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Impact of the environment on human health
All processes in the biosphere are interconnected. For centuries, man has sought not to adapt to the natural environment, but to make it convenient for his existence. Mankind has realized that any activity has an impact on the environment, and the deterioration of the biosphere is dangerous for all living beings, including humans.
1. Chemical pollution environment and human health.
Currently economic activity Human beings are increasingly becoming the main source of pollution of the biosphere. Gaseous, liquid and solid industrial wastes enter the natural environment in increasing quantities. Various chemical substances, which are in the waste, getting into the soil, air or water, pass through the ecological links from one chain to another, eventually getting into the human body.
Substances polluting the natural environment are very diverse. Depending on their nature, concentration, time of action on the human body, they can cause various adverse effects. Short-term exposure to small concentrations of such substances can cause dizziness, nausea, sore throat, cough. The ingestion of large concentrations of toxic substances into the human body can lead to loss of consciousness, acute poisoning and even death. An example of such an action can be smog formed in large cities in calm weather, or accidental releases of toxic substances into the atmosphere by industrial enterprises.
The body's reactions to pollution depend on individual characteristics: age, gender, health status. As a rule, children, the elderly and sick people are more vulnerable.
2. Biological pollution and human diseases
In addition to chemical pollutants, biological pollutants are also found in the natural environment, causing human various diseases. These are pathogens, viruses, helminths, protozoa. They can be in the atmosphere, water, soil, in the body of other living organisms, including in the person himself.
The most dangerous pathogens infectious diseases. They have different stability in the environment. Some are able to live outside the human body for only a few hours; being in the air, in water, on various objects, they quickly die. Others may live in the environment from a few days to several years. For others, the environment is a natural habitat. For the fourth - other organisms, such as wild animals, are a place of conservation and reproduction.
3. Impact of noise on humans
For all living organisms, including humans, sound is one of the environmental influences.
In nature, loud sounds are rare, the noise is relatively weak and short. The combination of sound stimuli gives animals and humans time to assess their nature and form a response. Sounds and noises of high power affect the hearing aid, nerve centers, can cause pain and shock. This is how noise pollution works.
Prolonged noise adversely affects the organ of hearing, reducing the sensitivity to sound.
Currently, scientists in many countries of the world are conducting various studies to determine the impact of noise on human health.
Constant exposure to strong noise can not only adversely affect hearing, but also cause other harmful effects - ringing in the ears, dizziness, headache, increased fatigue. Very noisy contemporary music also dulls hearing, causes nervous diseases.
4. The influence of weather on human well-being
The climate also has a serious impact on the well-being of a person, affecting him through weather factors. Weather include a set of physical conditions: atmospheric pressure, humidity, air movement, oxygen concentration, degree of disturbance magnetic field Earth, the level of atmospheric pollution.
With a sharp change in the weather, physical and mental performance decreases, diseases become aggravated, the number of errors, accidents and even deaths increases.
Weather changes do not equally affect the well-being of different people. In a healthy person, when the weather changes, the physiological processes in the body are timely adjusted to the changed environmental conditions. As a result, the protective reaction is enhanced and healthy people practically do not feel the negative effects of the weather.
5. Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation of any kind and origin (not necessarily associated with accidents in nuclear reactors) is becoming a formidable danger to humanity in our time. Ionizing radiation, like other permanent physical and chemical factors environment, within certain limits necessary for normal life. Small doses of ionizing radiation inherent in the natural radiation background, to which life on our planet has adapted over millions of years of evolution, have such a beneficial effect on humans. It is known that exposure to ionizing radiation in very small doses stimulates the development and growth of plants. Hazard to humans can be represented mainly by such man-made sources. Radiation is a potentially dangerous phenomenon, therefore human exposure is subject to control and regulation. Unreasonable exposure to radiation should not be allowed. The basic principle of radiation protection is to keep exposure levels as low as reasonably achievable.
Mankind still does not realize the importance and global nature of the problem that we face regarding the protection of the environment. All over the world, people are striving to reduce pollution as much as possible, as well as Russian Federation adopted, for example, the Criminal Code, one of the chapters of which is devoted to establishing penalties for environmental crimes. But, of course, not all ways to overcome this problem have been solved, and we should take care of the environment on our own and maintain that natural balance in which a person is able to exist normally.
4.2 Impact of pollution on human health
The mass of the atmosphere of our planet is negligible - only one millionth of the mass of the Earth. However, its role in the natural processes of the biosphere is enormous. The presence of the atmosphere around the globe determines the general thermal regime of the surface of our planet, protects it from harmful cosmic and ultraviolet radiation. Atmospheric circulation has an impact on local climatic conditions, and through them - on the regime of rivers, soil and vegetation cover and the processes of relief formation.
The modern gas composition of the atmosphere is the result of a long, centuries-old historical development the globe. It is mainly a gas mixture of two components - nitrogen (78.09%) and oxygen (20.95%). Normally, it also contains argon (0.93%), carbon dioxide (0.03%) and small amounts of inert gases (neon, helium, krypton, xenon), ammonia, methane, ozone, sulfur dioxide and other gases. Along with gases, the atmosphere contains solid particles coming from the surface of the Earth (for example, combustion products, volcanic activity, soil particles) and from space (cosmic dust), as well as various products of plant, animal or microbial origin. In addition, water vapor plays an important role in the atmosphere (11, p. 117).
Highest value for different ecosystems have three gases that make up the atmosphere: oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. These gases are involved in the main biogeochemical cycles.
In connection with rapid development transport and aviation, the share of emissions entering the atmosphere from mobile sources has increased significantly: cargo and cars, tractors, diesel locomotives and aircraft. The largest number pollutants are emitted when the car accelerates, especially when fast, as well as when driving at low speed. The relative share (of the total mass of emissions) of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide is highest during braking and idling, the share of nitrogen oxides - during acceleration. From these data it follows that cars pollute the air especially strongly during frequent stops and when driving at low speed.
In the last 10 - 15 years, much attention has been paid to the study of the effects that may arise in connection with the flights of supersonic aircraft and spaceships. These flights are accompanied by pollution of the stratosphere with nitrogen oxides and sulfuric acid (supersonic aircraft), as well as aluminum oxide particles (transport spacecraft). Since these pollutants destroy ozone, it was initially believed (supported by appropriate model calculations) that the planned increase in the number of flights of supersonic aircraft and transport spacecraft would lead to a significant decrease in the ozone content, with all the subsequent detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation on the Earth's biosphere (1, p. 56).
Noise is one of the air pollution harmful to humans. The irritating effect of sound (noise) on a person depends on its intensity, spectral composition and duration of exposure. Noises with continuous spectra are less irritating than noises with a narrow frequency interval. The greatest irritation is caused by noise in the frequency range of 3000 - 5000 Hz.
Working in conditions of increased noise at first causes rapid fatigue, sharpens hearing at high frequencies. Then the person seems to get used to the noise, the sensitivity to high frequencies drops sharply, hearing loss begins, which gradually develops into hearing loss and deafness. With a noise intensity of 140 - 145 decibels, vibrations occur in the soft tissues of the nose and throat, as well as in the bones of the skull and teeth; if the intensity exceeds 140 dB, then it starts to vibrate rib cage, muscles of the arms and legs, pain in the ears and head, extreme fatigue and irritability appear; at noise levels above 160 dB, eardrum rupture may occur (1, pp. 89–93).
Noise has a detrimental effect not only on the hearing aid, but also on the central nervous system of a person, the work of the heart, and causes many other diseases. One of the most powerful sources of noise are helicopters and especially supersonic aircraft.
Aircraft noise causes hearing loss and other ailments for airport ground staff and residents settlements over which aircraft fly. The negative impact on people depends not only on the level of maximum noise generated by an aircraft during flight, but also on the duration of the action, the total number of flights per day and the background noise level. The intensity of noise and the area of distribution are significantly affected by meteorological conditions: wind speed, its distribution and air temperature in height, clouds and precipitation.
The noise problem has become especially acute in connection with the operation of supersonic aircraft. Associated with these are the noise, sonic boom and vibration of dwellings near airports. Modern supersonic aircraft generate noise, the intensity of which significantly exceeds the maximum allowable standards.
