
DOI: 10.17485/ijst/2015/v8i33/53997
Year: 2015, Volume: 8, Issue: 33, Pages: 1-9
Original Article
Hassan Nasirian1*, Shahrokh Nazmara2 , Ami Hossein Mahvi2, 3, Mostafa Hosseini4 , Layla Shiri2 and Babak Vazirianzadeh5
1 Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; [email protected]
2 Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Center for Solid Waste Research, Institute for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center and Department of Medical Entomology, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Background: Heavy metal contamination of wetland waters can adversely affects human health. Methods: The Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Cobalt (Co), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Mercury (Hg), Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn) of Shadegan and Hawr Al Azim wetland waters in the Khuzistan Province, South Western Iran were assessed from October 2011 to September 2012. Results: Shadegan and Hawr Al Azim wetland waters were contaminated with Cr, Fe, Mn, Hg and Zn as they were more than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) normal levels. One-sample t-test showed a significant difference between these wetland waters contaminated heavy metals and the EPA normal levels. Application: Although these wetland waters were contaminated by the mentioned heavy metals, they will likely accumulate in the fauna and flora tissues. Afterwards they were biomagnified there after their entering in the marine food chains. Finally they were fed by predators such as birds and fish and threatened human health through food chains.
Keywords: Assessment, Contamination, Heavy metal, Water, Wetland
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