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PROGRESS REPORT ON FEDERAL FOCUSED PROGRAM "PROTECTION
OF THE POPULATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM DIOXINS AND DIOXIN-LIKE POLLUTANTS FOR
1996-1997"
V.V.Kutsenko, the Chief of the Section of State
Environmental Control and Environmental Security of the Ministry for Natural Resources of
the Russian Federation
Federal focused program "Dioxin" for 1996 - 1997
was approved by Decree No. 1102 of the Government of the Russian Federation of 05.11.95.
State contractors of the program include the State Committee for Environment of the
Russian Federation (former Ministry for Environment and Natural Resources of the Russian
Federation) and the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (former State Committee
for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Russian Federation).
The key aim of the program - reduction of
industrial pollution of the environment by dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants and reduction
of their adverse health impacts at the territory of the Russian Federation.
Conceptual design of the Program stipulates its
implementation in two stages:
The first stage (1996 - 1999) -
development of legislative and analytical base for introduction of state environmental
control of concentrations of dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants in industrial emissions and
discharges, major food products, manufactured goods and waste; assessment of dioxin
contamination levels in major industrialised regions of Russia; development of
scientifically justified recommendations for localisation, reduction of release of these
super eco-toxicants from known sources and rehabilitation of territories and human health
in dioxin-risky regions.
The second stage (1998 - 2001) -
implementation of state environmental control and monitoring of dioxins; development and
implementation of actions for localisation and phased reduction of dioxin pollution of the
territory of Russia and rehabilitation of human health; phased reorganisation of major
dioxin-risky facilities with implementation of dioxin-free technologies.
The program launch was planned for 1996. However,
notwithstanding Clause 3 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, that
obliged the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance of Russia to incorporate the
Program into the range of federal focused programs, that are financed form the federal
budget, according to established procedures, in 1996 planned finance resources had not be
allocated.
As a result, in 1996, only some individual works were
implemented. These works were funded from budgetary allocations of the Ministry for
Environment (the State Committee for Environment). According to Federal Law "On
Budget", in 1997, 7.5 billion roubles were to be allocated for "Dioxin"
Program (or less than 50% of funds, deemed necessary for implementation of the whole
Program).
The above funds were distributed among the state
contractors of the Program as follows: the State Committee for Environment of Russia - 5.5
billion roubles (4.21 billion after the budget sequestration); the Public Health Ministry
- 2.0 billion roubles.
Actually, as at January 1, 1998, allocated funds for the
State Committee for Environment reached 3829.9 million roubles (or 91% of anticipated
amount after the budget sequestration).
In 1997, funds were distributed among implementing
agencies according to established procedures in line with breakdown of expenditures of
R&D works implemented, within relevant budget allocations for corresponding sections
of the Program.
In 1996 - 1997, in the course of implementation of
"Dioxin" Program, notwithstanding absolutely inadequate funding, the following
practical results were obtained:
necessary techniques were developed and certified for measurement of
levels of dioxins and furans in water, air, soil, industrial emissions, exhaust gases,
pulp, paper and other paper-based products, cotton, wool, and goods made of these
materials, timber, ground, construction materials, fish and fish products, milk and dairy
products, breast milk, etc.. The techniques allow one to measure all highly toxic
2,3,7,8-substituted isomers and other PCDDs and PCDFs, with detection limits meeting
requirements of MACs. The methods were tailored to available equipment, reagents and
applicable standards (both Russian and foreign ones);
four analytical laboratories were inspected (the laboratories, certified
by the State Committee for Standards of Russia for analysing PCDDs and PCDFs). In 1996,
the sphere of certification of these laboratories was expanded to cover additionally
ambient air, gas/air releases and soil, providing necessary preconditions for maintenance
of state environmental control of levels of dioxins and furans in environmental media and
biological substrates;
the database of major dioxin-risky facilities and technologies of Russia
was developed and computerised. Necessary initial information was input into the database
on physical, chemical and toxic properties of dioxins and dibenzofurans, levels of these
xenobiotics in ambient air, soil, water bodies, products and living things, as well as
information on some part of dioxin-risky chemical technologies (linked with information on
particular production facilities of Russia);
basic approaches were developed for introduction of baseline rates of
charges for emissions and discharges of dioxins, furans and PCBs, and charges for disposal
of waste containing these substances;
methodological guidelines were developed and approved for organisation
of health care and environmental actions in the case of environment contamination by
polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans;
the second edition of methodological guidelines was developed for
environmental rehabilitation of areas, contaminated by dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants;
approaches were developed (based on Moscow Oblast case study) for zoning
of districts' areas, depending on risks of dioxin contamination of ground water;
expert assessments of dioxin risks were conducted for Mountainous Altai
and the Chuvash Republic;
materials of the comprehensive contamination study in Chapaievsk had
been analysed (the study of contamination of air, water, snow, soil and bottom sediments
in Chapaievsk city and rural areas, adjacent to Chapaievsk Fertiliser Plant). An attempt
was made to assess the contamination damages in monetary terms, based on already
operational baseline rates of charges for emissions, discharges and disposal of toxic
substances (the ones, approved by Decree No. 632 of the Government of the Russian
Federation of 28.08.92). The economic valuation of environmental damages, associated with
soil contamination in Chapaievsk, was based on the due norms for introduction of new lands
into agriculture production (as a compensation for exclusion of contaminated cultivated
land). Cost estimates, made according to these norms, suggest environmental damages of 285
billion roubles (in 1984 prices, if adjusted for indexation of cost items as at 1.01.95);
a spectroluminiscence test system was developed for initial screening of
water and air samples for presence of dioxins and dioxin-like substances;
methodological guidelines were developed on protection of sources of
drinking water supply from contamination by dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants, improvement
of water treatment processes in order to ensure compliance with the due environmental
standards for dioxin level in drinking water;
dioxin emissions of the garbage incineration plant and road vehicles of
Moscow were studied;
the environmental mapping of dioxin contamination of the territory of
the Russian Federation was conducted;
the method for use of bio-indicators for estimation of dioxins in
environmental media was developed;
information materials were developed for publication of information
releases "Supertoxicants. Dioxins";
reconnaissance environmental analytical studies were conducted in
Astrakhan Oblast, Vladimir Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Altai Krai, the Republic of Altai and the
Chuvash Republic (contamination of environmental media by dioxins and dioxin-like
compounds);
new engineering solutions were developed for paper and pulp production,
which allow to prevent formation of dioxins and biological waste of wastewater treatment
at paper mills.
