Detection of Some Heavy Metals in Locally Processed and Imported Meat and Meat Products

This study was conducted to identify the levels of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, copper, iron, zinc) in the following processed local and imported meat: Sardine (canned full), Tuna (canned chunks), Hammour (frozen full), Euphrates Fish (frozen full), fish produced at Qattinah Lake in Syria (frozen full) , lamb (frozen ground), beef (frozen ground), lamb sausage (frozen full), beef sausage (frozen full), sausageproduced in Netherlands (frozen stuffed), lamb liver (frozen full), broiler chicken liver (frozen full), broiler chicken (frozen full), chicken mortadella (canned), beef mortadella (canned), chicken mortadella (canned) produced in Netherlands. Heavy metal concentrations were identified in the samples of the studied meat by atomic absorption spectrometer. The concentrations taken in the wet weight measured in (ppm) were as follows: lead values range between (0.1–5.61),cadmium(0.01–2.02), mercury (0.14 –79.01), nickel (0.11 - 0.82), copper (0.24 – 6.89), iron (1.01 - 91.03), zinc (8.14 - 45.5). It was noticed that in some of the studied samples of the imported and locally-processed meat the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, and nickel were above the levels permitted by WHO (World Health Organization) and by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization).While the concentrations of copper, iron, and zincwere belowthelevels permitted.

Contribution to the purification of industrial water of mercury by pyrite

Green chemistry requires concepts and industrial ecology using natural systems to rid industrial water flow from heavy metals, which effects badly on health and environment. For this purpose, the changes in coefficient of distribution of mercury has been studied in system with two phases, liquid (water contaminated with mercury) - solid (metal pyrite) correlation of the following factors: Time of mixing phases, size of the developed steel, change the values of pH, concentration of elemental mercury, the concentration of calcium as a competitor to the occupation of sites available on the solid phase, the ratio V / M presents the water phase size on the mass of phase, which reflects the remaining time of water phase in the solid phase. The results show that pyrite can be proposed as safe environmental solution for purification of water phase of mercury, after controlling for some operation transactions.

The Applications, Hazardous and Mechanisms to Deal with Mercury in Hospitals: Statistical Questionnaire in some Hospitals in Damascus

It is evident that mercury and its use in healthcare institutions have attracted the attention of academics, research centers and governments. This paper conducts a preliminary induction analysis of the awareness level of healthcare providers at some hospitals in Damascus about some key issues related to mercury. It employed the statistical approach mainly the random sampling method to answer its questions and fulfill its aims. The data obtained from questionnaires were processed by Excel. The paper found differences in awareness and training levels among healthcare providers with regards to methods of exposure and mercury transition to human body. It further identified sever weakness in testing and measuring the exposure of healthcare providers to mercury. The study pointed that there is an urgent need to train medical doctors and dentists with regards to the storage procedures of mercury and disposal methods of material and tools containing mercury. Finally, the research found that education efforts both at individual (personal) and aggregate (institutional) levels in all issues related to mercury are unsatisfactory.