All air pollutants, to a greater or lesser extent, have a negative impact on human health. These substances enter the human body mainly through the respiratory system. The respiratory organs suffer from pollution directly, since about 50% of impurity particles with a radius of 0.01 - 0.1 μm that penetrate the lungs are deposited in them (15, p. 63).
Particles that enter the body cause a toxic effect because they:
a) toxic (poisonous) in their chemical or physical nature;
b) interfere with one or more of the mechanisms by which the respiratory (respiratory) tract is normally cleared;
c) serve as a carrier of a poisonous substance absorbed by the body.
In some cases, exposure to one of the pollutants in combination with others leads to more serious health problems than exposure to either of them alone. Statistical analysis made it possible to fairly reliably establish the relationship between the level of air pollution and diseases such as damage to the upper respiratory tract, heart failure, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, and eye diseases. A sharp increase in the concentration of impurities, which persists for several days, increases the mortality of the elderly from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In December 1930, in the valley of the river Meuse (Belgium), severe air pollution was noted for 3 days; as a result, hundreds of people fell ill and 60 people died - more than 10 times the average death rate. In January 1931, in the area of Manchester (Great Britain), for 9 days, there was a strong smoke in the air, which caused the death of 592 people (21, p. 72).
Cases of severe pollution of the atmosphere of London, accompanied by numerous deaths, were widely known. In 1873, there were 268 unforeseen deaths in London. Heavy smoke combined with fog between 5 and 8 December 1852 resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 residents of Greater London. In January 1956, about 1,000 Londoners died as a result of prolonged smoke. Most of those who died unexpectedly suffered from bronchitis, emphysema, or cardiovascular disease (21, p. 78).
In cities, due to ever-increasing air pollution, the number of patients suffering from diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, various allergic diseases and lung cancer is steadily increasing. In the UK, 10% of deaths are due to chronic bronchitis, with 21% of the population aged 40-59 suffering from this disease. In Japan, in a number of cities, up to 60% of residents are sick chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which are dry cough with frequent expectoration, subsequent progressive difficulty in breathing and heart failure. In this regard, it should be noted that the so-called Japanese economic miracle of the 1950s and 1960s was accompanied by severe pollution of the natural environment of one of the most beautiful regions of the globe and serious damage to the health of the population of this country. In recent decades, the number of bronchial and lung cancers, which are promoted by carcinogenic hydrocarbons, has been growing at a rate of great concern (19, p. 107).
Animals in the atmosphere and falling out harmful substances hit through respiratory organs and penetrate the body along with edible dusty plants. When ingesting large amounts of harmful pollutants, animals can get acute poisoning. Chronic poisoning of animals with fluoride compounds has received the name "industrial fluorosis" among veterinarians, which occurs when animals absorb food or drinking water containing fluorine. Characteristic features are the aging of the teeth and bones of the skeleton.
Beekeepers in some areas of Germany, France and Sweden note that due to poisoning with fluorine deposited on honey flowers, there is an increased mortality of bees, a decrease in the amount of honey and a sharp decrease in the number of bee colonies (11, p. 120).
The effect of molybdenum on ruminants was observed in England, in the state of California (USA) and in Sweden. Molybdenum, penetrating into the soil, prevents the absorption of copper by plants, and the absence of copper in food in animals causes loss of appetite and weight. In case of arsenic poisoning on the body of a large cattle ulcerations appear.
In Germany, severe lead and cadmium poisoning of gray partridges and pheasants was observed, and in Austria, lead accumulated in the organisms of hares that fed on grass along the motorways. Three such hares, eaten in one week, are enough for a person to get sick as a result of lead poisoning (11, p. 118).
Conclusion
Today, there are many environmental problems in the world: from the extinction of certain species of plants and animals to the threat of the degeneration of the human race. The environmental effect of polluting agents can manifest itself in different ways: it can affect either individual organisms (manifested on organism level), or populations, biocenoses, ecosystems, and even the biosphere as a whole.
At the organismic level, there may be a violation of individual physiological functions of organisms, a change in their behavior, a decrease in the rate of growth and development, and a decrease in resistance to the effects of other adverse environmental factors.
At the level of populations, pollution can cause changes in their numbers and biomass, fertility, mortality, structural changes, annual migration cycles, and a number of other functional properties.
At the biocenotic level, pollution affects the structure and functions of communities. The same pollutants affect different components of communities in different ways. Accordingly, the quantitative ratios in the biocenosis change, up to the complete disappearance of some forms and the appearance of others. Ultimately, there is degradation of ecosystems, their deterioration as elements of the human environment, a decrease in the positive role in the formation of the biosphere, and economic depreciation.
Thus, based on the foregoing, the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. Over the past hundred years, the development of industry has "gifted" us with such production processes, the consequences of which at first man could not yet imagine. Factories, plants, cities with millions of people arose, the growth of which cannot be stopped. Today, there are three main sources of air pollution: industry, household boilers, and transport. The share of each of these sources in total air pollution varies greatly depending on their location. However, it is now generally accepted that the most polluting air industrial production.
2. Any form of pollution of water bodies causes great harm to natural ecosystems and leads to a detrimental change in the human environment. effects anthropogenic impact on the aquatic environment manifest themselves at the individual and population-biocenotic levels, and the long-term effect of pollutants leads to a simplification of the ecosystem.
3. ground cover Earth is an essential component of the Earth's biosphere. It is the soil shell that determines many processes occurring in the biosphere. The most important importance of soils is the accumulation of organic matter, various chemical elements, as well as energy. The soil cover performs the functions of a biological absorber, destroyer and neutralizer of various kinds of pollution. If this link of the biosphere is destroyed, then the existing functioning of the biosphere will be irreversibly disrupted.
On the this moment There are many theories in the world, in which much attention is paid to finding the most rational ways to solve environmental problems. But, unfortunately, on paper everything turns out to be much simpler than in life.
The human impact on the environment has taken on alarming proportions. To fundamentally improve the situation, purposeful and thoughtful actions will be needed. Responsible and efficient environmental policy will only be possible if we accumulate reliable data on state of the art environment, substantiated knowledge about the interaction of important environmental factors, if he develops new methods to reduce and prevent the harm caused to nature by man.
In our opinion, in order to prevent further environmental pollution, it is first of all necessary to:
Strengthen attention to environmental protection and sustainable use natural resources;
Establish systematic control over the use by enterprises and organizations of lands, waters, forests, subsoil and other natural resources;
Increase attention to the issues of preventing pollution and salinization of soils, surface and groundwater;
Pay great attention to the preservation of the water protection and protective functions of forests, the conservation and reproduction of flora and fauna, and the prevention of air pollution;
Strengthen the fight against industrial and household noise.
The protection of nature is the task of our century, a problem that has become a social one. Again and again we hear about the danger threatening the environment, but still many of us consider them an unpleasant, but inevitable product of civilization and believe that we will still have time to cope with all the difficulties that have come to light. The environmental problem is one of the most important tasks of mankind. And already now people should understand this and take an active part in the struggle for the preservation of the natural environment. And everywhere: in the small town of Balashov, and in the Saratov region, and in Russia, and all over the world. From solving this global problem depends, without the slightest exaggeration, the future of the entire planet.
Literature
1. Agadzhanyan, N.A., Torshin, V.I. Human Ecology / Ed. V. I. Torshin. - M., 1994.
2. Agess, P. Keys to ecology / P. Agess. - L., 1982.
3. Artamonov, V.I. Plants and the purity of the natural environment / V. I. Artamonov. - M., 1986.
4. Bogdanovsky, G. A. Chemical ecology / Ed. ed. G. A. Bogdanovsky. - M., 1994.
5. Bolbas, M. M. Fundamentals of industrial ecology / Ed. M. M. Bolbas. - M., 1993.
6. Vladimirov, A. M. Environmental protection / A. M. Vladimirov et al. - St. Petersburg, 2001.
7. Dobrovolsky, G. V., Grishina, L. A. Soil protection / G. V. Dobrovolsky. - M., 1985.
8. Dronova, T. Ya. Influence of atmospheric pollution on soil properties / T. Ya. Dronova. - M., 1990.
9. Israel, Yu.A., Rovinsky F.Ya. Take care of the biosphere / Yu. A. Israel et al. - M., 1987.
10. Ilyin, V. B. Heavy metals in the “soil-plant” system / V. B. Ilyin. - Novosibirsk, 1991.
11. Kriksunov, E.A., Pasechnik, V.V., Sidorin, A.P. Ecology. Uch. allowance / Ed. E. A. Kriksunova and others - M., 1995.
