POPs and Human Health

Now, the range of industrial facilities in Cheliabinsk Oblast incorporates plants of all major industries, however, they substantially differ in their environmental impacts. Overall, at the territory of the Oblast, more than 600 industrial facilities operate (excluding agricultural facilities of different forms of ownership), which incorporate more than 23 thousand of fixed pollution sources and about 850 thousand mobile ones (road and railway vehicles).

Overall, at the territory of the Oblast, there are more than 6.5 emission control installations, however, now about 40% of them are obsolete and need replacement.

In 1999, gross emissions of fixed and mobile pollution sources amounted to 1,485.825 thousand tons (245.823 thousand tons of solid pollutants, 1,240.002 thousand tons of gaseous and liquid pollutants). Comparatively to the previous year, gross emissions increased by 121.221 thousand tons.

In 1999, overall emissions of fixed pollution sources in the Oblast reached 976.994 thousand tons of pollutants (including 244.333 thousand tons of solid pollutants and 732.661 thousand tons of liquid and gaseous pollutants). About 720.874 thousand tons of pollutants were released to the air without any treatment. The air pollutants incorporated substances of 1st and 2nd toxicity grades (benzopyrene, vanadium pentoxide, lead, fine nickel aerosols, mercury, hexavalent chromium, manganese and gaseous carcinogens).

The emission increase was caused by production growth. For example, Yuzhnouralsky Power Plant increased its emissions by 6.719 thousand tons, "Uraleinikel" Co. - by 20.591 thousand tons, Bakal Ore Processing facility - by 9.729 thousand tons, "Karabashmed" Co. - by 57.889 thousand tons, MMK Co. - by 46.448 thousand tons, ChMK Co. - by 6.295 thousand tons.

In recent years, contamination of drinking water became one of the most serious factors of adverse impact on population health. Supply of safe and high quality drinking water is endangered by continuous industrial pollution of water sources (discharge of industrial wastewater), weak finance and operational capacity of water supply and sanitation utilities, critical degrees of deterioration of water supply and sewerage networks.

There are about 400 water reservoirs on the Oblast, which are used for drinking water supply and supply of industrial grade water of cities and rural settlements. There are 50 wastewater collectors. However, there are only 7 major water reservoirs with water storage capacity in excess of 100 million litres. Water supply analysis reveals that about 3.28 million people (or 98%) are connected to centralised water supply networks. Shares of tap water samples with deviations from sanitary and chemical standards reached 32.2% (including 21.7% of samples with elevated levels of heavy metals). Such sanitary and chemical parameters as water coloration, turbidity and hardness were found to exceed standards. As for heavy metals, iron and manganese levels were found to exceed relevant MACs the most often. Underground water supply sources (their share among all water supply sources in the Oblast reaches 97.6%) allow to provide water supply only to 42.3% of the Oblast population. 83.0% of water supply sources are located in rural settlements. 16.8% of water sources do not comply with the due sanitary standards (due to inadequate water quality, violation of the due rules of maintenance of water protection zones or due to absence of water protection zones). Overall, 787 water supply networks are registered and controlled in the Oblast, about a quarter of them do not comply with the due sanitary standards and regulations.

Even at the background of reduction of absolute discharges of pollutants to surface water bodies, the trend of growing contamination of almost all surface waters still remains visible. The majority of water bodies are contaminated by different chemicals and their levels substantially exceed relevant MACs. The range of major pollutants, entering surface water bodies with wastewater flows incorporates: organic substances, oil and grease, suspended matter, sulphates, nitrogen, various compounds of heavy metals, etc.

At the territory of the Oblast, soil serves as a major accumulator of dangerous by-products of human activities. Research studies, carried out by laboratories of the State Sanitary Service have revealed levels of arsenic, copper and fluorides in excess of relevant MACs. Levels of heavy metal are monitored at the local level. At cultivated land areas, levels of heavy metals in excess of MACs were identified at area of 117.5 thousand hectares.

The problem of soil contamination by oil and petrochemical products is of major relevance for the Oblast. At the territory of the Oblast, there are 17 storage sites for oil and petrochemical products, 280 storage facilities for fuel and grease and numerous private petrol stations, which became operational recently. Besides these facilities, 4 oil pipelines of the national significance cross the territory of the Oblast, with overall length of 400km and the area of sanitary protection zone (exclusion zone) of 4000 hectares.

