POPs and Human Health

M.Mikhailova, the Director of the Humanitarian Institute of the North - Murmansk Oblast Charity NGO, the Chief of "Severianka" Crisis Centre in Severomorsk

Kola Peninsula. The country of midnight Sun. 100 years ago explorers observed only rare settlement of good-humoured Lapps and huge herds of wild deer. Until 1920s, nobody even suspected that the North would become one of the most resource-rich areas at the Earth.

Overall land area of the Oblast is 145 thousand km2. There are more than 100 thousand lakes in Murmansk Oblast, Imandra Lake is the largest one (with overall water area of 812km2 and maximal depth of 67 metres). The lakes are linked with the sea by several thousands of rivers and streams (Ponoi river is the longest with its length of 426km). Water supply capacity in the Oblast exceeds the national averages in 2.5 times.

Unique geographic location of the Oblast, in relatively close proximity to industrialised regions of Russia, free access to sea with all-seasonal navigation, diverse and rich mineral deposits, high fishing capacity and geopolitical significance - all these factors facilitated development of a huge industrial and economic complex at the territory of the Oblast.

Mineral resources are represented by large (often of national significance) deposits of non-ore minerals, copper, nickel, iron, aluminium and rare-earth ores. These deposits form the base for numerous and high capacity mining facilities, ferrous and non-ferrous smelters, operating at the territory of the Oblast.

There are four main ore deposit clusters at the territory of the Oblast - Pechenga, Allarechensk, Monchegorsk and Kola. Pechenga deposit cluster is the largest of them, its deposits contain more than 70% of estimated stocks of copper and nickel ore of the Oblast.

Now, more than 150 industrial facilities produce from 10% to 80% of the national production: fish products, phosphates, iron ore, ceramic raw materials, rare-earth metals.

Murmansk Oblast contains more than 6 thousand registered artificial sources of air, water and soil pollution.

In 20 recent years, air pollution sources of the Oblast released annually from 600 to 800 thousand tons of harmful pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, sulphuric acid, nickel, copper, zinc and formaldehyde. Metallurgic plants "Severonikel" and "Pechenganikel" belong to the largest pollution sources - their emissions account for 70% of all air emissions in the Oblast. Surrounding territories of these plans were transformed into technological deserts - at these areas all forms of vegetation were destroyed, as a result of subsequent soil erosion, all surface soil was washed out and the areas are covered now by rocks and sand.

There are 4.5 thousands of controlled air pollution sources, only ј of them are equipped with some pollution control installations (however, 20% of these installations are out of operation or operate inefficiently).

Here, it is necessary to note, than monitoring data on chemical contamination are of approximate nature and do not reflect the actual situation adequately. Furthermore, it is necessary to stress, that territories under control of the military are excluded from the monitoring. At best, the Ministry of Defence can only specify a pollution source.

Rivers and lakes of Murmansk Oblast are contaminated by discharges of industrial and municipal wastewater. Gross annual wastewater discharges in the Oblast exceed 3 billion m3. From the overall stock of 179 wastewater treatment plants, only 21 plants manage to comply with wastewater treatment standards. The number of water control cross-sections with water pollution levels from 10 to 100 MACs continues to grow. Large water areas of Imandra Lake - the largest one in the Oblast - are so heavily contaminated by industrial wastewater discharges of Kirovsk, Monchegorsk and Olehnegorsk, that fish there disappeared and residents of coastal areas prefer to avoid using the lake water.

Growing concentrations of heavy metals, mineral salts, oil and oil products in environmental media are observed. In the northern part of the Oblast, growth of nickel and copper levels was registered, while in central part of the Oblast, higher concentrations of manganese, zinc, sulphates, nitrogen and iron were observed.

Nickel and copper levels in Nudai River (a tributary of Imandra Lake) are higher than relevant MACs in hundreds of times (the river is contaminated by discharges of industrial wastewater of "Severonikel" plant). The White Sea basin is also heavily contaminated by chemicals. Concentrations of phenols, iron and copper exceed MACs in 5.4 and 2 time, respectively. The sea area nearby Kola Peninsula is used for industrial fishing. Samples of bottom sediments from Kola Bay were found to contain extremely high levels of Cd, Hg, Pb (so called group of "highly toxic metals")..

