Unacceptable Level Of Risk Research Articles

Residue behavior and removal of iprodione in garlic, green garlic, and garlic shoot.

Iprodione is considered to be an endocrine-disturbing pesticide, which could harm consumers. The garlic crop has three edible parts: the garlic, the green garlic, and the garlic shoot, which correspond to different stages of its growth. In this study, iprodione residue dissipation and distribution in these three edible parts were investigated, and dietary risk was evaluated. Iprodione residues were present in these samples in the following order: green garlic > garlic shoot > > garlic. The dissipation of iprodione in green garlic was slow with a half-life of 5.82-19.25 days. A very high RQchronic value of 207.35-407.30% suggested that the residual iprodione in green garlic had an unacceptable level of risk. Iprodione residue was significantly eliminated (59-90%) by an alkaline solution. The order for removing iprodione by soaking was the alkaline solutions (0.5% and 2% NaHCO3 ) > the acidic solutions (5% and 10% of vinegar) ≈ the neutral solutions (the 1% and 2% of table salt) > tap water. Processing factors (PFs) were <1, indicating that processing could decrease the iprodione residue level. This work could contribute to establishing maximum residue limits (MRLs) for iprodione in garlic, green garlic, and garlic shoots, and could provide guidance on the safe and appropriate use of iprodione in the garlic crop. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Risk Assessment of the Najmieh Hospital Electricity System using Energy Trace and Barrier Analysis Method

Introduction: Considering application of multiple electrical equipment, numerous occupational accidents occur in hospitals each year. Electrical accidents are severe and impose high costs on the individuals and organizations. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of electrical systems in one of the oldest hospitals under supervision of Baqiyatallah University using energy trace and barrier analysis method (ETBA).&#x0D; Methods and Materials: All wall plugs, switches, stationary and portable equipment, and stationary and portable electrical panel were evaluated in terms of earthing and appearance. This was done using a simple voltmeter and a 100-watt bulb. All equipment and electrical panel were examined for the presence of Residual Current Device. The ETBA worksheets were completed for each equipment and workstation. The existing barriers were identified and initial risk reduction numbers were calculated. Barriers and solutions were suggested for the equipment or workstation that was at higher risk. Controlled risk was calculated by considering new barriers.&#x0D; Results: The ETBA worksheets were completed for 71 devices and workstations. The initial and controlled risk was calculated. Surveys revealed that all sections of the main building and the departmental structures did not have a good status regarding the earth condition. Risk assessment of the equipment and stations by ETBA method indicated that 97% of the equipment were not at an acceptable level of risk, 52% were at the unacceptable risk level, 45% were at undesirable risk level, and only 3% were at the acceptable risk.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to prioritize resource allocation to eliminate hospital defects and reduce the risk of accidents up to an acceptable level.

Multi-pathway human exposure risk assessment using Bayesian modeling at the historically largest mercury mining district.

The largest mercury (Hg) mining district in the world is located in Almadén (Spain), with well-known environmental impacts in the surrounding ecosystem. However, the impact of mercury on the health of the inhabitants of this area has not been documented accordingly. This study aims to carry out a probabilistic human health risk assessment using Bayesian modeling to estimate the non-carcinogenic risk related to Hg through multiple exposure pathways. Samples of vegetables, wild mushrooms, fish, soil, water, and air were analyzed, and adult residents were randomly surveyed to adjust the risk models to the specific population data. On the one hand, the results for the non-carcinogenic risk based on Hazard Quotient (HQ) showed unacceptable risk levels through ingestion of Hg-contaminated vegetables and fish, with HQ values 20 and 3 times higher, respectively, than the safe exposure threshold of 1 for the 97.5th percentile. On the other hand, ingestion of mushrooms, dermal contact with soil, ingestion of water, dermal contact with water and inhalation of air, were below the safety limit for the 97.5th percentile, and did not represent a risk to the health of residents. In addition, the probabilistic approach was compared with the conservative deterministic approach, and similar results were obtained. This is the first study conducted in Almadén, which clearly reveals the high levels of human health risk to which the population is exposed due to the legacy of two millennia of Hg mining.

