Irkutsk region is among territories of intense industrial development. Considerable part of the regional population is long exposed to chemical pollutants of environmental objects. Th e authors evaluated carcinogenic risk for the population of industrial centers and rural area. Findings are that maximal carcinogenic risk is carried by the urban population. Aggregated carcinogenic risk parameters evaluation proved inhalation to be a priority route of exposure. Irkutsk region appeared to have territories with high carcinogenic risk for public health. Among a list of chemicals in the ambient air are priority carcinogens: six-valent chromium and lead. The evidences necessitate measures on the risks minimization. Due to absent data on carcinogens content of drinkable water in some rural area, the necessity is to evaluate risk for the rural population by studies of drinkable water quality that does not match hygienic regulations, because oral one is a main route of carcinogens intake.

Background: Fluoride compounds are one of the main components of industrial emissions from aluminum production. Natural deposition of fluorides with precipitation leads to their accumulation in soil and surface waters. In winter, the snow cover enables an assessment of industrial pollution with fluoride compounds. The objective of our work was to study fluoride levels in the snow cover in the emission zone of the primary aluminum smelter in the town of Shelekhov, Irkutsk Region. Materials and methods: Snow sampling was performed at nine points at different distances from the plant and fluoride concentrations were then measured in the aqueous fraction and solid precipitate by a potentiometric method with ion-selective electrode. Results: The aqueous fraction was a solution of hydrofluoride and sodium fluoride. Insoluble fluorides were found as a mixture of aluminum fluoride, calcium fluoride, cryolite, and aluminum tetrafluoride. We established that the soluble fraction exceeded 90 % in all snow samples. Within the urban agglomeration, snow pollution was distributed differentially. The total fluoride level in residential areas of Shelekhov was 14 to 21 times higher than that at the reference point. At the same time, in the area of a suburban rural settlement located downwind of the smelter, it reached a 33-fold excess. Conclusion: The main source of environmental pollution in the Shelekhovsky district of the Irkutsk Region is the processing of cryolite and fluoride salts in the primary aluminum production technological cycle generating fluorine-containing gaseous emissions and solid wastes. Concentrations of industrial pollutants in snow correlated with the distance from the source of emissions and the prevailing wind directions. Contribution of a heat power engineering enterprise to the industrial pollution of the local environment with fluorides was also revealed.

The article presents retrospective assessment of chemical factors in aluminum production over a long follow-up period. The main pollutants of the workplace air are fluorine compounds, resinous substances, and disintegration aerosol. The comparative assessment of the workplace air composition during the operation of electrolytic cells with self-baking anodes and when using a new technology with pre-baked anodes was carried out. The results of the research were processed using standard parametric methods of calculation of mean value and error in mean. It is shown that the introduction of a new technology of pre-baked anodes contributes to the optimization of working environment, reduction of harmful chemicals in the workplace air.

Introduction. Lead pollution is a common environmental problem. Having no physiological functions, this toxicant has a negative polytropic impact on a body, including neurotoxic, reproductive, and transgenerational effects. The mechanism of lead toxicity is oxidative stress. Flavonoids have active antioxidant properties. They are widely represented in plant foods, are able to restore protective capabilities of cells and have chelating properties with respect to lead. One of the representatives of this group of substances is dihydroquercetin. The objective was to study the effect of dihydroquercetin on behavior of rats with hereditary chemical body burden exposed to lead at 60 mg/kg during 25 days. Materials and methods. We studied the behavior of rat offspring in an open field and established their blood lead levels by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry. For statistical processing the U-Mann – Whitney test was used. Results. In the present experiment, the effect of lead on the offspring of male albino rats exposed to 60 mg/kg of lead for 25 days caused changes in the activity of animals in the open field. The severity of changes was more pronounced in animals with a hereditary chemical body burden. These animals showed a decrease in orientation and physical activity and increased anxiety. In rats with a hereditary burden, changes in behavior were detected when administering dihydroquercetin. The activity of animals demonstrated a positive dynamics: we observed a statistically significant increase in physical activity and orientation. The number and duration of behavioral acts approached control values. Conclusions. The revealed effects of lead on the offspring of albino rats with a transgenerational chemical body burden require further study to understand the mechanism of the phenomenon.