All these sites and installations belong to major environmental polluters, especially pipelines which carry oil and petrochemical products. In recent years, operations of these installations were accompanied by several major industrial emergencies. The problem is further aggravated by accumulation of stockpiles of obsolete and banned pesticides and other agro-chemicals in agriculture facilities of the Oblast. For many years, the problem of their neutralisation/elimination remains unresolved.

There are no specialised dumping sites for industrial waste disposal in the majority of districts of the Oblast. Construction works at new waste disposal sites are frozen due to lack of funds. The State Sanitary Service allows production facilities to dispose of some part of their industrial waste of 3rd and 4th hazard grades to municipal landfills (insulating and covering layers). However, substantial stocks of industrial waste (of all hazard grades) are temporarily stored on-site, in ash/tailing dumps.

Overall, there are about 700 large municipal landfills at the territory of the Oblast. Almost all of them do not comply with sanitary and hygiene standards. Cases of illegal dumping of household waste become more and more frequent. Dangerous practices of waste burning at landfills are sometimes used. Adverse impacts of social, workplace and environmental factors result in clearly visible health effects and are reflected by worsening health and demographic profiles. Mortality in the Oblast continues to exceed birth rates. In 8 cities (including suburbs) and in 5 districts of the Oblast, mortality rates exceed birth rates in 2 times or more (e.g. Niazepetrovsk district - 2.8 times, Satkin district - 2.5 times, Kasli and Korkino - in 2.3 times). There is a stable trend of growing morbidity among children, adolescents and adults. In 1999, comparatively to 1998, morbidity levels for these population groups increased: by 6.28% among children, by 16.2% among adolescents, and by 15% among adults. In three recent years, 44% of all death cases were registered among people of employable age. Therefore, the main demographic parameters of Cheliabinsk Oblast population are of clearly negative nature. The major death causes incorporate the following ones: cardiovascular diseases (52.3%), malignant tumours (15.2%), respiratory diseases (5.2%).

In recent years, some growth of infant mortality was registered. In 1998, infant mortality reached 16.0 cases per 1000 of live new-born, while in 1999int increased to 17.1 cases per 1000 of live new-born. The major causes of infant mortality include: perinatal pathologies, birth defects, respiratory diseases, injuries and poisonings, infections. In Cheliabinsk, the research study was initiated to identify causal links between health status and environmental quality. For example, study of overall chemical loads and impacts of separate chemical substances on human health allowed to identify, that 100% of phenols and chromium come to a human body from air, while water routes are responsible for main intake of mercury, nickel and 70% of arsenic intake, while food products are responsible for intake of 90% of lead, 95% of zinc, 90% of copper and almost 100% of nitrites.

Causal links were identified between intake of phenols and diseases of cardiovascular, nervous and respiratory systems, between intake of nitrates and diseases of blood and hematopoietic organs. It was found, that integral accumulated doses of all chemicals, which are consumed with tap water, cause non-specific toxic effects. The major risk factors of morbidity of the city dwellers have been identified: arsenic, nickel, cadmium, lead, copper, iron and water hardness. It is necessary to emphasise, that the most urgent problem is associated with high health impacts of flue gases of industrial facilities - 44% of all residents of the Oblast are under higher than average impacts of stack emissions. The above priority problem is followed by the problem of soil contamination - 92% of residents of the Oblast stay in areas with contaminated soil. Besides that, drinking water problems are also pressing - 18.8% and 20.9% of the Oblast residents use water, which do not meet chemical and bacteriological standards, respectively. The fourth priority problem is associated with noise generation by road vehicles - 15.0% of the Oblast residents are under noise impact. The fifth priority problem is associated with air pollution - 13.3% of the Oblast residents are under high impacts of exhaust gases of road vehicles. The sixth priority problem deals with people, whose residential housing is located within sanitary protection zones of industrial facilities (3.1% of the Oblast population). About 1% of the Oblast residents consume highly contaminated agriculture products. For the period of three years, research studies were conducted in the Oblast to identify territorial clusters with the worst population morbidity parameters. Results of these studies provided sound scientific evidence for identification of 9 heavily affected cities. The list of cities at risk incorporates the following ones: Plast (high risks of adult morbidity, elevated risks for children and adolescents), Magnitogorsk (high risk for children), Kyshtym, Cheliabinsk, Miass, Kartaly (elevated risks for children), Niazepetrovsk, Asha (elevated morbidity risks for adults and children), Kasli (elevated risks for adolescents and adults), Karabash (a city of environmental disaster). Magnitogorsk industrial cluster may serve as the most clear example of adverse health and environmental impacts of industrial facilities. In the cluster itself, Magnitogorsk Metallurgic Plant is the key polluter. The plant incorporates several production lines, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as carcinogen-risky: coke production, agglomeration installations, production of pig iron and steel, processing of coal tar, coal gasification. In 10 recent years, the plant managed to reduce its hazardous emissions in 3.2 times. However, even at the background of decreasing emissions, population health status indices and demographic parameters continue to worsen: mortality rate in these years increased in 1.5 times. Industrial loads on population result in reduction of immune status (especially for children). Serious immune impairments result in different diseases, mainly different forms of allergy (skin diseases, allergy-induced bronchitis, asthma). In 10 recent years incidence of asthma among children increases twice.