Влияние хлорорганических соединений питьевой воды на здоровье населения

The authors carried out sanitary-hygienic assessment of the concentration of organochlorine compounds in drinking water distribution network and morbidity of the population. To analyze the current situation, monitoring data on the con- centrations of chlororganic compounds determined by gas-liquid chromatography and medico-demographic indicators of population health were used according to the official form of statistical reporting No. 12 (ICD 10). The results of 380 tests for the contents of three chlororganic compounds – chloroform, trichlorethylene and carbon tetrachloride – are presented in the article. Morbidity was represented by 10 classes of diseases: diseases of the digestive system, musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, genitourinary system, neoplasm, circulatory system diseases, endocrine system diseases, eating disorders and metabolic disorders, skin and subcutaneous tissue, nervous system, blood and blood-forming organs, respiratory system diseases. A method for assessing the risk of exposure to chemicals in environmental objects for public health is applied. It has been established that in case of chronic oral intake of chlororganic compounds with drinking water, unacceptable levels of non-carcinogenic risk are formed in respect to target organs such as the liver, kidneys, skin and nervous system in adults and children. Nevertheless, the individual carcinogenic risk for children and adults caused by the effects of high concentrations of chlororganic substances, the largest contribution to which belongs to trichlorethylene, today does not exceed the permissible level.

Subjective assessment of quality of drinking water consumed by the population of the Voronezh region

The aim of the study was to study the opinion of the population about the quality of drinking water from various sources, including drinking water, packaged in containers, and its impact on health. For the organization of the questionnaire, a free Internet service Google-form (https://www.google.com/intl/en/forms/about/), of Google, was used. The questionnaire included 20 questions. The survey was conducted by 1,158 residents of the Voronezh region, with a total population of 2,323 million people, which ensured representativeness of the results obtained with a given error of results of ± 5 %. It was found that the majority of respondents (30.7 %) prefer to use water from the centralized water supply system, purifying it in filter jugs. Bottled (packaged) drinking water is consumed by 17.1 % of respondents, while the population of the older age group uses it very rarely (5.9 % or 12 out of 203 people), preferring to use water from a centralized drinking water supply without purification with boiling (40.9 % or 83 out of 203 people), while the shares of a relatively young population in the age groups under 18 years old and 18–30 years old prefer to use bottled drinking water (71.4 and 26.5 %, respectively). Assessment of respondents’ opinions on the quality of drinking water consumed showed that 33.7 % of respondents were fully satisfied, 0.3 % satisfied, 49.2 % partially satisfied, and 16.8 % not satisfied. The respondents most often indicated the presence of scale, a color change, which is generally consistent with the data of objective laboratory control (increased stiffness, high iron concentration). The majority of respondents (74.3 %) do not note the effect of drinking water on their health, however, when taking water procedures, dryness and peeling of the skin were noted after taking a shower or bath — 25.4 % of those questioned, a combination of the negative effects of «dryness and peeling of the skin»+«hair hardness after washing» — 17.8 % of respondents. The identification of the share of the population consuming bottled (packaged) drinking water, as well as the determination of the proportion of the population using individual filters when drinking drinking water from the centralized water supply system, makes it possible to make corrections to the results of estimating the population exposed to an unacceptable level of risk associated with the unsatisfactory quality of drinking water from centralized water supply systems.

Health Risks for the Population of the Voronezh Region Related to Drinking Water Quality