12. Kruglov, Yu. V. Soil microflora and pesticides / Yu. V. Kruglov. - M., 1991.
13. Cullini, J. Lesa. Seas / J. Cullini. - L., 1981.
14. Plotnikov, V.V. At the crossroads of ecology / VV Plotnikov. - M., 1985.
15. Protasov, VF et al. Ecology, health and environmental management in Russia, Ed. V. F. Protasova. - M., 1995.
16. Reutse, N., Kyrsta, S. Soil pollution control / N. Reutse et al. - M., 1986.
17. Sokolova, T. A. et al. Changes in soils under the influence of acid precipitation, Ed. T. A. Sokolova. - M., 1993.
18. Fedorov, L. A. Dioxins in drinking water / L. A. Fedorov // Chemistry and Life. - No. 8. – 1995.
19. Hoefling, G. Anxiety in 2000 / G. Hoefling. - M., 1990.
20. Shchebek, F. Variations on the theme of one planet / F. Shchebek. - M., 1972.
21. Chernyak, V.Z. Seven Wonders and others / V. Z. Chernyak. - M., 1983.
Attachment 1
Inflow of substances (in million tons/year) to a city with a population of 1 million people
Substance name Quantity
Pure water 470.0
Air 50.2
Mineral construction raw materials 10.0
Crude oil 3.6
Ferrous metallurgy raw materials 3.5
Natural gas 1,7
Liquid fuel 1.6
Mining and chemical raw materials 1.5
Non-ferrous metallurgy raw materials 1.2
Technical vegetable raw materials 1.0
raw materials for the food industry,
prepared food 1.0
Energy chemical raw materials 0.22
Appendix 2
Emissions (in thousand tons/year) to the atmosphere
cities with a population of 1 million people
Ingredients atmospheric emissions Quantity
Water (steam, aerosol) 10800
Carbon dioxide 1200
Sulfur dioxide 240
Carbon monoxide 240
Hydrocarbons 108
Nitrogen oxides 60
organic matter
(phenols, benzene, alcohols, solvents, fatty acids) 8
Chlorine, hydrochloric acid aerosols 5
Hydrogen sulfide 5
Ammonia 1.4
Fluorides (in terms of fluorine) 1.2
Carbon disulfide 1.0
Hydrogen cyanide 0.3
Lead compounds 0.5
Nickel (as part of dust) 0.042
PAH (including benzopyrene) 0.08
Arsenic 0.031
Uranium (as part of dust) 0.024
Cobalt (as part of dust) 0.018
Mercury 0.0084
Cadmium (as part of dust) 0.0015
Beryllium (as part of dust) 0.0012
Annex 3
Solid and concentrated waste (in thousand tons/year) of cities with a population of 1 million people
Waste type Quantity
Ash and slag from CHPP 550.0
Solid precipitation from the public sewer
(95% humidity) 420.0
Wood waste 400.0
Halite waste 400.0
Raw pulp from sugar mills 360.0
Solid domestic waste* 350.0
Ferrous metallurgy slag 320.0
Phosphogypsum 140.0
Food industry waste
(excluding sugar mills) 130.0
Non-ferrous metallurgy slags 120.0
Sludge from chemical plant effluents 90.0
Clay mud 70.0
Construction waste 50.0
Pyrite cinders 30.0
Burnt earth 30.0
Calcium chloride 20.0
Tires 12.0
Paper (parchment, cardboard, oiled paper) 9.0
Textiles (rags, fluff, pile, oiled rags) 8.0
Solvents (alcohols, benzene, toluene, etc.) 8.0
Rubber, oilcloth 7.5
Polymer waste 5.0
Bonfire from industrial flax 3.6
Spent calcium carbide 3.0
Cullet 3.0
Leather, wool 2.0
Aspiration dust (leather, feather, textiles) 1.2
* Municipal solid waste consists of: paper, cardboard - 35%, food waste- 30%, glass - 6%, wood - 3%, textiles - 3.5%, ferrous metals - 4%. Bones - 2.5%, plastics - 2%, leather, rubber - 1.5%, non-ferrous metals - 0.2%, other - 13.5%.
Appendix 4
Wastewater(in thousand tons) cities with a population of 1 million people
Indicator Quantity
Suspended solids 36.0
Phosphates 24.0
Oil products 2.5
Synthetic surfactants 0.6
Into the atmosphere, the maximum allowable discharge (MPD) of pollutants into water bodies and the maximum allowable amount of fuel burned (MPT). These standards are established for each source of pollution entering the environment and are closely related to the profile of work, the volume and nature of pollution of a particular enterprise, workshop, unit. Urban planning standards are developed to ensure ...
Mutual arrangement working chambers and development workings, shapes and sizes of working faces and methods for chipping monolithic blocks from the array. Chapter 2 Technological process extraction of manganese ore used at OJSC "Ordzhonikidzevsky Mining and Processing Plant" The purest manganese is obtained in industry according to the method of the Soviet electrochemist R. I. Agladze (...
During which the sum of the effect brought by these costs becomes equal to the costs. When calculating the payback period, it must be taken into account that environmental costs can not only reduce environmental pollution, but also increase production efficiency. MPOVT OJSC (head plant) for the month of March 2008 calculated the tax for emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere in the amount of...
installations, deployment of enterprises, selection of unit capacities of power equipment and much more). The purpose of this work is to investigate the problem of thermal emissions into the atmosphere and their impact on the environment. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: - to characterize the thermal power industry and its emissions; - consider the impact of installations on the atmosphere during ...
The mass of the atmosphere of our planet is negligible - only one millionth of the mass of the Earth. However, its role in the natural processes of the biosphere is enormous. The presence of the atmosphere around the globe determines the general thermal regime of the surface of our planet, protects it from harmful cosmic and ultraviolet radiation. Atmospheric circulation has an impact on local climatic conditions, and through them - on the regime of rivers, soil and vegetation cover and the processes of relief formation.
The modern gas composition of the atmosphere is the result of a long, centuries-old historical development of the globe. It is mainly a gas mixture of two components - nitrogen (78.09%) and oxygen (20.95%). Normally, it also contains argon (0.93%), carbon dioxide (0.03%) and small amounts of inert gases (neon, helium, krypton, xenon), ammonia, methane, ozone, sulfur dioxide and other gases. Along with gases, the atmosphere contains solid particles coming from the Earth's surface (for example, products of combustion, volcanic activity, soil particles) and from space (cosmic dust), as well as various products of plant, animal or microbial origin. In addition, water vapor plays an important role in the atmosphere (11, p. 117).
The three gases that make up the atmosphere are of greatest importance for various ecosystems: oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. These gases are involved in the main biogeochemical cycles.
In connection with the rapid development of motor transport and aviation, the share of emissions entering the atmosphere from mobile sources has increased significantly: trucks and cars, tractors, diesel locomotives and aircraft. The greatest amount of pollutants is emitted during the acceleration of the car, especially when fast, as well as when driving at low speed. The relative share (of the total mass of emissions) of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide is highest during braking and idling, the share of nitrogen oxides - during acceleration. From these data it follows that cars pollute the air especially strongly during frequent stops and when driving at low speed.
In the last 10 - 15 years, much attention has been paid to the study of the effects that may arise in connection with the flights of supersonic aircraft and spacecraft. These flights are accompanied by pollution of the stratosphere with nitrogen oxides and sulfuric acid (supersonic aircraft), as well as aluminum oxide particles (transport spacecraft). Since these pollutants destroy ozone, it was initially believed (supported by appropriate model calculations) that the planned increase in the number of flights of supersonic aircraft and transport spacecraft would lead to a significant decrease in the ozone content, with all the subsequent detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation on the Earth's biosphere (1, p. 56).
