Air Pollution in Kazakhstan and Its Health Risk Assessment

Abstract

Background:Air pollution in Kazakhstan is caused by many factors and poses serious threats to public health. Ambient air in the cities of Kazakhstan is polluted due to mining and processing of mineral resources, oil and gas production, gasoline and diesel fuel motor vehicles, industrial enterprises.Objective:The study aim is to assess the air pollution degree in most significant settlements of Kazakhstan and define risk levels for the population health. Ambient air monitoring was conducted in 26 cities. Air pollution severity was assessed by the analysis results and processing of air samples taken at the stationary observation posts. Health risk assessment due to chemical factors was calculated according to the approved risk assessment methodology.Findings:There is high risk of acute adverse effects risk from suspended particles, oxides and dioxides of nitrogen and sulfur in almost all of the studied cities. The most unfavorable situation is in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Also, there is the adverse chronic effects risk caused by suspended particles exposure in majority of the studied cities. Extremely high chronic effects risk as a result of heavy metals exposure was detected in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Shymkent, Almaty, Taraz and Balkhash. Unacceptable carcinogenic risk levels have been determined for professional groups and the whole population with respect to cadmium in Shymkent, Almaty, Balkhash; arsenic in Shymkent, Almaty, Balkhash; lead in Taraz; chromium – in Shymkent, Aktobe, Almaty and Balkhash. Thus, the values of the hazard quotients and indices for acute and chronic exposure in most of the studied cities of Kazakhstan exceed the permissible level equal to 1.0.Conclusion:Due to the unacceptable risk levels in the cities it is strongly recommended to conduct a detailed study of the health status of the population depending on the air pollution.

Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and VDR Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Leukemia Patients and Healthy Subjects in Central Kazakhstan

“…Due to the lack of large population-based vitamin D studies in Kazakhstan, it is unclear if high incidence rates of leukemia in the Karaganda region observed during 2003-2013 [18] are related to the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Central Kazakhstan [17]. Leukemia incidence in this area may be influenced by multiple important factors, including its proximity to the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and high levels of toxic air pollutants [45]. Although our present pilot study is observational and involves small numbers of participants, it provides initial findings that warrant a larger and more detailed investigation into the possible contribution of vitamin D deficiency to high incidence of leukemia in Central Kazakhstan and other regions of the country.…”

Incidence and mortality rates of strokes in Kazakhstan in 2014–2019

“…Older people have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, dislipidemia, or coronary heart disease, which are associated with increased stroke mortality. The results of environmental studies show increased air pollution due to heavy metal exposure, coal mines, industrial enterprises, and power production in the abovementioned regions except for Kostanay 24 , which could explain the increase in the incidence of stroke in these regions. Studies have shown that air pollution and traffic noise can be important environmental risk factors for stroke in urban societies 25 , 26 .…”

Modern trends in the development of the construction industry in the production of building materials

“…Currently, in the Republic of Kazakhstan in dumps, according to reports of independent assessments [1,2], more than 400 million tons of ash and slag waste from thermal power plants and metallurgical waste have been accumulated, which is an aggravation of the environmental situation in industrial regions and requires the development of technical solutions to improve it [3].…”

“…A promising raw material for the production of building products is ash and slag waste from thermal power plants and waste from the metallurgical industry [5,6]. In addition, today the scaling of the technology for the production of heavy concrete using ash and slag waste from thermal power plants and waste from metallurgy of the Republic of Kazakhstan is widely used [1,7].…”