Environmental situation in the Barents Sea approaches crisis proportions. Recent accidents with vessels of North Sea Navy and other accidents at nuclear installations pose a real threat to human life and cause grave concerns of residents of Kola Peninsula. It seems that nowhere else so high concentration of nuclear installations may be found, as in Murmansk Oblast. Nuclear test site at Nova Zemlya is the first in the list of sites for burial of irradiated nuclear fuel to be imported. Kola Nuclear Power Plant, nuclear ice-breakers, nuclear-powered submarine and surface vessels of the North Sea Navy - so high concentration of nuclear reactors at a relatively small territory may pave the way to a major disaster.

It is not a secret, that huge stocks of radioactive waste have been accumulated at Kola Peninsula, existing arrangements for storage of the radioactive waste pose environmental threats. Only in 1991, the North Sea Navy had terminated discharge of radioactive waste at sea. As a result, stockpiles of radioactive waste are accumulated now in military bases, existing capacity of local storage facilities for radioactive waste is almost exhausted.

Since 1993, Kola Peninsula is incorporated into the list of regions of very dangerous environmental situation.

Population morbidity.

Even statistical data of Murmansk Oblast Directorate of the Public Health Ministry reveal that 2/3 of women of reproductive age suffer from several chronic diseases. Other women usually have 2-3 health disorders of different nature.

In 5 recent years, high growth of children morbidity and incidence of birth defects was registered. The most high growth of morbidity rates was observed in 6 recent years for the following classes and nosologic forms of diseases: bone and muscle diseases (+4.2-fold), stomach and duodenum ulcers (+4.3-fold), tumours (+2.7-fold), diabetes (+2.3-fold), gastro-intestine diseases (+2-fold), birth defects (+2-fold), blood diseases (+2-fold), urogenital diseases (+2-fold). Depending on nature of area-specific contamination, different forms of diseases prevail.

For example, according to data of Institute of General and Communal Hygiene, collected in Monchegorsk, nickel adversely affects functions of the gastrointestinal tract and morphologic blood properties. There is some evidence of copper and nickel accumulation in hair of pre-school children of Monchegorsk. Children are not engaged in production processes, they simply are under impact of contaminated environmental media. Children of Monchegorsk were found to have higher incidence of inherited heart defects, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, skin and eye diseases. Incidence of gastrointestinal tumours is also high.

Impacts of "Apatit" plant are visible far away from the city - the plant pollutes Imandra lake, higher phosphorus contents were registered in lichens and pine tree needles in Tersk district. Many years of operations of the plant seriously affected the whole Khibine natural complex - the effects incorporate three major aspects: landscape destruction due to large-scale mining operations, dust emissions of huge tailing storage sites and pollution of nearby surface water bodies by discharges of industrial wastewater. "Apatit" Company releases more than 10,000 tons of dangerous substances into the air annually

The role of reproductive health status becomes even more important at the background of worsening demographic situation in general. From 1994 to 1998, incidence of several reproductive disorders among adolescent female population increased: salpingitis and oopharitis - from 3.7 to 6.9 cases per 1000, menstrual disorders - from 7.7 to 11.5 cases. Net fertility indices in Murmansk Oblast decreased from 53.2 per 1000 women of reproductive age in 1969 - 1970 to 29.4 in 1994. and 26.4 in 1999.

In environmentally unhealthy Murmansk Oblast, direct correlation was observed between morbidity of pregnant women and environmental levels of zinc (? = 0.89), and copper (? = 0.6). Incidence of menstrual disorders among adolescent girls was found to correlate with sulphur emissions (? = 0.58) and nickel levels in snow samples (? = 0.62). According to V.M.Dorofeev, age-specific birth rate factors per 1000 women of the age group between 15 and 19 years varied in Murmansk Oblast between 33.1 and 40.3 (in 1992 - 1996).

In 5 recent years, overall incidence of common diseases increased by 20%. Incidence of urogenital diseases, tumours and endocrine disorders increased twice, incidence of cardiovascular and skin diseases increased in 1.5 times.

The overall picture of population morbidity allows us to see a clear causal link between risky environmental situation and declining health of residents of the region.