Noise is one of the air pollution harmful to humans. The irritating effect of sound (noise) on a person depends on its intensity, spectral composition and duration of exposure. Noises with continuous spectra are less irritating than noises with a narrow frequency interval. The greatest irritation is caused by noise in the frequency range of 3000 - 5000 Hz.
Working in conditions of increased noise at first causes rapid fatigue, sharpens hearing at high frequencies. Then the person seems to get used to the noise, the sensitivity to high frequencies drops sharply, hearing loss begins, which gradually develops into hearing loss and deafness. With a noise intensity of 140 - 145 decibels, vibrations occur in the soft tissues of the nose and throat, as well as in the bones of the skull and teeth; if the intensity exceeds 140 dB, then the chest, muscles of the arms and legs begin to vibrate, pain in the ears and head appears, extreme fatigue and irritability; at noise levels above 160 dB, eardrum rupture may occur (1, pp. 89 - 93).
Noise has a detrimental effect not only on the hearing aid, but also on the central nervous system of a person, the work of the heart, and causes many other diseases. One of the most powerful sources of noise are helicopters and especially supersonic aircraft.
The noise generated by aircraft causes hearing loss and other painful phenomena for airport ground staff, as well as for residents of settlements over which aircraft fly. The negative impact on people depends not only on the level of maximum noise generated by an aircraft during flight, but also on the duration of the action, the total number of flights per day and the background noise level. The intensity of noise and the area of distribution are significantly affected by meteorological conditions: wind speed, its distribution and air temperature in height, clouds and precipitation.
The noise problem has become especially acute in connection with the operation of supersonic aircraft. Associated with these are the noise, sonic boom and vibration of dwellings near airports. Modern supersonic aircraft generate noise, the intensity of which significantly exceeds the maximum allowable standards.
All air pollutants, to a greater or lesser extent, have a negative impact on human health. These substances enter the human body mainly through the respiratory system. The respiratory organs suffer from pollution directly, since about 50% of impurity particles with a radius of 0.01 - 0.1 μm that penetrate the lungs are deposited in them (15, p. 63).
Particles that enter the body cause a toxic effect because they:
a) toxic (poisonous) in their chemical or physical nature;
b) interfere with one or more of the mechanisms by which the respiratory (respiratory) tract is normally cleared;
c) serve as a carrier of a poisonous substance absorbed by the body.
In some cases, exposure to one of the pollutants in combination with others leads to more serious health problems than exposure to either of them alone. Statistical analysis made it possible to fairly reliably establish the relationship between the level of air pollution and diseases such as upper respiratory tract damage, heart failure, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, and eye diseases. A sharp increase in the concentration of impurities, which persists for several days, increases the mortality of the elderly from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In December 1930, in the valley of the river Meuse (Belgium), severe air pollution was noted for 3 days; as a result, hundreds of people fell ill and 60 people died - more than 10 times the average death rate. In January 1931, in the area of Manchester (Great Britain), for 9 days, there was a strong smoke in the air, which caused the death of 592 people (21, p. 72).
Cases of severe pollution of the atmosphere of London, accompanied by numerous deaths, were widely known. In 1873, there were 268 unforeseen deaths in London. Heavy smoke combined with fog between 5 and 8 December 1852 resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 residents of Greater London. In January 1956, about 1,000 Londoners died as a result of prolonged smoke. Most of those who died unexpectedly suffered from bronchitis, emphysema, or cardiovascular disease (21, p. 78).
In cities, due to ever-increasing air pollution, the number of patients suffering from diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, various allergic diseases and lung cancer is steadily increasing. In the UK, 10% of deaths are due to chronic bronchitis, with 21% of the population aged 40-59 suffering from this disease. In Japan, in a number of cities, up to 60% of the inhabitants suffer from chronic bronchitis, the symptoms of which are dry cough with frequent expectoration, subsequent progressive difficulty in breathing and heart failure. In this regard, it should be noted that the so-called Japanese economic miracle of the 1950s and 1960s was accompanied by severe pollution of the natural environment of one of the most beautiful regions of the globe and serious damage to the health of the population of this country. In recent decades, the number of bronchial and lung cancers, which are promoted by carcinogenic hydrocarbons, has been growing at a rate of great concern (19, p. 107).
Animals in the atmosphere and falling harmful substances affect through the respiratory organs and enter the body along with edible dusty plants. When ingesting large amounts of harmful pollutants, animals can get acute poisoning. Chronic poisoning of animals with fluoride compounds has received the name "industrial fluorosis" among veterinarians, which occurs when animals absorb food or drinking water containing fluorine. Characteristic features are the aging of the teeth and bones of the skeleton.
Beekeepers in some areas of Germany, France and Sweden note that due to poisoning with fluorine deposited on honey flowers, there is an increased mortality of bees, a decrease in the amount of honey and a sharp decrease in the number of bee colonies (11, p. 120).
The effect of molybdenum on ruminants was observed in England, in the state of California (USA) and in Sweden. Molybdenum, penetrating into the soil, prevents the absorption of copper by plants, and the absence of copper in food in animals causes loss of appetite and weight. With arsenic poisoning, ulcers appear on the body of cattle.
In Germany, severe lead and cadmium poisoning of gray partridges and pheasants was observed, and in Austria, lead accumulated in the organisms of hares that fed on grass along the motorways. Three such hares, eaten in one week, are enough for a person to get sick as a result of lead poisoning (11, p. 118).
A person throughout his life is under the constant influence of a whole range of environmental factors - from environmental to social. In addition to individual biological characteristics, all of them directly affect its vital activity, health and, ultimately, life expectancy. Indicative contribution various factors in the health of the population is assessed in four positions: lifestyle, genetics (biology) of a person, the external environment and health care.
Lifestyle has the greatest impact on health. Almost half of all cases of diseases depend on it. The second place in terms of impact on health is occupied by the state of the human environment (at least one third of diseases are determined by adverse environmental influences). Heredity causes about 20% of diseases
At the present time, when medicine has defeated many epidemic infectious diseases, and smallpox has been practically eliminated from all over the world. the globe, the role of health care in disease prevention modern man decreased somewhat.
Prevention of diseases depends on many reasons, starting with the socio-economic policy of the state and ending with a person's own behavior. Health and life expectancy are influenced by individual adaptive reactions of each member of society with its social and biological functions in certain conditions of a particular region. The concept of “human health” cannot be quantified. Each age has its own diseases. In urban conditions, human health is affected by five main groups of factors: living environment, industrial, social and biological factors, and individual lifestyle. When assessing the health of the population, such an important factor as the factor of regional peculiarity is also taken into account, which consists of a number of elements: climate, relief, degree of anthropogenic pressures, development of socio-economic conditions, population density, industrial accidents, disasters, etc. natural Disasters etc. Of great concern is the fact that currently Russian Federation in terms of mortality and average life expectancy, it consistently occupies one of the last places among industrialized countries.
In recent decades, the problem of preventing the adverse effects of environmental factors on human health has moved to one of the first places among other global problems.
This is due to the rapid increase in the number of factors different in nature (physical, chemical, biological, social) factors, the complex spectrum and mode of their influence, the possibility of simultaneous (combined, complex) action, as well as the variety of pathological conditions caused by these factors.
Among the complex of anthropogenic (technogenic) impacts on the environment and human health, a special place is occupied by numerous chemical compounds widely used in industry, agriculture, energy and other areas of production. Currently, more than 11 million chemicals are known, and economically developed countries produced and used by over 100 thousand chemical compounds, many of which have a real impact on humans and the environment.
Exposure to chemical compounds can cause almost all pathological processes and conditions known in the world. general pathology. Moreover, as knowledge about the mechanisms of toxic effects deepens and expands, new types of adverse effects (carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunotoxic, allergenic, embryotoxic, teratogenic and other types of actions) are revealed.
There are several fundamental approaches to the prevention of the adverse effects of chemicals: a complete ban on production and use, a ban on entering the environment and any impact on humans, replacing a toxic substance with a less toxic and dangerous one, limiting (regulating) the content in environmental objects and the levels of impact on workers and the general population. Due to the fact that modern chemistry has become a determining factor in the development of key areas in the entire system of productive forces, the choice of a prevention strategy is a complex, multi-criteria task, the solution of which requires analysis as a risk of developing immediate and long-term adverse effects of a substance on the human body, its offspring. , the environment, and the possible social, economic, medical and biological consequences of the ban on the production and use of a chemical compound.
