The realization of the package of measures directed at the consecutive decrease of the negative effect of hazardous chemical and biological factors on the population and environment to the acceptable risk level stipulates the development of standard legal regulation in the field of ensuring the chemical and biological safety. For this purpose article presents substantiation and conceptual approaches to the creation of legislation in the field of the chemical and biological security of the Russian Federation within the pursued state policy. In determination of conceptual approaches, in the article there are reported: the main idea, the purpose, a subject of legal regulation, the circle of people who will be subjected to the laws, the place offuture laws in the system of current legislation, the provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federal backbone laws of the Russian Federation to realization of which laws are directed, there is given the general characteristic and an assessment of a condition of legal regulation in this field, results of the analysis of the information on the need for correspondence of Russian laws to provision of international treaties, concerning prohibitions of the biological and chemical weapon, safe handling with biological agents and chemicals, and also the development of uniform procedures of ensuring chemical and biological safety. The major aspect in the shaping of the legislation is the global character ofproblems of chemical and biological safety in this connection in article there is indicated the need of rapprochement of rules of law for this area with partners in economic cooperation and integration. Taking into account an orientation of future laws on the decrease in the level of the negative impact of dangerous chemical and biological factors on the population and environment, there are designated medical, social, economic and political consequences of their implementation. There are presented the proposed structure for bills: “About biological safety”, “On Chemical Safety” and “On the National collection of pathogens.
The data reflecting the state-of-the-art of studies into soil pollution with heavy metals and radionuclides in the context of hygienic evaluation of the environment are presented. Soil pollution with heavy metals was shown to be characterized by natural heterogeneity, a wide range of elements, such as technogenic pollutants, and by the local (mosaic) distribution. The degree of pollution was generally not 2-3 times higher than the maximum allowable concentrations. Soil pollution with radionuclide elements is associated with human activities and confined to the western areas of the region, and also noted for patchiness.
Market baskets containing sixty food items included in the average Swedish diet were purchased from three shops in four major Swedish cities during autumn 1987. Food items were selected on the basis of food-balance-sheet data. Freeze-dried homogenates representative of each city were analysed for twelve essential or toxic mineral elements. The energy content of the market baskets (11.5 MJ) corresponded to the reference value for male adults. At this energy level the contents of calcium (1180 mg), magnesium (300 mg), iron (16 mg), zinc (12 mg) and selenium (44 micrograms) were above or close to the Swedish recommended daily intakes. The contents of manganese (3.7 mg) and molybdenum (150 micrograms) were within and that of copper (1.2 mg) was below the safe and adequate intake values given in the US recommended dietary allowance (Food and Nutrition Board, National Research Council, 1989). The content of nickel was 82 micrograms. The contents of lead (17 micrograms), cadmium (12 micrograms) and mercury (1.8 micrograms) in the daily diet were low compared with the provisional tolerable intakes set by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (World Health Organization, 1972, 1989). The market-basket contents of Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn calculated from values in the Swedish food composition tables were close to the analysed values, indicating that the Swedish food tables provide relevant information for the estimation of the dietary supply of these elements.
The article covers study of major exogenic environmental factors influence on skin melanoma occurrence in Samara region, through application of various statistic analysis methods. The results prove increase in skin melanoma incidence in Samara region, that is characteristic for Russian population in general. Strong correlation is seen with increase of industrial waste volume in the region and with public nutrition structure changes.
A set of devices for extraction of air samples to detect chemical hazards and biologic aerosols is designed and launched into production. The devices are compact, precise (error is +/- 3 - +/- 10%) and handy, could be calibrated and tested by the same equipment, give conventional results. Samples extraction devices meet the requirements of Russian standards on protection from, control, prevention and liquidation of events caused by chemical and biologic hazards. The devices are metrologically assured, certified, included into a State Register, widely put into practice of Russian Sanitary, Epidemiologic and Ecologic Supervision.