The object of the study was the centralized drinking water supply system of the Voronezh Region. The purpose of the study was to assess health risks for the population of the Voronezh Region associated with drinking water quality. Materials and methods: The data of the regional drinking water quality monitoring system, which included monthly sampling and testing of water samples at 553 sites in 32 administrative districts and the city of Voronezh for 8 priority sanitary and chemical indicators (total hardness, concentrations of iron, manganese, nitrates, nitrites, boron, fluorine, and ammonium ions) for the years 2010-2019 were used. To achieve the objective based on monitoring studies of drinking water quality in the water distribution system, four generally accepted stages of risk assessment were implemented including hazard identification, evaluation of dose-response relationship, exposure assessment, risk quantification and characterization. When evaluating the exposure, four calculation scenarios were considered and probable body burdens for children and adults were calculated using the average long-term concentration and 95 percentile of concentration in a separate administrative territory. Results: Regional non-carcinogenic risks estimated on the basis of the average regional concentrations of priority pollutants did not exceed acceptable values (HQ &lt; 1) for 6 of 7 ingredients. Unacceptable risk levels were observed in two of 33 administrative districts due to the presence of nitrates in drinking water (HQ ranged 1.34 to 2.95 for children and equaled 1.26 for adults). Detailed information for separate settlements (control points) using an aggravated scenario helped identify 4 rural settlements in 2 administrative districts with unacceptable risks for the child population of iron in drinking water (HQ up to 2.31), 230 settlements in 27 districts – of nitrates (HQ up to 9.51), one settlement – of boron (HQ = 1.17), and 35 settlements in 13 districts – of fluorine (HQ up to 4.17). Discussion: Summarizing the results of the regional studies of health risks for the population associated with the quality of drinking water, one can testify the shift of the problem to rural settlements where water treatment is practically null. The use of average concentrations of chemicals in drinking water in administrative districts proved to be insufficiently objective and having significant uncertainties. The reduction of uncertainties was achieved by a detailed review of the information for each monitoring site and the use of the 95th percentile concentration of the chemical to assess the health risks for children and adults. Conclusions: With a sufficient degree of certainty, the priority regional indicators determining the unacceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk (HQ &gt; 1) associated with the quality of drinking water include elevated levels of nitrates, fluorine, boron, and iron. Key words: drinking water, centralized water supply, water quality, public health risk.

Criteria for forming groups professional carcinogenic risk for the creation of prevention programs

According to the results of the assessment of occupational carcinogenic risk at the enterprises of copper metallurgy, jobs with an unacceptable level of risk were identified. In 5.9% of the working group at risk revealed excess tumor markers of the lungs (Cyfra 21.1, CEA), and 1.25% - bladder (UBC II).

The assessment of quantitative risk to road users from debris flow

BackgroundA methodology for the quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of the impact of debris flow in a road environment has been developed and applied to two sites that are typically subject to high frequency-low magnitude and low frequency-high magnitude events. The methodology considers the probability of an event of a typical size, and the conditional probabilities of a vehicle being affected, given an event, and of damage (fatality) occurring given that the vehicle is affected. Scenarios covering a vehicle being hit by a debris flow and of a vehicle hitting a debris flow are considered. The computed Personal Individual Risk (PIR) is used to calculate worst case fatality probabilities for commuters and logistics truck drivers. The overall risk to society is expressed both by the annual probability of fatality amongst all road users, the Potential Loss of Life (PLL), and using the F-N diagram and is used to demonstrate the effect of a programme of management and mitigation works on the societal risk at one of the sites. The authors believe that this is the first full, formal quantitative risk assessment for debris flow risk to road users.ResultsThe PIR for a single trip through the sites ranges between 1.147E-10 for the low frequency-high magnitude site and 1.583E-09 for the high frequency-low magnitude site. These figures increase to 1.248E-07 and 1.922E-06, respectively, when more frequent travellers are considered. The PLL for the two sites ranges between 2.616E-04 for the low frequency-high magnitude site and 4.083E-03 for the high frequency-low magnitude site. The F-N diagrams illustrate the Broadly Acceptable level of risk at the low frequency-high magnitude site and the partially Unacceptable level of risk at the high frequency-low magnitude site. The risk at the high frequency-low magnitude site is reduced to ALARP levels when management and mitigation measures extant as of October 2014 are considered.ConclusionsThe QRA proves an effective technique for understanding, comparing and articulating the differences in levels of risk and the temporal changes in risk at a given site as a result of landslide risk reduction activities.

Preliminary hazard identification for risk assessment on a complex system for hydrogen production

Renewable power generation facilities are constantly expanding due to the expected depletion of fossil fuels and the increasingly demanding policy of pollution control. Having said that, hydrogen is one of the promising energy sources. That said, hydrogen chain safety is an unescapable parameter that should continuously coexist with the development of hydrogen domain. In this context, this article presents a contribution to the risk analysis and evaluation of a complex hydrogen production system 'EGA-9000′ at CIEMAT (Centre for Research on Energy, Environment and Technology - Madrid, Spain). The methodology followed in this study revolves around the risk analysis process through a FAST (Functional Analysis System Technique) functional analysis method and a HAZOP (HAZard and Operability) dysfunctional analysis method. The evaluation of the thirty-three scenarios identified by the risk analysis shows that the studied system is insecure. Indeed, five scenarios at an unacceptable level of risk. And it is noted that the risk of fire and explosion is the major risk for all scenarios studied. To this end, safety measures (recommendation) have been proposed based on the weaknesses detected by the risk analysis carried out.