Pollution of the natural environment is the introduction into this or that ecological system of living or non-living components or structural changes that are not characteristic of it, interrupting the circulation of substances, their assimilation, the flow of energy, as a result of which this system is destroyed, or its productivity is reduced.
A pollutant can be any physical agent, chemical substance and biological species that enters or occurs in the environment in quantities that are beyond its usual concentration, limiting natural fluctuations or average natural background at the time in question.
The main indicator characterizing the impact of pollutants on the environment is the maximum allowable concentration (MAC). From the point of view of ecology, the maximum permissible concentrations of a particular substance are the upper limits of the limiting environmental factors (in particular, chemical compounds), at which their content does not go beyond the permissible limits. ecological niche person. Pollution ingredients are thousands of chemical compounds, especially metals or their oxides, toxic substances, aerosols. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 500 thousand chemical compounds are currently used in practice. At the same time, about 40 thousand compounds have properties that are very harmful to living organisms, and 12 thousand are toxic.
The most common pollutants are ash and dust of various compositions, oxides of non-ferrous and ferrous metals, various compounds of sulfur, nitrogen, fluorine, chlorine, radioactive gases, aerosols, etc.
Environmental pollution is divided into:
1. natural - caused by some natural phenomena, usually catastrophic (floods, volcanic eruptions, mudflows, etc.);
2. anthropogenic - arise as a result of human activities.
Among the anthropogenic pollution are the following:
a) biological - accidental or as a result of human activity;
b) microbiological (microbial) - the appearance of an unusually large number of microbes associated with their massive distribution on anthropogenic substrates or environments changed during economic activity person;
c) mechanical - contamination of the environment by agents that have a mechanical effect without physical and chemical consequences;
d) chemical - a change in natural chemical properties environment, as a result of which the average long-term amount of any substances increases or decreases over the period under consideration, or the penetration into the environment of substances that are normally absent in it or are in concentrations exceeding the MPC;
e) physical - a change in the natural physical condition.
The latter is subdivided into:
a) thermal (thermal), resulting from the increase in the environment, mainly in connection with industrial heated air, water, exhaust gases;
b) light - violation of the natural illumination of the area as a result of exposure to artificial light sources, leading to anomalies in the life of plants and animals;
c) noise - is formed as a result of an increase in intensity and noise above the natural level;
d) electromagnetic - appears as a result of changes in the properties of the environment (from power lines, radio, television, the operation of some industrial installations, etc.), leading to global and local geophysical anomalies and in fine biological structures;
e) radioactive - associated with an increase in the natural level of content in the environment of radioactive substances.
The direct objects of pollution (acceptors of pollutants) are the main components of the ecotone: atmosphere, water, soil. Indirect objects of pollution are the components of the biocenosis - plants, animals, microorganisms.
Anthropogenic sources of pollution are very diverse. Among them are not only industrial enterprises and a heat and power complex, but also household waste, animal husbandry, transport waste, as well as chemicals introduced by humans into ecosystems to protect useful products from pests, diseases, and weeds. The definition of the concept of "health" has been at the center of attention of physicians since the advent of scientific medicine and to this day remains the subject of discussion. We can say that health is the absence of disease. The famous physician Galen from Pergamum wrote back in the 2nd century that health is a state in which we do not suffer from pain and are not limited in our life activity. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers health as a positive state that characterizes the personality as a whole, and defines it as a state of complete physical, spiritual (psychological) and social well-being, and not just the absence of disease and disability.
Public health is the main feature, the main property of the human community (the population of a certain territory), its natural state. Public health reflects both the individual adaptive reactions of each individual person and the ability of the entire community to work most effectively, protect the country, help the elderly and children, protect nature, etc., that is, to fulfill their social tasks, as well as reproduce and educate new healthy generations - to perform their biological functions.
Quality public health quite convincingly reflects the conditions of life, i.e. is an indicator of these conditions and serves as an indicator of the fitness (adaptation) of a particular community of people to their environment.
General indicators of the state of health of the population
1. General and childhood morbidity;
2. General and infant mortality;
3. Primary disability from all causes;
4. The volume of labor losses due to temporary disability.
As a rule, in countries with high level industrial development - relatively low infant mortality and low mortality from infectious diseases, but greater overall mortality, greater cancer incidence and greater disability than in countries with a low level of development.
International Independent
Ecological and Political University
Penza branch
Faculty of Ecopsychology and Philology
Specialty: Philology
Subject: Environmental problems of our time
Topic: The impact of environmental pollution on humans
abstract
Penza 2000
The impact of environmental pollution on humans.
I Classification and forms of environmental pollution. 3
II The state of health of the population.
1. Reducing the number of healthy population. 12
2. Factors affecting health and life expectancy. fourteen
3. Medical and sanitary provision of human security. twenty
III Ways to solve environmental problems. 23
I. Pollution of the natural environment is the introduction into this or that ecological system of living or non-living components or structural changes that are not characteristic of it, interrupting the circulation of substances, their assimilation, the flow of energy, as a result of which this system is destroyed, or its productivity is reduced.
A pollutant can be any physical agent, chemical substance and biological species that enters or occurs in the environment in quantities that are beyond its usual concentration, limiting natural fluctuations or average natural background at the time in question.
The main indicator characterizing the impact of pollutants on the environment is the maximum allowable concentration (MAC). From the standpoint of ecology, the maximum permissible concentrations of a particular substance are the upper limits of limiting environmental factors (in particular, chemical compounds), at which their content does not go beyond the permissible boundaries of the human ecological niche.
Pollution ingredients are thousands of chemical compounds, especially metals or their oxides, toxic substances, aerosols. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 500 thousand chemical compounds are currently used in practice. At the same time, about 40 thousand compounds have properties that are very harmful to living organisms, and 12 thousand are toxic.
The most common pollutants are ash and dust of various compositions, oxides of non-ferrous and ferrous metals, various compounds of sulfur, nitrogen, fluorine, chlorine, radioactive gases, aerosols, etc. The greatest air pollution is accounted for by carbon oxides - about 200 million tons per year, dust - about 250 million tons per year, ash - about 120 million tons per year, hydrocarbons - about 50 million tons per year. The saturation of the biosphere with heavy metals - mercury, gallium, germanium, zinc, lead, etc. - is progressing. When fuel, especially coal, is burned with ash and exhaust gases, more than is extracted from the bowels of the environment: magnesium - 1.5 times, molybdenum - 3 times, arsenic - 7 times, uranium and titanium - 10 times, aluminum, iodine, cobalt - 15 times, mercury - 50 times, lithium, vanadium, strontium, beryllium, zirconium - 100 times, gallium and germanium - 1000 times, yttrium - tens of thousands of times.
Percentage of harmful emissions produced by countries in 1995: USA - 23%, China - 13.9%, Russia - 7.2%, Japan - 5%, Germany - 3.8%, all others - 47.1% .
Environmental pollution is divided into:
1. natural - caused by some natural phenomena, usually catastrophic (floods, volcanic eruptions, mudflows, etc.);
2. anthropogenic - arise as a result of human activities.
Among the anthropogenic pollution are the following:
a) biological - accidental or as a result of human activity;
b) microbiological (microbial) - the appearance of an unusually large number of microbes associated with their mass distribution on anthropogenic substrates or environments changed in the course of human economic activity;
c) mechanical - contamination of the environment by agents that have a mechanical effect without physical and chemical consequences;
d) chemical - a change in the natural chemical properties of the environment, as a result of which the average long-term fluctuation in the amount of any substances over the period under consideration increases or decreases, or the penetration into the environment of substances that are normally absent in it or are in concentrations exceeding the MPC;
e) physical - a change in the natural physical state of the environment.
The latter is subdivided into:
a) thermal (thermal), resulting from an increase in the temperature of the environment, mainly due to industrial emissions of heated air, water, and exhaust gases;
b) light - violation of the natural illumination of the area as a result of exposure to artificial light sources, leading to anomalies in the life of plants and animals;
c) noise - is formed as a result of an increase in the intensity and frequency of noise above the natural level;
d) electromagnetic - appears as a result of changes in the electromagnetic properties of the environment (from power lines, radio, television, the operation of some industrial installations, etc.), leading to global and local geophysical anomalies and changes in subtle biological structures;
e) radioactive - associated with an increase in the natural level of content in the environment of radioactive substances.
