title: Environmental health problems and indicators in tabriz, iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Environmental Health Indicators (EHIs) are the most important criteria for evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness of the activities of the health sector. The operations and situation of the health system can be analyzed through surveying the indicators and comparing them during different times. The present study aimed to study the EHIs of Tabriz, using the common environmental health processes and national EHIs of the Ministry of Health.
  
  
  METHODS
  The required information for determination of EHIs was collected from different sources, including mainly the Environmental Health Department of the Health Center of East Azerbaijan Province, Iran and other organizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found some important desirable and undesirable EHIs in Tabriz,including high percentage of households with access to safe and reliable drinking water, high safety in microbiological and chemical quality of drinking water, acceptable level of BOD5 and COD in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WTP), lack of complete municipal wastewater collection and treatment, relatively poor sanitation and health of food markets and public places, undesirable collection,transportation and disposal of municipal solid waste, low EHIs of some school classrooms, unacceptable disposal of medical waste in some hospitals, and finally high level of noise pollution in the city.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the poor condition of some EHIs of Tabriz, implementing proper actions for promotion of the indicators especially development of municipal wastewater collection, improvement of solid waste management,environmental health of some schools and mosques, and finally the noise pollution level of the city is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Department of East Azerbaijan Province Health Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz,Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ghanbari
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ghozikali
authors.affiliation: Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran & Center for Water Quality Research (CWQR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mosaferi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Kazem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naddafi
keywords: Environmental health Indicators; Iran