Mesopotamia Environmental Journal

Road transportation is one of the key contributors to greenhouse emissions globally, especially carbon dioxide (CO₂),
which plays a vital role in speeding up climate change. As a result of rapid urbanization with a rise in car ownership,
emissions from road traffic have emerged as a critical environmental challenge in many cities around the world. In this
study, a systematic literature review on the environmental impacts of road traffic emissions of (CO₂) and the factors
affecting these emissions is conducted. The review assesses previous studies based on traffic intensity, vehicle
characteristics, fuel types, and operating conditions affecting emission variability. Additionally, it assesses the widely
applied emission estimation methods and conventional traffic emissions models, including average speed models, traffic
situation models, and modal models. The findings of the analysis show that urban traffic density, vehicle technology, and
fuel types are major determinants of emission levels. In addition to (CO₂), other pollutants emitted by road transportation
include nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and black carbon (BC), which are all major
contributors to air quality and human health issues. The review also identifies the importance of policy interventions,
technology innovations, and alternative energy sources in addressing transportation emissions. The study concludes that
transportation planning, cleaner vehicles, and stricter emission controls are vital for minimizing environmental impacts and
paving the way for sustainable transportation systems in cities.

The study was done in Autumn 2024, which included phytoremediation of wastewater coming out of the wastewater
treatment unit in Al-Sadr Medical City (Al-Najaf Ashraf) using three aquatic plants: Ceratophyllum demersum, Lemna
minor and Azolla sp.
A sample of that wastewater was taken to investigate pharmaceutical materials, the following antibiotics were
found:Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Azithromycin and Ciprofloxacin 112.5, 62.5, 80.9, 124.5 mg/l respectively. Then, a
treatment experiment is designed using aquatic plants, each separately, and antibiotics and heavy elements are measured in
addition to some water properties, such as pH, EC, Ca and Mg- hardness, total hardness, total dissolved solids, chlorides,
nitrates, nitrites and phosphates, after 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 days of plant treatment. The results showed that the pH values
increased slightly after plant treatment, while the plants did not record a clear role in reducing calcium and magnesium
hardness, total hardness, chlorides, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solid. On the contrary, the percentages of
some of these indicators such as total hardness, magnesium hardness, total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity increased during plant treatment. The experimental plants also proved their effectiveness in removing antibiotics, and the
highest removal rate was by C. demersum for the four antibiotics: Amoxicillin 40%, Azithromycin 91%, Ampicillin 91.7%,
Ciprofloxacin 93.6%. While Azolla sp. is the least effective in removing antibiotics, as it recorded the highest removal rate of 82.9% for Azithromycin on the 25th day of the experiment.

The study aims to summarize the findings regarding the heavy metal status in different types of chicken meat samples consumed in Kirkuk city and assess the health risk associated with their consummation.
A selection of meats was taken from various sources in the markets of Kirkuk Governorate between December 1, 2024, and February 1, 2025. These included (imported frozen Turkish chicken, imported frozen Brazilian chicken and fresh Iraqi chicken). Ten samples were taken from each type of meat, with 30-50 grams of each sample being collected. The concentrations of the studied heavy elements were measured using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).
The findings indicated that Cadmium (27.02±6.55), Nickel (7.59±0.57), and Lead (0.82±0.03) were present in elevated amounts in imported Turkish chicken, but Chromium (7.34±3.43), Cobalt (0.12±0.04), and Manganese (10.6±1.85) were notably high in fresh Iraqi chicken. Zinc levels were elevated in imported Brazilian chicken (14.00±0.46). Imported frozen chicken meat exhibited a significant rise in cadmium consumption, with an estimated daily intake (EDI) of 0.019303 mg/day, surpassing the tolerable daily intake (TDI) threshold of 0.001 mg/day. The EDI of chromium is 0.003516 mg/day. The EDI values for zinc (Zn), nickel, lead, cobalt, and manganese in imported Chicken were below safe limits and did not surpass the TDI values, indicating no direct risk to consumers. Fresh chicken samples had an EDI value of 0.013707 mg/day, exceeding the limit. Chrome's EDI (0.00525 mg/day) was likewise over the limit, suggesting persistent exposure to this hazardous element. The results for other elements (Zn, Ni, Pb, Co, and Mn) were below the allowed limits, indicating reasonable safety and no hazardous danger to consumers. Results indicate that cadmium and chromium have the highest THQ values in both frozen and fresh samples, above the permissible limit (THQ > 1) posing a health concern with sustained use. Elements zinc, nickel, lead, cobalt, and manganese had acceptable THQ values (THQ < 1), indicating no health hazards at regular consumption concentrations.
According to the study, eating Turkish and locally produced chicken poses a significant health risk due to excessive cadmium and chromium concentrations surpassing permissible limits. The cumulative hazard index (HI) is 21.29, indicating potential systemic toxicity. Brazilian chicken had the lowest contamination, with zinc and lead concentrations below international limits.

This research was carried out in the Shat Al-Hilla River in central of Iraq where Samples selected from three locations along Al-Hilla River for the period from (October 2018) to (June 2019). The study included the assessment of certain heavy metals' content and distribution in water's dissolved and particle phases
Dissolved Heavy Metals were as follows: Iron (1.28- 115.6 µg/l), Cadmium (non detected -1.061µg/l) and Copper (non detected -5.199 µg/l) .Particulate Heavy Metals are as follows: Iron (507- 3596.1 µg/g), Cadmium (non detected - 6.258 µg/g) And Copper (1.8-19.58 µg/g) .The distributed of dissolved heavy metals in water in the all studied sites were as following order: Fe >Cu> Cd. Results study recorded a significant variation in the concentrations of elements among different sites, also the results show there was a seasonal difference in the concentrations of trace elements. Furthermore, the summertime concentrations of these metals are higher than the other seasons. The present study found the particle trace elements have a higher concentration than the dissolved form. The results also show seasonal variation in the concentration of heavy metals in particulate phase where high concentrations were recorded in summer and winter, while a low concentrations were recorded in spring.