Possible forms of environmental pollution are shown in Figure 3.2.
The direct objects of pollution (acceptors of pollutants) are the main components of the ecotone: atmosphere, water, soil. Indirect objects of pollution are the components of the biocenosis - plants, animals, microorganisms.
Anthropogenic sources of pollution are very diverse. Among them are not only industrial enterprises and a heat and power complex, but also household waste, animal husbandry, transport waste, as well as chemicals introduced by humans into ecosystems to protect useful products from pests, diseases, and weeds.
On the industrial enterprises environmental pollutants are divided into four classes depending on the toxicity index (in this case from local concentration - LC):
1. Extremely dangerous (LC 50<0,5 мг/л).
2. Highly dangerous (LK 50<5 мг/л).
3. Moderately dangerous (LC 50<50 мг/л).
4. Low-hazard (LC 50>50 mg/l).
Substances polluting the environment are also subdivided according to their state of aggregation into 4 classes: solid, liquid, gaseous, mixed.
Industrial emissions into the environment can be classified according to other criteria:
1. On the organization of control and withdrawal - into organized and unorganized:
a) organized industrial release - release entering the environment (air and water basins) through specially constructed gas ducts, water conduits and pipes;
b) unorganized industrial release - release into the environment in the form of irregular spontaneous water or gas flows resulting from imperfection of process equipment or violation of its tightness, absence or poor operation of equipment for exhausting gases or removing contaminated water in places of loading and storage of raw materials, materials , waste, finished products(for example, dusting of waste rock dumps, unregulated surface runoff from industrial enterprises).
2. According to the withdrawal mode - continuous and periodic. Thus, the removal of blast-furnace gas is considered continuous, and the removal of converter gas is considered periodic.
3. By temperature - when the temperature of the flow (gas, water, mixed) is higher, lower or equal to the ambient temperature.
4. By localization - emissions occur in the main, auxiliary, ancillary industries, in transport, etc.
5. According to the signs of cleaning - into clean, normatively cleaned, partially cleaned, discarded without cleaning.
In this case, purification refers to the separation, capture and transformation into a harmless state of a pollutant coming from an industrial source.
Industrial emissions into the environment are divided into primary and secondary.
Primary emissions are emissions that enter the environment from various sources, and secondary ones, being products of the formation of primary ones, can be more toxic and dangerous than the first ones. A typical transformation of some substances is their photochemical oxidation.
Sources of environmental pollution by industry are classified depending on the object of pollution: atmosphere, water basin, lithosphere.
Sources of air pollution:
1. By appointment:
a) technological - contain tail gases after capturing at the blowdown units of apparatuses, air vents, etc. (emissions are characterized by high concentrations of harmful substances and very small volumes of air removed);
b) ventilation emissions - local exhaust from equipment and general exhaust;
2. By location;
a) unshaded, or high, located in the zone of an undeformed wind flow (high pipes, point sources that remove pollution to a height exceeding the height of the building by 2.5 times);
b) darkened, or low, - located at a height 2.5 times less than the height of the building;
c) ground - near the earth's surface (openly located technological equipment, industrial sewage wells, spilled toxic substances, scattered production wastes).
3. By geometric shape:
a) point (pipes, shafts, roof fans);
b) linear (aeration lamps, open windows, closely located exhaust shafts and torches);
4. According to the mode of operation: continuous and intermittent action, salvo and instantaneous. In the case of volley emissions, in a short period of time, a large number of harmful substances; are possible in case of accidents or incineration of fast-burning production waste at special destruction sites. With instantaneous emissions, pollution spreads in a fraction of a second, sometimes to a considerable height. Occur during blasting and emergency situations.
5. According to the propagation range:
a) on-site, when the pollutants emitted into the atmosphere form high concentrations only on the territory of the industrial area, and no noticeable pollution is observed in residential areas (a sanitary protection zone of sufficient size is provided for such emissions);
b) off-site, when the emitted pollution is potentially capable of creating high concentrations (of the order of MPC for the air of settlements) on the territory of a residential area.
Sources of pollution of the water basin:
1. Atmospheric waters carry masses of pollutants (pollutants) of industrial origin washed out of the air. When flowing down the slopes, atmospheric and melt water carry away masses of substances. Especially dangerous are runoff from city streets, industrial sites, carrying masses of oil products, garbage, phenols, acids.
2. Municipal wastewater, which includes mainly domestic wastewater, contains faeces, detergents (surfactant detergents), microorganisms, including pathogens. About 100 km 3 of such waters are formed annually in the country as a whole.
3. Agricultural waters. Pollution with these waters is due, firstly, to the fact that an increase in the yield and productivity of land is inevitably associated with the use of pesticides used to suppress pests, plant diseases, and weeds. Pesticides enter the soil or are washed away over long distances, ending up in water bodies. Secondly, animal husbandry is associated with the formation of large masses of solid organic matter and urea. These wastes are not toxic, but their masses are huge and their presence leads to severe consequences for aquatic ecological systems. In addition to organic matter, agricultural wastewater contains a lot of biogenic elements, including nitrogen and phosphorus.
4. Industrial wastewater generated in a wide variety of industries, among which the most actively consume water are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical, wood chemical, and oil refining industries. During the development of reservoir deposits in our country, every year 2.5 billion km 3 of drainage mine and slag waters are formed, contaminated with chloride and sulfate compounds, iron and copper compounds, which are not suitable even as industrial water and must be cleaned before discharge.
Pollution of water systems is a greater danger than air pollution. The processes of generation or self-purification proceed much more slowly in water than in air.
Sources of pollution of the lithosphere.
1. Residential buildings and household enterprises. Among the pollutants: household waste, food waste, feces, construction waste, heating system waste, household items that have become unusable, waste from public institutions, hospitals, canteens, hotels, etc.
2. Agriculture. Fertilizers, pesticides used in agriculture and forestry to protect plants from pests, diseases and weeds. Waste of livestock and agricultural products.
3. Thermal power engineering. The formation of a mass of slag during the combustion of coal, the release into the atmosphere of soot, unburned particles, sulfur oxides that end up in the soil.
4. Transport. During the operation of internal combustion engines, nitrogen oxides, lead, hydrocarbons and other substances are released that settle on the soil and plants.
5. Industrial enterprises. Industrial waste contains substances that have a toxic effect on living organisms. The wastes of the metallurgical industry contain salts of non-ferrous and heavy metals. The engineering industry releases cyanides, arsenic and beryllium compounds into the environment. In the production of plastics and artificial fibers, benzene and phenol wastes are generated. Pulp and paper industry waste - phenols, methanol, turpentine, bottoms.
With soil pollution, self-purification almost does not occur. Toxic substances accumulate, which contributes to a gradual change in the chemical composition, disruption of the unity of the geochemical environment and living organisms. From the soil, toxic substances enter the organisms of animals and humans.
II. 1. The definition of the concept of "health" has been in the focus of attention of doctors since the advent of scientific medicine and to this day remains the subject of discussion. We can say that health is the absence of disease. The famous physician Galen from Pergamum wrote back in the 2nd century that health is a state in which we do not suffer from pain and are not limited in our life activity. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers health as a positive state that characterizes the personality as a whole, and defines it as a state of complete physical, spiritual (psychological) and social well-being, and not just the absence of disease and disability.
Public health is the main feature, the main property of the human community (the population of a certain territory), its natural state. Public health reflects both the individual adaptive reactions of each individual person and the ability of the entire community to work most effectively, protect the country, help the elderly and children, protect nature, etc., that is, to fulfill their social tasks, as well as to reproduce and educate new healthy generations to fulfill their biological functions.
The quality of public health quite convincingly reflects the conditions of life, i.e. is an indicator of these conditions and serves as an indicator of the fitness (adaptation) of a particular community of people to their environment.
One can get a certain idea of the quality of public health in our country by comparing the medical statistics of Russia and the United States.
