UDC

[613.63+504.5]:[622.82+622.85]

DOI

10.37482/2687-1491-Z267

Authors

Aleksandr V. Sochilin* ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4785-5823
Dmitry R. Sadekov* ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7346-4189
Valery S. Kotov* ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2369-2932
*M. Gorky Donetsk State Medical University (Donetsk, Russia)

Corresponding author: Dmitry Sadekov, address: prosp. Il’icha 16, Donetsk, 283003, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, Russia; e-mail: dmsadekov@yandex.ru

Abstract

Burning spoil tips of the Donetsk coal basin pose a serious threat to the ecology of the region and the health of its residents. Solving this problem requires joint efforts of the state, scientific community and society. Only an integrated approach will help minimize the negative consequences of the anthropogenic impact and ensure sustainable development of this territory. The purpose of this article was to study the temporal and spatial characteristics of environmental pollution in the area of a burning coal-based spoil tip. Materials and methods. An ecological and hygienic assessment of the environment was carried out on the territory of the Sverdlov mine (Sverdlovsk, Lugansk People’s Republic) from 2009 to 2013. Maximum one-time samples of atmospheric air were collected from the leeward side of the tip at a distance of up to 500 m (zone I) and 500–1000 m (zone II); soil samples were taken in zone I. Air quality was determined based on the content of suspended solids and gaseous components (carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and phenol) in the atmospheric air. Soil contamination with metals (Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn) and arsenic was measured using N.A. Bogdanov’s method. Results. The particle size of coal dust decreased with distance from the spoil tip. The level of air pollution in the studied areas was classified as unacceptable. Soil contamination with heavy metals and arsenic should be considered hazardous within the sanitary protection zone and moderately hazardous at a distance of 1000 m from the zone’s boundary. Near the emission source, increased concentrations of pollutants in the dust pose a danger, while with distance, the proportion of fine particles in the atmospheric air increases.

Keywords

burning spoil tip, air pollution, suspended solids, heavy metals, arsenic, soil pollution, ecological and hygienic assessment, Donetsk coal basin

References

1. Geger E.V., Zolotnikova G.P., Kaptsov V.A. Methods of Evaluation of the Sanitary-Ecological Condition of Territories. Hyg. Sanitation, 2019, vol. 98, no. 1, pp. 1338–1341 (in Russ.).
2. Glukhova E.I., Mokhovik S.V., Ermachenko A.B. Sostoyanie okruzhayushchey sredy v rayone razmeshcheniya goryashchego terrikona [Environmental Conditions in the Area of a Burning Spoil Tip]. Vestnik gigieny i epidemiologii, 2010, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 215–219.
3. Yermachenko A.B., Kotov V.S. Hygienic Rationale for Normalization Suspended Particles in Atmospheric Air with Regard to Their Fractional Composition. Hyg. Populated Places, 2013, no. 62, pp. 46–49 (in Russ.).
4. Zakrutkin V.E., Petrova A.V. O khimicheskom sostave tverdofaznykh atmosfernykh vypadeniy na territorii uglepromyshlennykh rayonov Vostochnogo Donbassa [On the Chemical Composition of Solid Atmospheric Fallout in the Coal-Mining Regions of Eastern Donbass]. Nauki o Zemle: vchera, segodnya, zavtra [Earth Sciences: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow]. Kazan, 2015, pp. 7–14.
5. Bogdanov N.A. Diagnostika territoriy po integral’nym pokazatelyam khimicheskogo zagryazneniya pochv i gruntov [Diagnosis of the Territories with the Use of Integral Indices of Chemical Contamination of Soil and Grounds, Relied on the Background and Hygienic Standards]. Gigiena i sanitariya, 2014, no. 1, pp. 92–97.
6. Kurbanova Sh.I., Yusupkhuzhaeva A.M. K metodike otsenki zdorov’ya naseleniya v svyazi s zagryazneniem atmosfernogo vozdukha [On the Method of Assessing Population Health in Connection with Air Pollution]. Molodoy uchenyy, 2023, no. 46, pp. 59–61.
7. Vlasova O.A., Tovpeko O.P. Analiz zagryazneniya okruzhayushchey sredy vybrosami stekol’noy promyshlennosti [Analysis of Environmental Pollution from Glass Industry Emissions]. Nauchnye issledovaniya, 2018, no. 6, pp. 17–20.
8. Baleva L.S., Sipyagina A.E. Ecologic Pediatrics Is a Pressing Challenge of Our Time. Rossiyskiy vestnik perinatologii i pediatrii, 2020, vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 6–11 (in Russ). https://doi.org/10.21508/1027-4065-2020-65-6-6-11
9. Shakhova N.V., Kashinskaya T.S., Kamaltynova E.M. Prevalence of Bronchial Asthma and Allergic Diseases Among Children. Allergol. Immunol. Pediatr., 2022, no. 2, pp. 5–12 (in Russ.). https://doi.org/10.53529/2500-1175-2022-2-5-12
10. Agarkov N.M., Churnosov M.I., Osipova O.A., Sharapova O.V., Modestov A.A., Korovin E.N., Eckert N.V. Effect of Anthropogenic Atmospheric Pollutants on the Prevalence of Congenital Malformations in Newborns. Rossiyskiy vestnik perinatologii i pediatrii, 2020, vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 34–41 (in Russ). https://doi.org/10.21508/1027-4065-2020-65-6-34-41
11. Lastkov D.O., Gaponova O.V., Gosman D.A., Ostrenko V.V. Tyazhelye metally kak zagryazniteli okruzhayushchey sredy: otsenka riska zdorov’yu naseleniya [Heavy Metals as Environmental Pollutants: Risk Assessment on Health of Population]. Arkhiv klinicheskoy i eksperimental’noy meditsiny, 2019, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 180–183.