Assessment of the epidemiological risk to public health and ecological and hygienic characteristics of the soils of an industrial city with a developed metalworking industry

Introduction. The paper presents the results of a study to assess the epidemiological risk to public health and the level of soil contamination with heavy metals and arsenic in the city of Kolchugino, a large metalworking center of the Vladimir region.

Materials and methods. The objects of the study are the morbidity of the population of the Kolchuginsky district of the Vladimir region and the soil cover of the city of Kolchugino, whose industrial enterprises specialize in processing and obtaining products from non-ferrous metals. Soil samples were taken in the area of industrial enterprises, highways, residential and landscape-recreational areas. The soil cover was examined by X-ray fluorescence method to determine the content of heavy metals such as Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and metalloid As.

Results. The conducted epidemiological risk assessment study made it possible to establish children of the Kolchuginsky district, relative to background regional values, to have a very high epidemiological risk of morbidity by 9 classes of diseases. The adult population has a very high risk of morbidity by 7 classes of diseases. The priority pollutants of the soil of Kolchugino are zinc, arsenic, and copper. Significant contamination of the soil with heavy metals was noted both in industrial, residential,l and landscape-recreational areas. Dangerous chemical contamination of the soil with heavy metals Cu and Zn has been detected in the park of the Palace of Culture, located next to the city-forming metalworking enterprises. The assessment of the level of chemical soil pollution showed that the residential and landscape-recreational areas of the city, where most of the residents live and rest, are located in the zone of moderately dangerous or dangerous category of soil pollution.

Limitations. The limitations of the study are related to the single sampling and a small number of reference sites, which limits the possibilities of a broader interpretation of the data obtained.

Conclusion. The unfavourable state of the soil cover in the residential and landscape-recreational areas of Kolchugino poses health risks to the population living here and fails to correspond to the concept of creating a comfortable urban environment. It is necessary to manage and conduct constant ecological and hygienic monitoring of these urban areas, for which it is necessary to develop a system of measures for soil remediation in Kolchugino. To reduce the further intake of pollutants into the soil of the city and, in particular, heavy metals, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of gas-air emissions purification systems of metalworking enterprises in the city, and improve the arrangement of sanitary protection zones. To reduce the content of heavy metals in the soil, it is necessary to carry out measures to detoxify contaminated soils.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study does not require a biomedical ethics committee opinion.

Contribution:
Martsev A.A. — research concept and design, material collection and statistical data processing, text writing;
Selivanov O.G. — material collection and data processing, text writing;
Kurbatov Yu.N. — laboratory research;
Trifonova T.A. — research concept and design, final structuring of the article for publication.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: Feruary28, 2024 / Accepted: April 9, 2024 / Published: June 17, 2024