Infant mortality in Russia is 2 times higher, standardized mortality from all causes is 1.55 times higher for men and 1.35 times higher for women; mortality of men from malignant neoplasms is 1.27 times higher; from diseases of the circulatory system in men, mortality is 1.87 times higher, in women - 1.98 times; from injuries and poisoning in men is 1.85 times higher, in women - 1.65 times. Mortality of men from tuberculosis is 17 times higher. The incidence of hepatitis A in Russia is 7.5 times higher, bacillary dysentery - 12.5 times, tuberculosis - 4.2 times. In Russia, the quality of public health is lower, although the United States is not the world leader in the quality of public health.
Age-specific mortality rates for the entire population of Russia (the number of deaths per year per 1000 people of the corresponding age group) are shown in Table 5-1.
Mortality changes sharply in all age groups within a short period of time - 1993 and 1994. in relation to 1990, corresponding to the critical situation experienced by society. A slight improvement in the situation in 1995 and a continuation of the positive trend in 1996 should be noted.
II. 2. A person throughout his life is under the constant influence of a whole range of environmental factors - from environmental to social. In addition to individual biological characteristics, all of them directly affect its vital activity, health and, ultimately, life expectancy. The approximate contribution of various factors to the health of the population is assessed in four positions: lifestyle, genetics (biology) of a person, the external environment and health care. (Table 19.1)
Lifestyle has the greatest impact on health. Almost half of all cases of diseases depend on it. The second place in terms of impact on health is occupied by the state of the human environment (at least one third of diseases are determined by adverse environmental influences). Heredity causes about 20% of diseases
At present, when medicine has defeated many epidemic infectious diseases, and smallpox has been practically eliminated throughout the globe,
the role of health care in preventing diseases of modern man has somewhat decreased.
Prevention of diseases depends on many reasons, starting with the socio-economic policy of the state and ending with a person's own behavior. Health and life expectancy are influenced by individual adaptive reactions of each member of society with its social and biological functions in certain conditions of a particular region. The concept of “human health” cannot be quantified. Each age has its own diseases. In urban conditions, human health is affected by five main groups of factors: living environment, industrial, social and biological factors, and individual lifestyle. (Table 19.2)
When assessing the health of the population, such an important factor as the factor of regional peculiarity is also taken into account, which consists of a number of elements: climate, relief, degree of anthropogenic pressures, development of socio-economic conditions, population density, industrial accidents, catastrophes and natural disasters, etc. . It is a matter of great concern that at present the Russian Federation in terms of mortality and average life expectancy steadily occupies one of the last places among industrialized countries.
On the eve of the First World War in 1913, per 1,000 inhabitants of Russia, 45.5 were born and 29.1 died. Thus, the natural increase was 16.4 people. In 1960, when the demographic revolution was basically completed in most of the country, the number of births per year was 24.9 thousand people, and deaths - 7.1 thousand people, the natural increase was 17%. One of the main reasons for the changes that took place was the rapid decline in mortality. Even at the turn of the 20th century, life expectancy was only 32 years. In 1970 - 1980. it more than doubled and reached more than 73 years.
The reduction in mortality was greatly facilitated by the efforts of medicine in the fight against infectious diseases, in particular with "children's" infections: measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, etc.
In recent years, with the beginning of the transition to a "market economy", the demographic situation in the country has become critical. Mortality began to exceed the birth rate by 1.7 times, and in many territories of Russia - by two to three times. According to demographers' forecast, by the year 2000 the death rate in Russia will be almost twice as high as the birth rate. For 10 years (from 1987 to 1996) was born 6 million years less than for the previous 10 years.
The infant mortality rate in Russia is 22.5 times higher than in Japan. The mortality rate of children aged 1 to 4 years is 4-5 times higher than in developed countries.
Now the population of Russia is declining by almost a million people a year, there are only 5 million children under the age of 6. At the same time, more than half of them have certain diseases. Today we are talking about the survival of the Russian people. The nation's gene pool is under threat.
Evidence of this is the data from the state report "On the state of health of the population of the Russian Federation in 1992". For the first time in 1992, the country's population declined. A decrease in the population was noted in 40 out of 79 Russian regions (in 1991, a similar situation took place in 33 regions).
In 1995, one of the lowest birth rates in the world was registered in Russia - 9.2 babies per 1,000 people, while in 1987 it was 17.2 (for reference: in the USA - 16 babies per 1,000 people). Today, the average birth rate per family is 1.4 versus 2.14 - 2.15 required for simple reproduction of the population.
According to experts, by 2040 Russia expects not only a reduction in the population as a whole, but also in the population of working age by almost a quarter.
Significantly reduced life expectancy. If in the early 70s the life expectancy of Russians was about 2 years lower than in the developed countries of Europe, North America, Australia and Japan, then at present this difference is 8-10 years. According to estimated data in Russia, the maximum level of life expectancy for men was noted in 1986 (66.6) years, and for women in 1987 (76.7). In 1994, the average life expectancy for men was 59.1 years, for women, 72.1 years. Currently, men live an average of 57-58 years, women - 70-71 years. This is the last place in Europe.
For comparison: in 1992 - 1993, in the United States, life expectancy for men was 72.2 years, for women - 79.2 years, in most other countries within the boundaries of 72 - 75 and 79 - 81 years, and in Japan - 76.5 and 83.1 years for men and women, respectively.
An analysis of the trend of reducing life expectancy by age groups shows that the largest reductions in the indicator occur mainly in the groups of 40-44, 45-49 and 50-54 years, as well as some jumps in the group of 16-19 years, especially for men. Unprecedented mortality of men of working age from accidents, poisoning, injuries. For the countries of Europe, the USA, Japan, the proportion of deaths from these causes is 5-5.5 percent, in Russia 22-25 percent, i.e. - 4 times higher. Maternal mortality in Russia is 5-10 times higher than the same indicator in developed countries.
Typically, the number of deaths increases in proportion to population growth. Unique in world practice is the dynamics of mortality characteristic only for Russia: an increase in the number of deaths occurs with a decrease in the population. There is a high probability of a negative trend developing in a fairly long term. One of the reasons for this trend is the ever worsening ecological state of the territory of Russia.
In Russia, the structure of mortality, which is not typical for any country in the world, has formed. In 1995, one third of the dead (672 thousand people) died at working age. Of these, 80% are men (550 thousand people).
There is no such difference in the world between the life expectancy of a man and a woman - 12-14 years.
All this indicates that without changes in the political, socio-economic and environmental situation on the territory of Russia, a “terrible explosion” is possible in the foreseeable future, with a catastrophically decreasing population and a decrease in life expectancy.
In recent years, an unstable sanitary and epidemiological situation has been developing in the country: the number of intestinal infections, the number of tuberculosis and venereal diseases is growing, and typhus is already spreading.
According to experts, 70% of the Russian population lives in a state of prolonged psycho-emotional and social stress, which depletes the adaptive and compensatory mechanisms that support health. This is evidenced by an increase in the number of mental illnesses, an increase in cases of reactive psychoses and neuroses, depression, alcoholism and drug addiction (about 2 million people). In Russia, there is practically no promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
The growth of morbidity and disability in childhood is alarming. In 4-5 times the incidence of newborns has increased, in 2-3 times - in children. Delays in the development of children are increasingly being noted (according to the Ministry of Health of Russia, at present there are about 80% of chronically ill children in schools, and according to the forecast, by the year 2000 there will be more of them).
The rate of increase in the level of mortality from accidents, poisoning, injuries is much higher than from diseases of the circulatory system, respiratory organs and digestion, which in the recent past occupied leading positions among the causes of death. To a large extent, this is the result of an exacerbation of the criminogenic situation.
Mortality is growing from diseases associated with the deteriorating environmental situation (acute respiratory diseases, congenital anomalies, anemia, leukemia), from malignant neoplasms.
The country's population is rapidly aging. If before the war people younger than working age accounted for 38.8% of the country's population, now it is 22.4%. On the contrary, the number of people older than working age increased from 8.6% to 20.5%, and together with the disabled - 25.2%. If in 1939 there were six workers per non-working person, then in 1996 there were less than two. According to forecasts until 2010, the number of employed and unemployed will equalize.
All these indicators: fertility, mortality, morbidity, life expectancy - the main indicators of the level and quality of life of the population are currently acquiring major political and economic significance.