The above results would have been far more impressive, if
the Program funding corresponded to planned figures or, at least approached it.
Unfortunately enough, absolutely inadequate funding of the Program did not allow to reach
objectives of the first stage of the Program and to implement all the activities
stipulated.
The major results of the Program implementation in 1996 -
1997 might be summarised as follows:
the necessary base had been created for introduction, in the nearest
future, of the system of state environmental control over main sources of dioxins,
emissions (discharges) of dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants to the environment;
primary analytical inventory of dioxin contamination in priority regions
of Russia had been launched
preconditions had been created for launching implementation of the
second stage of "Dioxin" Program.
3. Federal focused Program
"Protection of the Population and the Environment from Dioxins and Dioxin-like
Pollutants for 1996-1997" ("Dioxin" Program)
The program was developed by the Ministry for Environment
of Russia in 1991 and approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.
The aim of the program - reduction of industrial pollution
of the environment by dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants at the territory of the Russian
Federation and reduction of their adverse health impacts on the country population.
The Program objectives shall be reached in 2 stages:
the first stage (1996 - 1997) - development of legislative and
analytical base for introduction of state environmental control of concentrations of
dioxins and dioxin-like toxicants in industrial emissions and discharges, major food
products, manufactured goods and waste; assessments of dioxin contamination levels in
major industrialised regions of Russia; development of scientifically justified
recommendations for localisation, reduction of release of these super eco-toxicants from
major polluters and rehabilitation of territories and human health in dioxin-risky
regions;
the second stage (1998-2001) - implementation of state environmental
control and monitoring of dioxins; development and implementation of actions for
localisation and phased reduction of dioxin pollution of the territory of Russia, health
rehabilitation of citizens, staying in dioxin-risky regions; phased reorganisation of
major dioxin-risky facilities with implementation of dioxin-free technologies.
The first stage of the Program was partially financed from
the state budget, as a result, the State Committee for Environment of Russia succeeded to
implement it completely so early as in 1997.
As for the second sage of "Dioxin Program"
(dedicated to introduction of results into practices of environment protection
activities), since 1998, finance difficulties did not allow to launch its implementation
even at an extremely limited scale. Numerous attempts of the State Committee for
Environment of Russia to resolve the problem of funding for the second stage of the
Program with use of all official established mechanisms so far have failed.
In this connection I would think it appropriate to
continue intensive efforts for mobilisation of other potential sources of finance to
support further development of already launched and new works on the problem of dioxins -
with maximal use of opportunities, provided by international organisations, funds and
individual countries, including the United States (first of all within the framework of
Inter-governmental Russia-US Commission for Economic and Technological Co-operation).
The State Committee for Environment of Russia, within the
framework of the above commissions ("Gore-Kirienko"), jointly with other
interested executive agencies, made numerous attempts in 1997 and 1998 to propose for
constructive review a range of specific Russian-American projects on dioxin-related
issues, in particular the following ones:
demonstration project for reduction of emissions (discharges) of dioxins
and dioxin-like toxicants in the course of production operations of pulp and paper
facilities at territories of Arkhangelsk Oblast and Irkutsk Oblast (Baikalsk city);
development and publication of "White Book on Dioxins and
Dioxin-Like Toxicants in Russia”. The book would summarise results of studies of the
State Committee for Environment of Russia within the first stage of "Dioxin"
Program, accounting for results of Russian-American co-operation in the sphere, in
particular, a series of earlier Russian-American meetings within the framework of
international co-operation project “Association for Reduction of Dioxin Levels in Nature
and Human Activities" (the first meeting was held in Russia in 1996 - (Moscow - Ufa),
the second meeting was held in 1997 in the USA (Indianapolis);
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