Study of endocrine status of women of the reproductive age, who suffer from different reproductive disorders, revealed pathologic deviations in endocrine profiles of 60% of them. Endocrine pathologies, associated with intensive disfuctions of the thyroid gland were found to play a major role in morbidity profiles of schoolchildren, adolescents and students. Malignant tumours still remain a rather widespread pathology among residents of Cheliabinsk Oblast. Cancer morbidity is rather high and incidence of cancer cases is growing steadily. In 6 recent years, the growth of incidence of malignant tumours reached 12.2%. In 1999, the highest incidence of malignant tumours was observed for the following localisations (per 100 thousand of residents): lungs - 54.1, skin (including black cancer) - 47.7, stomach - 34.7, mammary gland - 34.7, colon - 21.3, rectum - 17.7. Among pregnant women, growing incidence was registered for: anaemia, urogenital diseases, cardiovascular diseases, late gestosis, venous complications. As a result, health status of the new-born also worsens. In the case of the new-born, the most common pathologies include different perinatal states (foetal hypoxia, growth retardation and malnutrition, birth trauma, infant respiratory dysfunctions) and birth defects. Late gestosis still remains the most common form of delivery complications.

Future prospects of development of civil society and democratic values in Cheliabinsk Oblast directly depend on understanding of specific features of the contemporary situation and its causes. This is the reason why socially active community of the Oblast is so seriously interested in environmental issues. It is worth to note, that development of non-governmental organisations in the Oblast started from environmental ones, founded by women.

Many environmental NGOs focused on public awareness raising, promoting public intolerance to environmental vandalism.

Now, women leaders promote dialogue between authorities and the general public on matters of environmental security, they actively advocate for information transparency, for public participation in decision-making on matters of environmental protection and improvement, and nuclear policies. They actively participate in international environmental programs and projects, implement research studies for identification of pollution sources and their health impacts. What are the factors that make NGOs unhappy with results of official research? 1. Statistical averages, that usually form the core of an official report. Maybe statistical averages are of some relevance to the national level, but NGOs always address a specific problem, they focus on a particular area, house, family, street, technology, etc. As a result, averages are of no use. 2. In the course of their studies NGOs (due to their narrow focus) attempt to identify causes, not the effects of the causes only, if possible, they try to find sound evidence for their conclusions.

Non-governmental organisations started to deal actively with chemical contamination of Cheliabinsk Oblast relatively recently. About two years ago, implementation of project "The School of Democracy" was launched in the Oblast, within the framework of MATRA program and with finance support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with "Women of Europe for Our Common Future" (overall, 12 NGOs participate in the project, 5 of them implement individual projects). I would like to inform the seminar participants on initial result of the project.