The given data give grounds to conclude that the state of health of the population is deteriorating due to the socio-economic, economic, environmental situation in cities and villages in the whole country and requires additional socio-hygienic and environmental studies.
II. 3. In recent decades, the problem of preventing the adverse effects of environmental factors on human health has moved to one of the first places among other global problems.
This is due to the rapid increase in the number of factors different in nature (physical, chemical, biological, social) factors, the complex spectrum and mode of their influence, the possibility of simultaneous (combined, complex) action, as well as the variety of pathological conditions caused by these factors.
Among the complex of anthropogenic (technogenic) impacts on the environment and human health, a special place is occupied by numerous chemical compounds widely used in industry, agriculture, energy and other areas of production. Currently, more than 11 million chemicals are known, and in economically developed countries over 100 thousand chemical compounds are produced and used, many of which actually affect humans and the environment.
The impact of chemical compounds can cause almost all pathological processes and conditions known in general pathology. Moreover, as knowledge about the mechanisms of toxic effects deepens and expands, new types of adverse effects (carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunotoxic, allergenic, embryotoxic, teratogenic and other types of actions) are revealed.
There are several fundamental approaches to the prevention of the adverse effects of chemicals: a complete ban on production and use, a ban on entering the environment and any impact on humans, replacing a toxic substance with a less toxic and dangerous one, limiting (regulating) the content in environmental objects and the levels of impact on workers and the general population. Due to the fact that modern chemistry has become a determining factor in the development of key areas in the entire system of productive forces, the choice of a prevention strategy is a complex, multi-criteria task, the solution of which requires analysis as a risk of developing immediate and long-term adverse effects of a substance on the human body, its offspring. , the environment, and the possible social, economic, medical and biological consequences of the ban on the production and use of a chemical compound.
The determining criterion for choosing a prevention strategy is the criterion of preventing (preventing) a harmful action. In our country and abroad, the production and use of a number of hazardous industrial carcinogens and pesticides is prohibited. A ban has been introduced on the contact of workers and the release into the environment of the most biologically active chemical compounds, for example, certain drugs.
MPC of atmospheric pollution is the maximum concentration that does not have a direct or indirect adverse effect on the health of a person and the health of subsequent generations throughout a person’s life, does not reduce working capacity and does not worsen his well-being, as well as sanitary and living conditions.
The methodological foundations of hygienic regulation of atmospheric pollution are formulated as follows:
1. Only that concentration of a chemical substance in the atmosphere is recognized as permissible, which does not have a direct or indirect harmful or unpleasant effect on a person, does not affect well-being and performance.
2. Addiction to harmful substances in the air is considered as an adverse effect.
3. Concentrations of chemicals in the atmosphere that adversely affect vegetation, local climate, atmospheric transparency and living conditions of the population are considered unacceptable.
The current practice of hygienic regulation of pollutants in the atmospheric air is based mainly on the first two criteria of harmfulness. The environmental effects of atmospheric pollution are rarely taken into account when developing MPCs.
Industrial chemicals in the conditions of production act within 6-8 hours on persons of working age who undergo preliminary (before entering work) and periodic medical examinations.
The MPC of harmful substances in the air of the working area is defined as the concentration that during daily (except weekends) work for 8 hours (but not more than 41 hours a week) for the entire period of activity does not cause the occurrence of diseases or abnormalities in the health of the worker and his descendants detected by modern research methods during work or in the long term of life.
The objects of standardization at enterprises are: the organization of work on labor protection, control of the state of working conditions, the procedure for stimulating work to ensure labor safety, the organization of training and instructing workers on labor safety, the organization of labor safety control and all other work that the labor protection service is engaged in.
III. Environmental protection standards are aimed at preserving the Earth's gene pool, restoring ecosystems, preserving monuments of the world cultural and natural heritage, etc. They are used in the organization of buffer zones of nature reserves, natural national parks, biosphere reserves, green areas of cities, etc. Production and economic standards are designed to limit the parameters of the production and economic activities of a particular enterprise in terms of environmental protection of the natural environment. These include technological, urban planning, recreational and other standards of economic activity.
Technological standards include: the maximum allowable emission (MPE) of harmful substances into the atmosphere, the maximum allowable discharge (MPD) of pollutants into water bodies and the maximum allowable amount of combustible fuel (MPT). These standards are established for each source of pollution entering the environment and are closely related to the profile of work, the volume and nature of pollution of a particular enterprise, workshop, unit.
Urban planning standards are developed to ensure environmental safety in the planning and development of cities and other settlements.
Recreational standards define the rules for the use of natural complexes in order to provide conditions for a good rest and tourism.
Options for the final disposal of radioactive waste (RW) for their various categories were proposed by the IAEA in 1982-1984.
For IV and V categories (medium and low-level waste with short-lived nuclides), it is allowed to dispose of them in liquid form (injection) into deep permeable formations and, in the form of hardening pulps, into low-permeability rocks. The use of the nuclide decay duration as the main classifying feature when considering RW disposal issues is quite justified, since the requirements for the disposal technology, geological formations, depth and location of disposal are largely determined by the period of time during which the waste will remain toxic.
General requirements for the final stages of radioactive waste management:
1. Waste must be isolated from the living environment and direct human activities, the habitat of animals and the development of vegetation.
2. The place of storage or disposal of waste should be difficult to access for accidental or intentional entry; waste should not be exposed to natural catastrophic events capable of removing waste from storage.
3. The boundaries of structures, territory or geological environment (subsoil) in which wastes are located must be clearly defined and established taking into account possible natural phenomena. Within the boundaries of storage or disposal, activities not related to waste are not allowed or limited.
4. Isolation of waste within the established boundaries should be provided for the necessary time until the nuclides and other components pose a danger to humans and the environment, or for a realistically predictable period of time.
5. To reduce the exposure of personnel and the public, preliminary operations for the preparation, processing, and transportation of waste, accompanied by the release of radioactivity into the environment, exposure to radiation, should be minimized.
6. During storage of RW or after their disposal in the storage facility, processes should not develop that worsen the conditions for waste isolation and lead to the release of waste components outside the storage facility, requiring special work on storage or reburial of waste.
7. RW storage or disposal sites should occupy the minimum possible areas and volumes, have a minimal impact on natural resources and various types of activities for their use in adjacent territories.
The world is engulfed in a severe ecological and social crisis, which is rapidly developing, and no less severe economic wars. As a result, humanity faced a choice of the direction of its development, since, on the one hand, the rapidly growing economy came into collision with the global environment, and on the other hand, economic growth could not solve social problems, especially the problems of poverty and hunger. The choice turns out to be difficult. Or humanity, having completely destroyed the nature of the land, may (??), solve social problems, but will inevitably face an ecological catastrophe, or find an alternative to such a choice and solve social problems, avoiding an ecological catastrophe. A person must realize himself as a part of the biosphere and its main component - the biota that forms the environment, feel the enormous complexity of this self-regulating system, which the human mind is unlikely to fully understand, much less replace with a technical system. A person must understand and normally perceive his role in the mechanism of maintaining the stability of the biosphere. The new ecological paradigm - the theory of biotic regulation of the environment is aimed at:
1. conservation of wildlife;
2. preservation of mankind on Earth;
3. preservation of civilization;
4. understanding the meaning of life;
5. creation of a more just social system;
6. transition from the philosophy of war to the philosophy of peace and partnership;
7. transition to a healthy lifestyle;
8. love and respect for future generations.
Solving environmental problems depends on us. We must understand that everything is heading towards the extinction of life on Earth, and urgent action must be taken. It is necessary to massively introduce people into the environmental protection program. To do this, you need to choose the right solution to environmental problems.
Used Books
1. Danilov-Danilyan V.I. "Ecological problems" M.: MNEPU, 1997.
2. Danilov-Danilyan V.I. "Ecology, nature conservation and environmental safety" M.: MNEPU, 1997.
3. Mebel B. “Environmental Science. How the world works” M.: Mir, 1993.
4. Moiseev N.N., Stepanov S.A. "Russia in the surrounding world" M.: MNEPU, 1998.
5. Protasov V.F. "Ecology, health and environmental protection in Russia" M.: Finance and statistics, 1999.
