Tehran, the capital city of Iran and a metropolis with a population of 8.2 million and containing 2.4 million households, generated 2,626,519 tons of solid waste in 2005. The present study is aimed at evaluating the generation, characteristics and management of solid waste in Tehran. Municipal solid waste comprises more than 97% of Tehran's solid waste, while three other types of solid waste co...

CONTEXT Industrial waste (which is composed of various toxic chemicals), changes to the disposal process, and addition of chemicals should all be monitored and controlled carefully in the industrial waste industry to reduce the health hazard to workers. CASE PRESENTATION Five workers in an industrial waste plant developed acute toxic hepatitis, one of whom died after 3 months due to fulminant...

Electronics equipment waste ("e-waste") includes discarded computers, computer monitors, television sets, and cell phones. Less than 10% of e-waste is currently recycled. The United States and other developed countries export e-waste primarily to Asia, knowing it carries a real harm to the poor communities where it will be discarded. A 2006 directive bans the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexa...

Human exposure to pollutants from e-waste is an important scientific issue for their health effects. In this study, organohalogen pollutants in human serum sample from an e-waste dismantling site (n=35) and a control site (n=21), both located in Tianjin, Northern China, were analyzed using GC-ECNI-MS. Geometric mean concentrations of tetra- through hexa-BDEs, hepta- through nona-BDEs, PCBs, PBB...

In this study, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in human scalp hair from Vietnam. Levels of PBDEs and HBCDs were significantly higher in hair of e-waste recycling workers in Bui Dau (e-waste recycling site), an e-waste recycling site than those in general residents in Bui Dau, Dong Mai (lead battery recy...

INTRODUCTION Workers in the cotton processing industries risk developing obstructive respiratory conditions due to prolonged exposure to cotton dust. We noted a tenfold increase in asthma among workers in a Textile Manufacturing Company. We determined the prevalence of respiratory obstructive conditions among workers in various sections. METHODS We conducted a cross sectional analytic study. ...

BACKGROUND Medical establishment such as hospitals and research institutes generate sizable amount of hazardous waste. Health care workers, patients are at risk of acquiring infection from sharps and contamination of environment with multiple drug resistant microorganisms if wastes are not properly managed. OBJECTIVES To characterize types and evaluate waste disposal techniques employed in th...

INTRODUCTION No cases of human brucellosis caused by Brucella suis has been reported in Spain. METHODS This study involved interviews with the case and his co-workers, inspection of their workplace, checking infection control measures, and typing the Brucella strain isolated in the blood culture. RESULTS Brucella suis biovar 1 strain 1330 was isolated from a patient who worked in a waste tr...