Air Pollution in Kazakhstan and Its Health Risk Assessment.

Background:Air pollution in Kazakhstan is caused by many factors and poses serious threats to public health. Ambient air in the cities of Kazakhstan is polluted due to mining and processing of mineral resources, oil and gas production, gasoline and diesel fuel motor vehicles, industrial enterprises.Objective:The study aim is to assess the air pollution degree in most significant settlements of Kazakhstan and define risk levels for the population health. Ambient air monitoring was conducted in 26 cities. Air pollution severity was assessed by the analysis results and processing of air samples taken at the stationary observation posts. Health risk assessment due to chemical factors was calculated according to the approved risk assessment methodology.Findings:There is high risk of acute adverse effects risk from suspended particles, oxides and dioxides of nitrogen and sulfur in almost all of the studied cities. The most unfavorable situation is in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Also, there is the adverse chronic effects risk caused by suspended particles exposure in majority of the studied cities. Extremely high chronic effects risk as a result of heavy metals exposure was detected in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Shymkent, Almaty, Taraz and Balkhash. Unacceptable carcinogenic risk levels have been determined for professional groups and the whole population with respect to cadmium in Shymkent, Almaty, Balkhash; arsenic in Shymkent, Almaty, Balkhash; lead in Taraz; chromium – in Shymkent, Aktobe, Almaty and Balkhash. Thus, the values of the hazard quotients and indices for acute and chronic exposure in most of the studied cities of Kazakhstan exceed the permissible level equal to 1.0.Conclusion:Due to the unacceptable risk levels in the cities it is strongly recommended to conduct a detailed study of the health status of the population depending on the air pollution.

Methods of assessing the health impacts of chemicals ingested with drinking water

Assessment of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of per oral intake of chemicals with drinking water for children aged 3-6 year sold living in 4 districts (zones) of the city of Kazan was carried out. A quantitative characteristic of risk was performed with application of regional exposure factors (REF) at the median level (Me) and the 95-thpercentile (95P). Analysis of the risk data showed that only 5 substances (magnesium, nitrates (in NO3), fluorides, oil products, and chloroform) made from 62.5% to 89.8% of contribution to total risk value in all zones. General toxic effects for critical organs and systems were due to oil products (from 29 to 54.7%) in the 2nd and the 4th zones, chloroform (from 10 to 30.6%) and nitrates (from 12.8 to 35.9%) in all zones, magnesium (up to 11.2%) in the 3rd zone, and fluorides (from 13.7 to 14.3%) in the 1st and the 3rd zones. The unacceptable risk level (HIMe = 11.8 and 9.9; HI95-th Perc = 14.8 and 12.5) was identified in the 2nd and the 4th zones with a mixed type of water in the utility and drinking water supply. The ingestion of chemicals with drinking water in different zones of the city of Kazan indicates an alarming and high level of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for the child population health.

AIR POLLUTION AND NON-CANCENOGENIC RISK ASSESSMENT IN INDUSTRIAL CITIES OF CHELYABINSK REGION

Aim: To estimate air pollution and calculate non-cancerogenic risks for health of the population in the industrial cities of Chelyabinsk region. Methods: The study was performed in the cities of Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust. For calculation of levels of pollution of atmospheric air Average annual concentration of substances in the atmospheric air and their standard deviations were calculated. The frequency rate of excess of the actual average concentrations over maximum permissible concentration (MPC) was studied. Assessment of total pollution of atmospheric air in the cities has been carried out by calculation of composite indicator of air pollution (CIAP) for 2012-2016. Assessment of non-cancerogenic risk for health of the population was performed as specified in guidelines P2.1.10.1920-04. Results: No difference in qualitative composition of atmospheric pollutants between the cities was found. We observed, however, quantitative differences. The highest annual average chemical concentrations over the study period were determined in Magnitogorsk (CIAP = 9.3 ± 0.43) while the lowest level was recorded in Zlatoust (CIAP = 6.0 ± 0.38). Risk assessment has shown that the city of Magnitogorsk is the most polluted. The greatest risks were found for development delays, diseases of respiratory organs and diseases of central nervous system followed by diseases of gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. Conclusion: High levels of air pollution were detected in the cities of Chelyabinsk region. Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust had similar pollutants in the atmosphere, but important quantitative differences were observed. Magnitogorsk had an unacceptable level of non-cancerogenic risk, while Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust had high levels. Developmental delays and respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, the central nervous system diseases seem to be the main target systems.