Growing incidence of allergodermia among infants of the first year of life in Ozersk induced women's NGO "the Planet of Hope" and health care specialists to study the pathology. 50 mothers, whose children suffer from allergodermia in their first year of life, were under medical observation. Accounting for the fact, that a mother's health in the decisive factor of development of allergodermia of her child, the group of mother became the main object of study. All pregnant women of the group lived in Ozersk from their birth. Therefore, all of them were under impact of "Mayak" Plant to greater or lesser extent - all of them worked at different stages of production cycle of the facility. 15 mothers were found to experience direct physical or chemical impacts, which might initiate other factors of development of the pathology, while other mothers of the group were found to experience indirect impacts. Besides that, impacts of nervous and psychological factors were observed for 21 women, 22 women had allergy-related complications, 28 women were found to have chronic infections. Therefore, health care specialists came to the conclusion, that in the case of allergodermia of children of the first year of life in Ozersk, the main underlying factors of the pathology are associated with impacts of adverse physical and chemical factors, and subsequent nervous and psychological disorders, which, in their turn, adversely affected foetuses and promoted development of preconditions for the pathology. The Planet of Hope initiated launching of a specialised kindergarten in Ozersk for children, suffering allergy and asthma. The kindergarten provides health improvement services to children and their mothers. At the territory of Agraiash district, women's NGOs "The Step Forward" and "Fatikha" carry our research studies to identify contamination of soil, water, and food in particular settlements, houses and land plots. These studies allowed to reveal radionuclide contamination of private gardens and cultivated land. Surface water bodies and ground water are also contaminated by radionuclides. Radionuclides were registered in water samples taken from wells (depths between 8 and 80 metres). Besides that, heavy metals were identified in water and soil. Environmental group "Aigul" unites women, who suffer from chronic radiation sickness and mothers, whose children have development impairments, caused by radiation. Now, the group implements its project "Simply about Complex Things". The project incorporates research of changes of levels of microelements in blood of residents of Argaiash district and potential health consequences of these changes. The research works are carried out by scientists of Tomsk State Medical University. In the course of the research works, about 30 microelements were specified and their health impacts were described. The project stipulates submission of project materials to decision-makers of the Public Health Ministry, nuclear industry, social services, and Oblast authorities. Besides that, the project incorporates awareness raising activities among the general population in order to promote disease-prevention. NGO "Women's Network of the Urals" carried out study of drinking water quality in Kasli - the research results revealed high levels of nitrates and substances of 1st and 2nd hazard classes (lead, iron, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, manganese, oil products). Pollution sources have been identified. Activities are under way to initiate participation of Kasli residents in development of program for ensuring high quality drinking water supply for the population».

NGOs "Fatikha", "Nabat", "Women's Network of the Urals" implement sociologic surveys to study public opinion on environment problems and their health impacts. The non-governmental organisations actively involve local residents into surveys, this approach facilitates public involvement to the project and mobilises new activists of the environmental movement. All NGOs arrange environmental actions and tree-planting. "Women's Network of the Urals" (Kasli group), jointly with children's organisation "Water of Life" arrange environmental actions for cleaning of streams and lake banks. Meetings of residents of Kasli were held to clear the city from household garbage dumps. They initiated development of the scheme for garbage collection and removal, while the city municipality provided specialised trucks for the purpose.

"Nabat" NGO of Musliumovsk initiated planting of trees of the Memorial Alley as a memorial to people, who were affected by radiation and suffered from "Mayak" Plant operations. The organisation collects materials on elimination of consequences of the nuclear disaster of 1957, on fate of people who were evacuated from contaminated areas, it develops a depository of documents and produce video-documentaries, attracts attention of administrative bodies to social and environmental problems.

All NGOs carry our educational and awareness raining activities, hold seminars, roundtables, press-conferences with involvement of teachers, experts and the general public. They provide consultations on legal matters and protect rights of citizens in courts of law. Among its other projects, "Fatikha" NGO implements "Civil Institute" for senior pupils of Kyshtym and Argaiash district to promote social responsibility of young people for their native land, for its future. The schoolchildren study global trends of social development, laws of economics, legal systems, resource management issues and try to develop project of their own. Non-governmental movement "Ecolin" - the youngest in the Oblast - unites professionals of different environmental entities. They focused on study of tritium contamination of water and soil outside nuclear sites with limited access. High quality of their research and their professional approach allowed them to induce authorities to commission 5 monitoring points and to allocate funds to governmental entities for tritium monitoring purposes. Members of the organisation had mastered the risk assessment technique and introduced a new dimension into activities of non-governmental organisations - i.e. identification of priority contaminants in different environmental media and assessment of their health impacts.

Therefore, in our time, joint efforts of NGOs and development of partnerships with national and municipal authorities represent a major instrument of pressure, allowing to reduce industrial loads on the environment. Contemporary stage of development of the third sector in Cheliabinsk Oblast is characterised by enhanced mutual understanding and co-operation between non-governmental organisations themselves, between them and authorities; by their openness to co-operations and dialogue. These developments necessitated a new strategy for NGOs' activities. The strategy, which was developed within the framework of project "the School of Democracy", stipulates development of projects, that would assist NGO leaders and activists to develop skills, allowing their NGOs not only to maintain their activities at some level, but to expand steadily their influence on spheres of social life, that guarantee life, high quality of life and social stability in Cheliabinsk Oblast.