Introduction. The extraction of minerals is associated with a permanent or periodic stay of workers at open production sites. However, there is an underestimation of the impact of working meteorological factors on the health both in the system of regulation and control over working conditions. The aim of the study is to scientifically substantiate approaches to the development of preventive measures to minimize the risk of health disorders and inform about the risk when working in an open area during the cold season. Materials and methods. The study included employees of the oil-producing enterprise of Western Siberia Samotlorneftegaz, performing labour operations in open areas during the cold season (operators, machinists, repairmen). The study included three stages: a priori risk assessment, a posteriori risk assessment, and an assessment of the individual characteristics of employees. The a priori risk assessment based on production control data and a special assessment of working conditions for the period from 2014 to 2018. A posteriori risk assessment based on data from periodic medical examinations. Personal characteristics based on the results of a questionnaire, in natural and model tests. Results. A quantitative assessment of a priori and a posteriori risk made it possible to identify groups of workers with a significant risk of developing occupational and general pathology, as well as to prioritize preventive measures aimed at preventing the harmful effects of working environment factors and the labour process on the health of an employee. The assessment of local and general violations of thermoregulation in workers performing labour operations in open areas during the cold season made it possible to establish individual risk factors: prolonged work in open areas (more than 60% of working time), the presence of chronic pathology, smoking habit and work experience. Limitations. As part of this study, the assessment of the health status of workers based on data from periodic medical examinations. At the same time, the study does not include the results of medical examinations at the place of residence of workers, which can expand data on the health status of workers and be the subject of further research. Further research on the stated topic may be associated with the need to assess an additional list of individual characteristics when working in an open area during the cold season, taking into account genetic and biochemical markers. Conclusion. The results obtained made it possible to substantiate a set of measures to minimize the risk of health disorders at the level of primary prevention, as well as to propose measures at the level of secondary prevention.
Introduction. There is a potential risk of harm to kid health when using toys, in particular, there is a possibility of micro-fungi entering the oral cavity of a baby when using bath toys, which may be the cause of mycotic diseases. The study was initiated by the appeal of the Russian TV First Channel to the Institute of Medical Mycology named after P.N. Kashkin, where samples of used bath toys with a black scurf inside were transferred for research and evaluation of their safety. The purpose: to evaluate the safety of the presented samples of baby bath toys after their intended use. Materials and methods. The experimental group was represented by four baby toys for the bath, which were used for their intended purpose, and were operated for several months. As a control, 4 similar toys for the bath were used. The study of the inner surface of the toys of the experimental group was carried out using a Leica DM 4020 light microscope,and sowing scrapings on Sabouraud’s solid nutrient medium. Isolates were determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The inner surface of the toys was also studied by scanning electron microscopy. The fungus resistance of the samples was assessed according to GOST 9.049-91. Results. The study of the inner surface of prototype toys for the bath established the well-developed and “young” biofilms in the black areas of the inner surface. Biconvex spores (2×3 μm) of fungal origin were identified. Inoculation of swabs from the inner surface revealed a massive growth of opportunistic fungi: yeast fungi Candida guilliermondii (Castell.) Langeron & Guerra and Rhodotorula spp.. Studies on the fungus resistance of control samples of toys show that the material is not a nutrient medium for microfungi (neutral or fungistatic). Limitations: a relatively small sample of samples, the use of expensive high-tech equipment, the difficulty of reproducibility of the result. Conclusion. Colonization of the interior surface of toy specimens used in bathing kids with microscopic fungi and bacteria is indicative of a potential risk of harm to infants due to product design, period of use, and possibly materials used. In this regard, it is necessary to review the hygienic safety requirements for the design of bath toys and make appropriate additions to the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union “On the safety of toys” (TR CU 008/2011). Safety can be ensured by the requirement of tightness of the body of toys, as well as a significant reduction in the service life of such products.
