Environmental Engineering / Çevre Mühendisliği

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/4321

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 1
    Citation - Scopus: 1
    Exposure To Fumes of a Vegetable Margarine for Frying: Respiratory Effects in an Experimental Model
    (American Chemical Society, 2023) Cimrin, Arif H.; Alpaydin, Aylin Ozgen; Ozbal, Seda; Toprak, Melis; Yılmaz, Osman; Uluorman, Funda; Ergur, Bekir Uğur; Gürel, Duygu; Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil
    Deep frying is one of the strongest emission sources into indoor air. A vegetable margarine has recently been used in commercial kitchens. This study investigated the respiratory effects of exposure to its fumes in an experimental model. A setup with glass chambers was constructed. A chamber housed a fryer. The fumes were transported to the other chamber where 24 Wistar albino rats were placed in four randomized groups: acute, subacute, chronic, and control for the exposure durations. PM10 concentration in the exposure chamber was monitored to ensure occupational levels were obtained. Sacrification was performed 24 h after exposure. Lung, trachea, and nasal concha specimens were evaluated by two blinded histologists under a light microscope with hematoxylin–eosin. Mild mononuclear cell infiltration, alveolar capillary membrane thickening, alveolar edema, and diffuse alveolar damage, along with diffuse hemorrhage, edema, and vascular congestion in the interstitium were observed in the acute and subacute groups, and were overexpressed in the chronic group, whereas normal lung histology was observed in the control group. The results indicate that exposure to fumes of vegetable margarine for frying in commercial kitchens may cause pulmonary inflammation that becomes severe as the duration of the exposure increases.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 3
    Citation - Scopus: 6
    Halogenated By-Products in Chlorinated Indoor Swimming Pools: a Long-Term Monitoring and Empirical Modeling Study
    (Amer Chemical Soc, 2023) Genişoğlu, Mesut; Minaz, Mert; Tanacan, Ertaç; Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil; Kaplan-Bekaroğlu, Şehnaz Şule; Kanan, Amer; Ateş, Nuray
    Monitoring the disinfection process and swimming pool water quality is essential for the prevention of microbial infections and associated diseases. However, carcinogenic and chronic-toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs) are formed with reactions between disinfectants and organic/inorganic matters. DBP precursors in swimming pools originate from anthropogenic sources (body secretions, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, etc.) or chemicals used in pools. Temporal (48 weeks) water quality trends of trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), and halonitromethanes (HNMs) in two swimming pools (SP-A and SP-B) and precursor-DBP relationships were investigated in this study. Weekly samples were taken from swimming pools, and several physical/chemical water quality parameters, absorbable organic halides (AOX), and DBPs were determined. THMs and HAAs were the most detected DBP groups in pool water. While chloroform was determined to be the dominant THM compound, dichloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid were the dominant HAA compounds. The average AOX concentrations were measured to be 304 and 746 mu g/L as Cl- in SP-A and SP-B, respectively. Although the amount of AOX from unknown chlorinated by-products in SP-A did not vary temporally, a significant increase in unknown DBP concentrations in SP-B was observed over time. AOX concentrations of chlorinated pool waters were determined to be an important parameter that can be used to estimate DBP concentrations.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 13
    Citation - Scopus: 13
    Countrywide Spatial Variation of Potentially Toxic Element Contamination in Soils of Turkey and Assessment of Population Health Risks for Nondietary Ingestion
    (American Chemical Society, 2022) Gören, Ayşegül Yağmur; Genişoğlu, Mesut; Kazancı, Yiğithan; Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil
    Countrywide surface soil concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in Turkey were reviewed in the Web of Science database. A total of 93 papers were investigated to compose a PTE dataset for determining spatial variations and estimating exposure and health risks. Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were selected as PTEs in surface soil. A compiled PTE concentration dataset was used to estimate chronic toxic risks (CTRs) and carcinogenic risks (CRs) according to the deterministic and probabilistic approaches. While the CTR and CR levels of age and sex groups were estimated using a deterministic approach, population risks were estimated using a probabilistic approach. CTR and CR levels in lower age groups and female sex groups were estimated to be higher than those in higher age groups and associated male sex groups. The average CTR levels of the nondietary ingestion of As-containing soil in <11 year age groups were near/just above the threshold level, while As-associated average CR levels of adults and other age groups were estimated to be in the acceptable risk range (10-6 < CR < 10-5) and low priority risk range (10-5 < CR < 10-4), respectively. As-, Cr(VI)-, and Pb-associated upper-bound CR levels of the Turkish population were simulated to be 5.14 × 10-4, 6.23 × 10-5, and 2.34 × 10-6, respectively. Health risk models show the significance of As in both chronic toxic and carcinogenic effects.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 5
    Citation - Scopus: 7