The evaluation of ecological and hygienic condition of the environment was performed by ourselves in the geographical center of New Moscow--in the city of Troitsk. There was made an analysis as the published results of similar assessments in the times of the 1990s, data of Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare concerning the control for soils quality (at a single point of the city) and drinking water for 2010-2011, and the author's materials on the chemical contamination of soils and grounds in July 2013. Local foci of moderately dangerous pollution of soil were found at lots close to the motorway and in the Worsted factory: Zc (SrBaCrVNiCoCuAgZnPbBeMoWB) = 17-20, benzo (a) pyrene to 218 mcg/kg and Zn up to 233.4 mg/kg. At the point of monitoring soils complied with the requirements according to toxicological, microbiological and parasitological characteristics.. In the drinking tap water there was observed, along with the increased total hardness, the presence up to 1.6 MAC of such natural pollutants as F and Li. In the undergrounds potable water the situation is worsening according to the content of Si, As, B, Br, U. There was no monitoring of surface water and air. However, pockets of soil contamination trace the possible occurrence in the air near the ground of hygienically dangerous anomalies of heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Modern ecological and sanitary situation in Troitsk, in general, can be considered to be quite safe if compared to the quality of the environment in industrialized cities. The thing that does cause concern is the quality of drinking water.
Mercury (Hg) release from dental offices has become an acute issue for the dental profession and has resulted in efforts by regulators to mandate both the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) as well as the installation of amalgam separators. Concern has been expressed by some regarding the efficacy of amalgam separators in reducing the Hg loads to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Data from several Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) serving areas with installed bases of separators suggest these devices can substantially reduce Hg burdens to WWTPs. The data consists of Hg levels in sewer sludge (biosolids) and in some cases includes Hg concentrations in WWTP influent and effluent. Data comes from various geographical locations, and suggest separators can have a positive effect in reducing the amount of Hg reaching WWTPs.
North-West State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, 191015. There is supposed the method for the assessment of amounts of pollutants released into the environment during the operational wear of tyre treads, brake system of cars and the road pavement. There are presented results of chemical analysis of residues of combustion. The necessity of control of products of work wear of automobile-road complex has been substantiated.
Epidemiologic studies of risk to reproductive health arising from the operating room environment have been inconclusive and lack quantitative exposure information. This study was undertaken to quantify exposure of operating room (OR) personnel to anesthetic agents, x-radiation, methyl methacrylate, and ethylene oxide and to determine how exposure varies with different operating room factors. Exposures of anesthetists and nurses to these agents were determined in selected operating rooms over three consecutive days. Each subject was asked to wear an x-radiation dosimeter for 1 month. Exposure to anesthetic agents was found to be influenced by the age of the OR facility, type of surgical service, number of procedures carried out during the day, type of anesthetic circuitry, and method of anesthesia delivery. Anesthetists were found to have significantly greater exposures than OR nurses. Exposure of OR personnel to ethylene oxide, methyl methacrylate, and x-radiation were well within existing standards. Exposure of anesthetists and nurses to anesthetic agents, at times, was in excess of Ontario exposure guidelines, despite improvements in the control of anesthetic pollution.
Department of Work Environment Development, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 aA, Helsinki, Finland. christina.rosenberg@ttl.fi
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains various hazardous substances such as flame retardants (FRs). Inhalation exposures to many FRs simultaneously among WEEE recycling site workers have been little studied previously. The breathing zone airborne concentrations of five brominated FR compounds tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A), decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), hexabromocyclododecane, 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane, hexabromobenzene, and one chlorinated FR (Dechlorane Plus®) were measured at four electronics recycling sites in two consecutive years. In addition, concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyls were measured. The three most abundant FRs in personal air samples were PBDEs (comprising mostly of deca-BDE), TBBP-A, and DBDPE, with mean concentrations ranging from 21 to 2320 ng m(-)(3), from 8.7 to 430 ng m(-3), and from 3.5 to 360 ng m(-3), respectively. At two of the sites, the emission control actions (such as improvements in ventilation and its maintenance and changes in cleaning habits) proved successful, the mean levels of FRs in personal samples being 10-68 and 14-79% of those from the previous year or alternatively below the limit of quantification. At the two remaining sites, the reductions in FR exposures were less consistent. The concentrations reported may pose a health hazard to the workers, although evaluation of the association between FR exposure and adverse health effects is hampered by lacking occupational exposure limits. Therefore, the exposures should be minimized by adequate control measures and maintaining good occupational hygiene practice.
