Ekologiya cheloveka (Human Ecology)

BACKGROUND: The Arctic zone of Russia is an economically and geostrategically significant but ecologically vulnerable macroregion, which increases the risks to its sustainable development. The single-industry structure of local economies makes Arctic territories dependent on the environmental policies and social responsibility of city-forming enterprises. Under these conditions, the ecological behavior of the population becomes an important factor in stabilizing and implementing environmental protection initiatives. At the same time, the stage of enterprise development and the accumulated environmental damage determine how residents perceive ecological problems and their own responsibility. Therefore, analyzing the differentiation of environmental attitudes of population in Arctic single-industry towns in the socio-economic context is of particular relevance.

AIM: The work aimed to identify the specific features of environmental attitudes among residents in areas with varying levels of accumulated environmental damage and different stages in the life cycle of city-forming enterprises.

METHODS: It was a cross-sectional survey based on the norm activation theory (model) proposed by Schwartz. The authors developed a sociological questionnaire to assess environmental attitudes and ecological behavior practices among the population. The empirical basis of the study consists of survey data from residents of two municipal districts of the Komi Republic—Vorkuta and Usinsk (n = 513). The main research methods included statistical analysis and structural equation modeling.

RESULTS: The study revealed territorial features of how residents perceive the environmental situation in Vorkuta and Usinsk municipal districts, as well as differences in their assessment of the components of ecological behavior. Environmental issues are not a top priority for residents; however, the population expressed dissatisfaction with household waste pollution and the consequences of industrial activity. At the same time, it was found that fostering awareness of environmental pollution consequences, clarifying responsibility boundaries for solving ecological problems, and strengthening confidence in the possibility of personal contribution positively affect environmental attitudes. Using the case of Vorkuta municipal district, the study verified the correspondence of the developed questionnaire to the norm activation theory, and a norm activation model for environmental protection was constructed for the studied population.

CONCLUSION: Thus, although the environmental attitudes of residents in territories with different levels of accumulated environmental damage and at different stages in the life cycle of city-forming enterprises share common trends, they differ in terms of the attribution of responsibility for solving ecological problems. Future research will focus on improving the questionnaire, considering a broader range of factors, and extending the study to new territories.

BACKGROUND: To maintain and promote health from an early age, it is necessary to ensure an adequate intake of biologically active substances such as vitamins and minerals. Drinking water is an important source of minerals, especially under conditions of dietary deficiency. One proposed way of compensating for this deficiency is the use of packaged drinking water. To assess its contribution to the supply of trace elements in children, the intake of each element with packaged drinking water should be calculated.

AIM: The work aimed to perform a hygienic assessment of packaged drinking water for infant nutrition in terms of chemical safety indicators and to calculate its contribution to the supply of essential and conditionally essential elements to the human body.

METHODS: It was a cross-sectional sanitary-hygienic study of packaged drinking water. The study objects included samples of packaged water from seven of the most popular Russian brands, five of which were intended for children from birth to three years of age and two for children over three years. The analysis of bottled water was conducted at the Testing Laboratory Center of the North-West Public Health Research Center, where pH and concentrations of 17 chemical indicators were determined in each sample. Calculations were performed for daily intake of macro- and microelements with drinking water. The results were evaluated for compliance with the Technical Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, On the Safety of Packaged Drinking Water, Including Natural Mineral Water (TR EAEU 044/2017), and with methodological guidelines on physiological requirements.

RESULTS: The study established that the content of mineral elements in all samples did not exceed the normative values set by TR EAEU 044/2017. The calculated results indicated a predominantly low level of contribution to meeting physiological requirements for the analyzed mineral substances. For certain parameters, such as fluorides, selenium, iodine, calcium, and magnesium, the values obtained should be taken into account when assessing mineral intake.

CONCLUSION: Thus, the data obtained substantiate the rationale of taking packaged drinking water into account when assessing the supply of the body with certain essential and conditionally essential elements.

BACKGROUND: The Transbaikal Territory is characterized by an excess, deficiency, and/or unfavorable ratios of numerous macro- and microelements in environmental objects, determined by the region’s geochemical features. These factors directly affect the elemental status of the human body and contribute to the development of pathological conditions.

AIM: The work aimed to investigate the characteristics of the elemental status of children and adolescents living in areas with varying levels of anthropogenic load.

METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study. Inclusion criteria: children and adolescents aged 6–14 years, permanently residing in the study area since birth; no intake of vitamin–mineral complexes or medications; natural hair condition. Two groups were identified depending on the presence of sites of accumulated environmental damage near settlements: group 1 included children and adolescents residing in settlements without such sites; group 2 included children and adolescents living near tailing ponds and mine waste dumps. To assess the characteristics of elemental status, the chemical composition of hair was analyzed using total reflection X-ray fluorescence on an S2 Picofox spectrometer.

RESULTS: The study included 148 children and adolescents residing in the Transbaikal Territory. Statistically significantly higher concentrations of most essential, conditionally essential, and toxic chemical elements were found in the biosubstrate of group 1 (n=97), living in settlements characterized by a significant number of thermal power facilities, railway infrastructure, industrial enterprises, and motor vehicles, compared with group 2 (n=51), residing in settlements located in close proximity to tailing ponds (p <0.001). Statistically significantly elevated levels of zinc and lead and decreased levels of essential elements (selenium, iodine, cobalt) were observed in the hair of group 2 compared with group 1. Correlation analysis of the quantitative content of different chemical elements in the biosubstrate revealed extensive interrelationships, reflecting the influence of both geological formations and anthropogenic pressure in the residential areas of study participants.

CONCLUSION: The assessment of macro- and microelement content and ratios in hair provides an opportunity to evaluate the geochemical characteristics of territories with different natural and technogenic conditions and to develop preventive measures to avoid disturbances in the elemental status of the population.