Potential health risks associated to heavy metal contamination of soils in the Yellow River Delta, China

The level of inhalable particulate matter (PM10) in the Yellow River Delta (YERD), an oil production area in north China, are generally high, resulting in an increase exposure to heavy metals (HMs) from soil. This exposure increases during winter and spring periods. In order to determine potential health risks posed by 9 HMs (i.e. Cr, Cd, As, Cu, Hg, Ni, Mn, Zn and Pb) in this area, high density sampling of surface soils across the YERD was undertaken. Results indicate that even through PM10 is generally high, no significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks in YERD were identified. Ingestion rather than inhalation or dermal contact is the main exposure pathway. Hazard Index (HI) and total probability of carcinogenic risk (TCR) values indicated that children experienced higher carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. Arsenic contributed the most to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks, while the effects of other HMs were minor. Our results also demonstrate that, based on the spatial trending of HI and TCR of high-risk areas, oil production will cause an unacceptable level of health risk. Due to the close proximity of this area to the coast, the wash effect of sea water will remove HMs from the soil and lower the health risks. Therefore, investigations related to coastal oilfields should investigate the transfer of HMs to seawater or local sediments. Our results provide a basis for environmental management in the YERD and other rapidly developing industrial regions around the world.

Accident risk analysis of oil and gas facilities in Arctic climatic conditions

The probability of occurring emergency situations increases in conditions of severe climate of the Arctic. Therefore, addressing the problems related to the risk assessment of accidents at oil and gas facilities in the Arctic zones based on acceptable risk criteria is of particular importance. Uncontrollable development of emergency situations is followed by emission of a significant amount of oil products and constitutes serious ecological danger, and also can lead to considerable destructions and death of people resulted from fire and explosion. Therefore, the goal of the study is development of the methods for analysis and assessment of the risk of accidents in reservoirs and gas pipelines at low temperatures to increase the industrial safety of hazardous production facilities operating in conditions of the Arctic North. The results of brittle fracture analysis and accident risk assessment for reservoir and gas pipeline under arctic climatic conditions are presented. Statistical data processing of accidents allowed us to determine the rupture sources, develop a “fault tree” of brittle fracture of reservoirs, “event trees” of reservoir explosion and gas outflow from a gas pipeline, with allowance for the frequency of scenarios for quantitative risk assessment. Currently the probabilistic approach is considered one of the most promising. Accident statistics and experience of previous risk analyses can provide a useful contribution to the process of hazard identification. We focus on the scenario approach to the problems of hazard identification and assess the probability (frequency) of emergencies proceeding from the analysis and systematization of the statistical data on the accidents on reservoirs and gas pipelines at low ambient temperatures using the “event trees” and “fault trees” which provide determination of the most critical scenario and expected risk from accidents. Thus, risk assessment of accidents at hazardous production facilities in the Arctic zone using criteria of acceptable risk will allow estimation of hazards with unacceptable level of risk and development of recommendations and measures to reduce them.

Risk assessment of water resources and environmental carrying capacity in Yinchuan city

Regional sustainable development is a critical requirement for natural resources management and socio-economic sustainability, in which water resource is one of the most important supports. The present study proposed a method to calculate water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) and water environmental carrying capacity (WECC) to assess the scale of economy and population that the local water resources can support in Yinchuan City, a semi-arid area in Northwest China. Carrying population and gross domestic product (GDP) were selected as the characteristic indices of carrying capacity. The urban water demand and supply data were used to calculate the WRCC, NH3–N and chemical oxygen demand with K2Cr2O7 as the oxidizing agent (CODCr) were used to calculate the WECC. Carrying index was employed to assess the carrying status and risk of water resources and environment in 2010, 2015 and 2020, respectively. The results show that the environmental capacity of Yinchuan in terms of NH3–N in different years can carry higher GDP than the CODCr water environment, and the CODCr WECC in terms of GDP is always the lowest among the three years. It can be seen that the WECC of CODCr imposes the strictest restrictions on water utilization in Yinchuan city. The risk assessment of the carrying capacity indicates that CODCr pollution in 2015 is at unacceptable risk level. The CODCr pollution is a key factor affecting the economic and social development of Yinchuan city. The assessment results are beneficial to the assessment of WRCC and WECC in other similar areas.