Introduction. To perform mass studies of the indoors air environment of the ammonium content the actual issues are the shortening of the sampling time and material costs for their implementation, reduction of adverse effects of ammonium with keeping of the objectivity of results. Aim. The elaboration of the method of short-term air sampling for indoors ammonium and comparative assessment ofdifferent methods of sampling in the course of modeling and field tests. Materials and Methods. Air sampling for ammonium was carried out according to the developed program and standard method, under the average daily 4-fold taking according to State Standards (GOST) 17.2.3.01-86 andRD 52.04.186-89. The evaluation of the significance of deviations of analysis results was carried out in accordance with GOST R ISO 5725-6-2002 and Recommendations of the Interstate Standardization RMG - 61-2003. Results. There were executed model and field tests of air sampling for ammonium according to the standard method and the program of short-term sampling. There were obtained significantly comparable results of ammonium content in the indoor air in the course of model and field tests. Conclusions. Sampling according to the developed program has a number of advantages, including: the shortening of sampling time, material costs, increasing in productivity in the analysis of indoor airfor the ammonium content. The execution oftest sampling according to the developed program allows to reduce the time of ammonium exposure to personnel carrying out the test sampling.
Introduction. The introduction of amendments and additions to the anti-smoking Federal Law No. 15-FZ of 23.02.2013 in 2020 contributed to the cardinal revision of the name of this law and the introduction of a ban on consumption of any nicotine-containing products in public places. There are no separate, specially allocated isolated premises provided for the consumption of tobacco products and other types of nicotine-containing products by law, even though specially conducted studies have shown significantly different levels of additional inhalation risk arising from air pollution when consuming tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems or heating tobacco. The aim of the study: based on experimental data, to justify the multiplicity of air exchange in unique isolated rooms designed to protect against the effects of ambient tobacco smoke, the consequences of tobacco consumption or nicotine-containing products. Materials and methods. The study was subject to 3 types of nicotine-containing products: tobacco cigarettes (cigarettes), an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) and an electronic tobacco heating system (ETHS). In the course of the study were carried out: a series of experiments on the consumption of nicotine-containing products in various ways in a specially equipped indoor room, air sampling and laboratory studies were performed, the gross and specific emissions of chemicals entering the air environment from one unit of production per hour were calculated, the selection of priority chemicals for calculating the air removed from the room when using nicotine-containing products of each type was carried out, the necessary level of air exchange of premises was calculated, intended for the consumption of tobacco or nicotine. Results. The indoor air quality assessment showed that the main components of the gross intake into the air environment are suspended particles and carbon monoxide when smoking cigarettes. However, taking into account the values of the maximum permissible concentrations, the most significant contribution to the integral indicator is made by acetaldehyde and suspended particles PM10 and PM2.5. Using ENDS, the most significant pollutants were acetaldehyde and carbon monoxide, using ETHS - acetaldehyde and suspended particles PM10 and PM2.5. For all the investigation types of products, the priority substance for calculating the removed air is acetaldehyde, its share in the structure of all detected pollutants was: for cigarettes - 56.27%, for ENDS - 62.7%, for ETHS - 82.51%, in connection with which its specific values can be used to calculate the consumption of the removed air when modelling a specially allocated room intended for the consumption of tobacco products and other types of nicotine-containing products. Conclusion. The obtained findings demonstrated an obvious, more than 10-fold difference in the requirements for air exchange of premises intended for cigarette smoking and premises intended for the consumption of ENDS or ETHS, at the same intensity of consumption. Therefore, when organizing specially designated places for smoking or the consumption of nicotine-containing products, it is advisable to separate them depending on the type of products consumed: tobacco smoking separately, ENDS and ETHS consumption separately.
The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive hygienic assessment of environmental conditions in the port cities of the Sakhalin region to identify priority risk factors affecting on population health and management decisions for the optimization of living conditions. As a result of the assessment of risk and damages for public health from the effects of air pollution on the dose-response, effects were found to excess of impact on the target organs by 10 times. The main ecotoxicant was determined to be manganese oxide, which is associated with a priority manganese content in soil samples ofport cities. The positive dynamics of the gain in the accumulation of soil heavy metals according to the total index indicates to the existence of problems for soil contamination. Analysis of demographic variables shows that the population of the Sakhalin region in general and the port cities in particular relates to a regressive type. The main causes of the population decline are mortality and migration outflow of able-bodied population in other regions of Russia. However, in the port cities there is an increase in the number of work places, contributing to an increase in the labor force. The primary and general morbidity of the population ofport cities is characterized by higher levels compared with the average for the Sakhalin Region and the Far Eastern Federal District. Among all the classes of diseases as priority ones there are marked “neoplasm”, “diseases of the nervous system”, “respiratory diseases”, “diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue”. Port cities occupy the top ranking places on the incidence of malignant tumors among the cities of the Sakhalin region.