    Bleach-Containing Automatic Toilet-Bowl Cleaners as Sources of Vocs, Associated Indoor Air Concentrations and Carcinogenic Risk
    (Turkish National Committee for Air Pollution Research (TUNCAP), 2020) Ayrı, İlknur; Genişoğlu, Mesut; Gaygısız, Handan; Sofuoğlu, Aysun; Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil
    Household cleaning products are sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Bleach containing products are a special case because reactions occur between chloride and their organic content such as surfactants, perfumes, etc., generating VOCs. This study aimed to determine concentration of 13 VOCs in bleach-containing automatic toilet cleaners, to estimate their indoor air concentrations and associated exposure and health risk levels. Experiments with products purchased from supermarkets were conducted in 20-mL headspace vials by placing 1 g of sample with and without water. Solid-phase micro extraction with a DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber assembly was used for adsorption of VOCs from the headspace, and analyzed using a GC-MS. The median carbon tetrachloride and chloroform concentrations of the studied products ranged from 5.03 × 10?3 to 2.37 × 10?2 ?g/g and 2.53 × 10?2 to 2.37 ?g/g, respectively. The modeled 95th percentile indoor air concentrations in a 1.6 m3 bathroom with no ventilation were estimated to be 1 and 20 ?g/m3 for carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, respectively. The 95th percentile carcinogenic risk associated even with the use of the highest content product, 3.72 × 10?7 and 8.62 × 10?7 for carbon tetrachloride and chloroform respectively, were below the acceptable risk. In conclusion, automatic toilet-bowl cleaners were found to be sources of VOCs, but their emission potentials are not high to cause considerable indoor air concentrations over their suggested product lifetime. In turn, carcinogenic risks associated with inhalation exposure are below the de Minimis risk level of 10?6. © 2020
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 45
    Citation - Scopus: 45
    The First Countrywide Monitoring of Selected Pops: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (pcbs), Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (pbdes) and Selected Organochlorine Pesticides (ocps) in the Atmosphere of Turkey
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2018) Kurt Karakuş, Perihan Binnur; Ugranlı Çiçek, Tuğba; Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil; Çelik, Halil; Güngörmüş, Elif; Gedik, Kadir; Sofuoğlu, Aysun; Ökten, Hatice Eser; Birgül, Aşkın; Alegria, Henry; Jones, Kevin C.
    Atmospheric levels of 43 PCBs, 22 OCPs, and 14 PBDEs were determined in 16 cities at urban and rural sites by passive sampling to generate the first large-scale nationwide dataset of POP residues in Turkey's atmosphere. Sampling campaign was performed from May 2014 to April 2015 with three-month sampling periods at locations on east-west and north-south transects through the country to investigate seasonal and spatial variations, including long range atmospheric transport (LRAT). Factor analysis was conducted to infer on the potential sources. Overall average Σ43PCBs concentration was 108 ± 132 pg/m3. PCB-118 (26.3 ± 44.6 pg/m3) was the top congener, and penta-CBs had the highest contribution with 54.3%. ΣDDTs had the highest annual mean concentration with 134 ± 296 pg/m3 among the OCP groups among which the highest concentration compound was p'p-DDE (97.6 ± 236 pg/m3). Overall average concentration of Σ14PBDEs was 191 ± 329 pg/m3 with the highest contribution from BDE-190 (42%). Comparison of OCPs and PCBs concentrations detected at temperatures which were above and below annual average temperature indicated higher concentrations in the warmer periods, hence significance of secondary emissions for several OCPs and Σ43PCBs, as well as inference as LRAT from secondary emissions. The first nationwide POPs database constructed in this study, point to current use, local secondary emissions, and LRAT for different individual compounds, and indicate the need for regular monitoring. The first country-wide passive sampling of selected POPs showed no unequivocal trends reflecting transitional location of Turkey.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 36
    Citation - Scopus: 42
    Speciated Arsenic Concentrations, Exposure, and Associated Health Risks for Rice and Bulgur
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2014) Sofuoğlu, Sait Cemil; Güzelkaya, Hilal; Akgül, Özlem; Kavcar, Pınar; Kurucaovalı, Filiz; Sofuoğlu, Aysun
    Arsenic species were determined in rice and bulgur samples that were collected from 50 participants who also supplied exposure related information through a questionnaire survey. Speciation analysis was conducted using an HPLC-ICP-MS system. Ingestion exposure to arsenic and associated health risks were assessed by combining the concentration and questionnaire data both for individual participants and the subject population. Inorganic arsenic dominated both in rice and bulgur but concentrations were about an order of magnitude higher in rice (160. ±. 38. ng/g) than in bulgur. Because participants also consumed more rice than bulgur, exposures were significantly higher for rice resulting in carcinogenic risks above acceptable level for 53% and 93% of the participants when the in-effect and the proposed potencies were used, respectively, compared to 0% and 5% for bulgur. An inorganic arsenic standard for rice would be useful to lower the risks while public awareness about the relation between excessive rice consumption and health risks is built, and bulgur consumption is promoted.