Effect of Anthropo-Technogenic Load on Medico-Social Aspects of Primary Morbidity and Disability of Population

Population aging is a global social phenomenon that affects the most important health indicators of the population. The older generation is particularly vulnerable in the current conditions of urbanization and the associated environmental situation. The comprehension of indicators of disability and morbidity of the population, the study of the factors that determine the negative processes of health damage, taking into account regional features of these processes are necessary for the planning of preventive measures. In the age structure of the primary disability of the adult population in the Voronezh region elderly disabled people make up 53,3%, middle and young people with disabilities are less - 30,1 and 16,6%, respectively. These indicators are higher than the average Russian. The results of non-carcinogenic risk and primary morbidity analysis in population of Levoberezhniy district of Voronezh under permanent anthropotechnogenic load have presented. It has been established that non-carcinogenic risk coefficients were bigger that acceptable level (HQ>1) by for nitrogen dioxide, acrylonitrile, acrolein, 1,3-butadiene, copper oxide, chromium+6. Unacceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk is typical for respiratory organs pathology, pathologies of cardiovascular system and endocrine system. Analysis of the primary morbidity of these nosological forms shows their high distribution in adult population morbidity. Under rehabilitation measures in patients with respiratory organs diseases, circulatory system and endocrine system diseases it is necessary to consider anthropotechnogenic load and relationship between agents and disease development.

Acceptable Limitations on Paramedic Duty to Treat During Disaster: A Qualitative Exploration.

The authors employed qualitative methods to gather paramedic and community member perspectives in Victoria, Australia. These findings suggested that both paramedic and community member participants agree that acceptable limitations on paramedic duty to treat during disaster are required. These limitations should be based on consideration of the following factors: personal health circumstances (eg, pregnancy for female paramedics); pre-existing mental health conditions (eg, posttraumatic stress disorder/PTSD); competing personal obligations (eg, paramedics who are single parents); and unacceptable levels of personal risk (eg, risk of exposure and infection during a pandemic). It is only with the engagement of a more broadly representative segment of the prehospital profession and greater Australian community that appropriate guidance on limiting standards of care under extreme conditions can be developed and integrated within prehospital care in Australia. SmithE, BurkleFM Jr., GebbieK, FordD, BensimonC. Acceptable limitations on paramedic duty to treat during disaster: a qualitative exploration. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(5):466-470.

Incorporating Lifecycle Emission Information in Promoting Chemical Exposure Screening

While high-throughput human chemical exposure screening often relies on hazard indicators such as persistence and bioaccumulation potential, realistic human chemical exposure and potential health risks are also dependent on factors such as chemical use information and chemical-specific exposure pathways. Multimedia, multi-pathway exposure models are being used for chemical prioritization and screening, the parameterization of which requires chemical specific use and emission information (e.g., how is it emitted? how much?). This information, however, is often insufficient or missing for most chemicals in commerce. To address this issue, we propose integrating substance flow analysis, which is a powerful tool to derive chemical emissions throughout the chemical/product lifecycle, into high-throughput screening for human exposure potential. As an illustrative example, we combine a substance flow model (a simplified version of CiP-CAFE) with chemical fate and exposure models (RAIDAR and RAIDAR-ICE), to create a modeling continuum from the quantity produced or imported to human aggregate exposure. Our model requires inputs of basic properties of chemicals (e.g., partitioning coefficients, and degradation/biotransformation rates) and associated products (e.g., use categories, lifespans and material characteristics). These properties can either be retrieved from existing data resources or calculated by models, which enables the model's wide applicability to high-throughput screening of both existing and new substances. The model allows "forward" evaluation of human aggregate exposure to chemicals arising from their actual use, or "back" calculation of the critical production/import quantities of a chemical that would not cause an unacceptable level of risk (the latter depends on the availability of toxicological data). Overall, the approach demonstrates promise in high-throughput exposure screening of the myriad of chemicals.

COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL CITY

The aim of the study was a comprehensive analysis of the state of the environment in the industrialized city of Voronezh to justify measures to protect the environment and prevent the morbidity of the population. Material and methods. The study uses materials from the regional information fund for social and hygienic monitoring, which is implemented on the basis of the Federal State Health Care Institution “Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Voronezh Region” under the “Environment” section for the last 5 years. The methods of the comprehensive assessment of anthropogenic load on the environment and methods for assessing the health risks of the population due to environmental factors are applied. Results. The anthropogenic load on the environment has been established to be significantly higher in the territories with the predominant negative influence of the industrial sector (Coefficient of complex anthropogenic load (CL = 13.29)) and motor traffic loads (CL = 14.65) relative to the relatively prosperous territory (CL = 7.97). Among the analyzed factors (air pollution, drinking water quality, soil contamination in the residential area, road noise), the leading contribution of the aerotechnogenic factor to the formation of the level of anthropogenic load in the urban area (58.1-58.5%) was determined on the basis of a comprehensive hygienic assessment. An assessment of the health risks of the population showed the priority of the adverse impact of air pollution and road noise on the city residents. According to the degree of carcinogenic danger, the most unfavorable situation is observed in the industrial area near the aircraft plant and the plant for the production of synthetic rubber, where high levels of total individual carcinogenic risk (chrome+6, soot, acrolein, formaldehyde), more than 1∙10-4, less than 1∙10-3, which is classified as a hazardous risk. The unacceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk (HQ&gt;1) in the industrial area is exceeded by 4 out of 14 controlled substances: acrolein, nitric oxide, copper oxide, chromium+6. When assessing the unidirectional effects of substances, an unacceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk (HI&gt;1) was found to be characteristic for the development of the pathology if respiratory, cardiovascular, hemopoietic (blood) and endocrine system. The risk of disrupting the health of the urban population at existing levels of noise from road transport exceeds acceptable values. The highest risk indices for health from the effects of transport noise are characteristic for diseases of the cardiovascular system. As the age (probable duration of the exposure time) increases from 10 to 35 years, the risk level is estimated as average (the risk ranges from 0.051 to 0.342 units), from 40 to 45 years - as high (from 0.352 to 0.591), from 50 to 70 years - as extreme (from 0.607 to 1). The identified problems must be solved in the context of the overall development of the city.

EVALUATION OF HEALTH OF THE POPULATION LIVING IN THE ZONE OF THE EXPOSURE TO THE PLANT ON PROCESSING OF FERROVANADE ALLOYS

A total of 366 children aged from 4 to 10 years living in the territory with the presence of vanadium at atmospheric air at a level of up to 1.2 MPC average daily dose (MPC add) and manganese - up to 2.2 MPCadd were examined. In conditions of the chronic aerogenic exposure to vanadium and manganese, unacceptable levels of chronic non-carcinogenic risk to respiratory health (HI up to 72.3) and central nervous system (HI up to 41.3) are formed. The comparison group included 358 children of similar age who were not exposed to vanadium and manganese. In exposed children, the average content of vanadium and manganese in the blood appeared by 1.1-3.5 times higher than the reference levels and by 4.2 times than in the comparison group. During the clinical-functional and laboratory examination every second child with a high blood content of vanadium and manganese was established to show chronic respiratory diseases and pathology of the nervous system. It was noted that in the observation group chronic lymphoproliferative diseases of the nasopharynx are diagnosed by 2.3 times, chronic allergic rhinitis - by 8.5 times more frequently. Every third child of the observation group was revealed to have a restrictive disorder of breathing. The syndrome of autonomus dysfunction occurred in 12% of exposed children and manifested as sinus bradyarrhythmia or sinus tachycardia. Exposed children with a high blood content of vanadium and manganese develop oxidative stress (1.3 times increase in the content of lipid hydroperoxide, a 1.3-fold decrease in the level of total antioxidant status, superoxide dismutase in the blood serum), and a violation of the mechanisms of biological regulation at the molecular level (an increase in the level of nitric oxide, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, a decrease in the content of cyclic adenosine monophosphate).