Mongolia is characterized by restricted sources of drinking water and intensive water pollution due to high rates of urbanization, mining industry development, enormous amount of livestock, and ever-growing attempts in domestic production of cereals and vegetables. Among others, Se is the least studied element in Mongolian water resources. Based on fluorimetric method of analysis, the first results on Se levels in drinking water of five aimags, Ulaanbaatar, and Erdenet were obtained. Uneven distribution of Se in Mongolia was manifested, the highest Se concentrations being typical for the southern resources (up to 18,600 μg/L) and the lowest, for the Northern ones (up to 0.022 μg/L). ICP-MS data of Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, I, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Sn, Sr, V, and Zn contents indicate poly-microelementosis existence in the South of Mongolia (Dorno-Gobi aimag) where ground water is characterized by elevated levels of As and extremely high levels of Se, Li, Na, F, Cl, B, and nitrates ions, exceeding maximum permissible levels by 1.86; 4.3; 3.1; 3.1; 2.7; 3.4; and 1.8 times respectively. Toxic concentrations of Se in groundwater of Dorno-Gobi aimag contradict with the published low human serum Se and low content of the element in horseflesh that suggests the possible effect of the above pollutants on Se bioavailability. Revealed phenomenon and mosaic distribution of heavy metals in areas with high and low Se content in water resources indicate the need of direct search for Se and other pollutant transfer in food chain in various ecological loading conditions, creation of a map of Se distribution in water resources of other Mongolian regions, and large-scale evaluation of the human poly-elemental status.

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Introduction. In order to assess the alimentary risks, the accumulation of toxic and conditionally toxic chemical elements in the body, the nutrition of the inhabitants of Erdenet (Mongolia), working at the same ore mining and processing enterprise, was studied. Material and methods. The study involved 160 men aged 30-60 years, the average age was 41.2 ± 1.1 years. Evaluation of nutrition was executed using the questionnaire method on the basis of food diaries for 3 days. The content of chemical elements in water-food rations was calculated from the multi-element analysis of samples of local food products and drinking water, carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Calculation of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk was carried out in accordance with the guidance of P 2.1.10.1920-04. Results. The nutrition structure of the examinees is not well balanced, there is practically no fish and seafood, fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet. The daily diet provides an excessive supply of molybdenum, chromium, copper, sodium, manganese. The total index of non-carcinogenic danger associated with the entry into the body of 26 chemical elements in the composition of the water-food ration exceeds the safe level by 6.98 times, mainly due to phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc. The level of non-carcinogenic toxic and conditionally essential elements does not exceed 1 (0.59 and 0.12, respectively). The main contribution is made by the entry of toxicants with food (96.6%). Drinking water as a source of danger is important only for lead, aluminum, boron, nickel, and vanadium. Individual carcinogenic risk due to the intake of carcinogens with food (2.4 × 10-4), as well as the total carcinogenic risk associated with oral route of admission (2.6 × 10-4) is estimated as unacceptable for the general population. At the same time, chromium (95.8%) makes the main contribution to the level of total oral risk. Conclusion. Possible sources of excess intake of these elements in the diet were discussed. There have been proposed measures to rationalize nutrition, which will ensure the prevention of major non-communicable diseases.

Introduction. Based on the average consumption of foodstuff, as well as data of the chemical composition of foodstuff, there are calculated the hazard coefficients and indices, individual risk for men working at the "Erdenet" mining and processing plant in Mongolia. The study aims to assess the health risks of mining and processing workers in Mongolia when exposed to essential Cu, Mo, Se and toxic elements As, Cd, Pb, Hg. Materials and methods. The content of essential and toxic elements in food rations was calculated from the data of multi-element analysis of samples of local foodstuff, conducted by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. 30 samples of foodstuff were examined for the content of elements: essential Cu, Mo, Se and toxic As, Cd, Pb, Hg. The calculation of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk was carried out in accordance with the guidelines P 2.1.10.1920-04. Results. An imbalance of the average daily intake of essential elements with the diet in the body of workers has been established: selenium consumption is 80.23% lower than the recommended norms of physiological needs; while the consumption of molybdenum is exceeded by 40.97%. The main sources of molybdenum are bread and bakery products (73.9%) produced from local raw materials. Limitations. Our study has a number of significant uncertainties related to the identification of the danger of individual toxicants, incomplete ideas about the levels of consumption of vegetables and fruits and their content of essential food substances and contaminants that were not included in the study of chemical composition. Conclusions. The calculated index of the non-carcinogenic hazard of toxic elements for the health of employees was 0.52, where 0.3 is by arsenic. The main contribution to the total HQ is the intake of essential and toxic elements from food (96.86%), while only 3.14% comes from drinking water.

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