DETERMINATION OF THE HAZARD OF RECREATIONAL WATER USE IN THE CITY KHARKIV (UKRAINE)

Abstract

The use of polluted water bodies for recreation carries the threat of an outbreak of infectious diseases. A new method for determining the integral indicator of the occurrence of infectious diseases due to recreational water use is proposed. The cause of infectious disease can be not only swimming in water bodies, but also poor-quality food or drinking water, as well as soil pollution on the territory of beaches. Therefore, in the study of infectious diseases associated with recreational water use, it is proposed to calculate weighting factors separately for food products (Ff), drinking water of centralized water supply (Fdvc), drinking water of non-centralized water supply (Fdvd), surface water in places of mass recreation of people ( Fwr) and soil in the beach zone (Fsb) on the basis of research carried out by the bodies of the state sanitary and epidemiological service. Based on the data of state statistics by using a new method, an integral indicator of the occurrence of infectious diseases as a result of recreational water use in the city of Kharkiv was determined. The application of the proposed method will make it possible to make a scientifically based decision regarding the management of water resources and the protection of public health. The authors of the article conducted a study of the quality of surface water according to hydrochemical and bacteriological indicators in the summer of 2021 on 6 beaches of the city Kharkiv. On all beaches, there is a significant excess of the values of biogenic and bacteriological indicators, which creates a threat of infectious diseases. The risk values correspond to the 4th and 5th class of danger (high and very high impact on public health). The analysis of the evaluation of the weighting coefficients allows to determine the main causes of the development of infectious diseases in order to make scientifically based decisions on ensuring comfortable living conditions for the population. Identifying all possible sources of pollution, being aware of changes that may negatively affect water quality, and providing adequate information to the population are important preventive measures for public health protection. Keywords: public health, recreational water use, infectious disease, pollution sources, Kharkiv city.