The objective of the research was to study the dynamics of health indices of children and adolescents of the city of Saint Petersburg for 20 years. We analyzed official statistical data of general and primary morbidity rate of children aged of 0-14 years and adolescents aged 15-17 years, the incidence of chronic diseases in schoolchildren (7-17 years), as well as there was held a comparative analysis of the health state of senior schoolchildren in 5 Saint Petersburg schools with advanced content of education based on indices of the pathological prevalence rate, physical development, non-specific resistance, adaptation status. The study was executed according to approved standard methods. In the study, over a 20-year period there was revealed a steady trend of health deterioration of children and adolescent population of the city as a whole, and schoolchildren enrolled in the program with advanced content of education as well. The prevalence rate of diseases in children has increased by 72.0%, while primary morbidity increased by 70.4%. Adolescents aged 15-17 years showed more pronounced gain of indices than in children, the level of general and primary morbidity rate has increased by 2 times. In the structure of general and primary morbidity of children and adolescents first ranking places were held by respiratory diseases, injuries, poisoning, diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. In chronic morbidity of schoolchildren there were prevailed diseases of the musculoskeletal system, diseases of the eye and its appendages, respiratory diseases. There was established the gain in the pathological prevalence rate in schoolchildren with advanced content of education. In the majority of the surveyed high school students there were diagnosed polysystemic changes in health status. Negative trends in the health status of children and adolescents of the city of Saint - Petersburg were confirmed by indices of nonspecific resistance: immunological tests, key elements of protective enzyme systems of the body. In order to stabilize the growth of children and adolescent incidence there were suggested directions of prevention work.
Introduction. Macromycetes include mercury compounds in their metabolism processes. The method for assessing the contamination of the soil layer (topsoil) by mercury by estimating the mercury content in the mushrooms is accessible and sufficiently informative. Mercury is a persistent inorganic ecotoxicant, it enters the human body from the environment. This process requires constant monitoring of the content of this hazardous metal in the environment and the in biomaterials of the human organism. Material and methods. The object of the study was selected bracket macromycetes growing on open soil areas: lawns, boulevards, parks, squares, etc. There were studied representatives from the fungal families as follows: Agaricacea, Boletaceae, Russu-laceae, Coprinaceae. Mushrooms were collected in the stage of sporulation, in the spring-summer-autumn period from 2002 to 2017. The determination of mercury in fungi was performed by atomic absorption method on specialized mercury analyzers of the “Julia” series (detection limit of 1 ng/g, the error of the method is not more than 15%). Mercury content in hair was determined in 1153 St. Petersburg residents aged from 0 to 80 years using atomic emission and mass spectrometry methods with inductively coupled argon plasma on devices Elan 9000 (Perkin Elmer, USA) and Optima 2000 V (Perkin Elmer, USA). Results. The results of the analysis of mushrooms collected in 2017 on one of the green streets of the industrial district of Saint-Petersburg demonstrate a high degree of mercury contamination of the megapolis. Mushrooms (Cinereus comatus) were collected at three locations of Alameda, separated by approximately 100 m, and were analyzed for the content of mercury in them. The following values of mercury in mushrooms were got is a 0.61 mg/kg, 0.83 mg/kg and 0.35 mg/kg. The hair of 1153 inhabitants of St.-Petersburg has been analyzed for mercury content. The highest concentrations of mercury have been established to be set at working population aged 18-64 years. This fact can be explained by the professional activities associated with the contact with mercury and active way of life, particularly with greater frequency of the use in the diet of mushrooms and other products, being potential sources of mercury. Discussion. The performed studies show the mercury concentration to be not only generalized but also stable. The pollution of the territory of St. Petersburg is little different from the pollution of the territories of other cities, where the mercury content in mushrooms is also found to be high in comparison with the permissible level. Conclusion. The obtained data indicate a high stable contamination of the territory of St. Petersburg and its nearest suburbs with mercury. Mercury and its compounds in environmental objects (mushrooms) can present the real danger to the health of the population, therefore there is a need for non-invasive monitoring of the content of mercury in biomaterials of the human organism and environmental objects.