Report - UNDP Russia

Box 4.1. The village of Kolvain Ussinsk DistrictA major pipeline accident in 1994caused oil pollution of the river Kolva.Immediately after the accident oil concentrationin the river was 0.15-0.40 mg/l, compared withmaximum allowable 0.05 mg/l. Dangerouslyhigh levels of phenols and chlorides were alsoregistered. A detailed medical study of childrenin the village of Kolva in 1997 found seriousdysfunctions of urinary and gastrointestinalsystems. The kidneys are particularly vulnerableto effect of polluted drinking water. The urine ofchildren in the village also contained abnormallyhigh levels of phenol, indicating oil productmetabolism in the body. After the accidentpeople in Kolva stopped eating fish, whichprovided vital nutrients (magnesium,microelements (some of them toxic ones) andradioactive nuclides. Oil phenols, whichpenetrate drinking water, are particularlydangerous, since they can produce cancerouschlorine-organic compounds when such waterit chlorinated.There has been very littleepidemiological research into impact of oilspills on sources of drinking water and publichealth in Russia, but research was carried outon impact of the Usinsk oil spill in the KomiRepublic (Box. 4.1).4.1.2. Coal extractionCoal production in Russia plummeted inthe 1990s, but output (including open-castmining) has begun to recover since 2000.Discharge of untreated waste water into surfacewater bodies has increased by 83% and untreatedatmospheric emissions are up by 62% 17 . Coalmining is concentrated in areas, which already faceenvironmental difficulties due to operation of thecountry’s largest metallurgy and chemicalphosphates, specific amino-acids andunsaturated fatty acids). Dietary imbalances andlack of plant products (vegetables, fruit, berries)weakened immunity levels. Statistics showshigher incidence of illnesses of the digestivesystem among both adults and children in Kolva,compared with populations in other parts ofUsinsk District. High incidence of gastritis isspecific to children in the village 15 .Contamination of the environment withoil products also impacts the traditional lifestyleof indigenous peoples, which is based onfishing. An oil tanker accident near the Osinkiarchipelago and the coast of the Onegapeninsula in Arkhangelsk Region upset bioresourcesin the White Sea. Impact on localfishing communities, which depend on theseresources, has not been measured 16 .enterprises. Over 50% of Russia’s coal is mined inKemerovo Region (Kuzbass), and other large coalmining facilities are located in KrasnoyarskTerritory, Komi Republic, the Republic of Sakha(Yakutia) and some other regions.Pollution in populated areas is due tooperation of underground mines and open pits,and also to liquidation of unfeasible coalproduction facilities. Kemerovo, where coalmining is the dominant industry in eight cities,is the best-researched region. The atmospherein Kemerovo’s cities is polluted by particulatematter, and drinking water is contaminated bymetals. Locally produced food has excessiveconcentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury, andarsenic. Comparative environmental analysis ofKemerovo’s mining towns found highest levelsof air pollution in Belovo, followed byProkopyevsk and Osinniki, and then Kiselevsk,Berezovskiy, Leninsk-Kuznetskiy, Anzhero-Sudzhensk and Mezhdurechensk. Public healthproblems in these cities reflect adverseindustrial factors and air pollution, whichaccounts for 5.8-14.3% of newly diagnosed15B.A.Revich, Hot spots of chemical pollution and public health in Russia, M, The RF Public Chamber, 2007, p.19216A.A.Nenashev, Environmental aspects of oil and oil product transportation in Arkhangelsk Region // Human Ecology, 2005, No.12, pp.37-4117A.A.Kharitonovskiy, Yu.A.Tolchenkin, The status and primary vectors of environmental protection in the coal industry // Coal, 2008 No.2,pp56-5977