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In this study, physicochemical and biological examinations of water samples were performed. These analyses included measuring the pH, EC, TDS, TSS, DO, BOD, and COD. Turbidity was also measured. Along with the primary cations and anions, heavy metals such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Cu, Co, Pb, Ni, Cr, As, Mo, Hg, Al, Li, Be, Se, V, U, and Sr are included. The study of hydrochemistry incorporates both the geochemistry of the surface water in Al-Kut city as well as the water from the Tigris River that is discharged into the main river. There are a total of sixteen surface water samples that have been collected. These samples have been dispersed as sixteen from the Tigris River portion of the study region separately, which discharged onto the main river. In order to evaluate the quality of the water for a variety of applications, physicochemical parameters of water samples are tested, and the results of those analyses are compared to both Iraqi and international standards. The findings support the hypothesis that the pH of the Tigris River ranges from neutral to slightly alkaline. It is characterized by having slightly brackish water and an abundance of Ca2+ and SO4 =, which are the predominant ions in the water. In the Tigris River, the cations are arranged in the following order: Ca2+ Na+> Mg2+>K+, and the anions are organized as follows: SO4 = > Cl- > HCO3 -. The Tigris River in the city of Al-Kut was contaminated with PO4 3- and NO3. The concentrations of the trace elements Al, As, Sr, Mn, Fe, Li, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, Mo, V, and Ba in the Tigris River are all within the acceptable limits, with the exception of Sr and b, which both exceed these limits. Trace elements appear to be concentrated in the Tigris River. According to BOD, the situation with the Tigris River is critical. The BOD and COD readings were visibly affected by the various forms of excreta that were not treated in the waste water. Because the water in the Tigris River is high in salinity (both TDS and EC) and nutrients, it cannot be used for drinking. However, the water may be used for irrigation, and its quality ranges from acceptable to outstanding.

BACKGROUND: United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a heterogeneous population consisting of more than 160 nationalities and 85% of the population being non-UAE. In 2007, Dubai Blood Donation Centre (DBDC), the major local supplier of blood in the UAE, introduced six-minipool nucleic acid test (NAT) for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which in 2008 upgraded to individual-donation (ID)-NAT. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of the donor screening program in the UAE and evaluate the impact of NAT on the yield and residual risk of transfusion-transmissible viral infections (TTVIs). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 169,781 blood donations collected at DBDC between 2004 and 2009 were screened for TTVIs. During the period 2008 through 2009, a total of 59,283 donations were tested with both ID-NAT and serologic assays. The incidence, prevalence, and residual risk for each viral agent were estimated and analyzed. RESULTS: The individual prevalences of HBV, HCV, and HIV per 100,000 donation were 234.4, 110, and 4, respectively. Calculated residual risk per million donations for HBV was decreased from 1.41 in pre-NAT period to 0.92 in post-NAT period. These figures were decreased for HCV and HIV from 1.73 and 0.39 to 0 and 0.32, respectively. CONCLUSION: Incidence rates and estimated residual risk indicate that the current risk of TTVIs attributable to blood donation is relatively low in the UAE. The study recommends the parallel use of both serology and ID-NAT TTVIs screening in blood donations and suggests the exclusion of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen–positive donations as this can eliminate the potential infectivity of these units with marginal effects on the blood stock in UAE.