Challenges of Changing Water Sources for Human Wellbeing in the Arctic Zone of Western Siberia

Abstract

The availability of clean drinking water impacts the quality of life of Arctic populations and is affected by climate change. We provide perceptions based on: (1) a study of the accessibility of the natural surface water to the nomadic and settled Indigenous inhabitants living in rural areas (in settlements and remote camps) in the Arctic zone of Western Siberia during climate change and industrial development; (2) an assessment of the impact of consuming different surface water resources on human health. We include primary data sources from medical examinations and surveys collected in the regions between the rivers of Ob, Nadym, Taz, and Yenisey in 2012, 2014–2019, and 2022 whereas the chemical analysis of the surface waters in the region was based on previous research. A total of 552 local residents from the Arctic zone of Western Siberia participated in the study. We discuss how the availability of high-quality drinking water is limited for them due to climatic and anthropogenic risks, despite the abundant water resources. The consumption of river water is associated with high health risks since it contains heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Mn, Fe), whereas the consumption of lake ice melt water likely affects health because of the low concentrations of beneficial ions.

Climate Change and Human Health in the Arctic: A Review

“…The remaining 31 papers focus on specific consequences of climate change, including extreme weather events like heat waves or cold spells, or cold climate implications in general (12) [67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. Additionally, topics such as wild fires and the associated air pollution (4) [81][82][83][84], permafrost degradation (5) [85][86][87][88][89], and health challenges connected with the impact of climate change on food and water security in the Arctic (10) [90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99], are explored. Most of the articles were studies from Russia (17) [50,51,58,63,[73][74][75][76]79,[83][84]…”

“…Additionally, topics such as wild fires and the associated air pollution (4) [81][82][83][84], permafrost degradation (5) [85][86][87][88][89], and health challenges connected with the impact of climate change on food and water security in the Arctic (10) [90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99], are explored. Most of the articles were studies from Russia (17) [50,51,58,63,[73][74][75][76]79,[83][84][85][86][87]90,91,93], Canada (14) [44,46,48,54,57,62,[66][67][68]88,…”

“…Shifts in environmental conditions caused by climate change can alter the dynamics of food and water-borne illnesses, with implications for food security and safety in Arctic communities: changes in ice cover and sea surface temperatures are impacting marine ecosystems and the availability of traditional food sources, potentially affecting the nutritional status and susceptibility to infectious diseases among Indigenous populations, which is observed for the northern areas of Canada [94,95,97,99], Russia [90,91,93], and the USA (Alaska) [92,98]. The reduction of access to traditional food resources, along with a decline in their availability and quality [90,92,94,99], as well as a decrease in the access to good-quality drinking water [91,[95][96][97][98], can have a crucial impact on the nutritional status of Indigenous populations. The consequences of climate change not only diminish the availability and distribution of subsistence resources, but also alter access for harvesters, resulting in resource shortages [92].…”

Features of the Chemical Composition of Natural Water and Its Impact on Human Health on the North of Western Siberia

“…Употребление озерных и речных вод, содержащих высокие концентрации растворенных органических веществ, ведет к снижению водопотребления населением и формированию питьевых привычек ограничения употребления воды. Проведенное исследование [4] показало, что употребление жителями Арктики речной воды способствует развитию артериальной гипертонии. Традиционное потребление ультрапресной талой воды (льда и снега) может способствовать развитию патологических изменений в организме человека, вести к нарушению обменных процессов с изменением свертываемости крови (повышается риск тромбозов), сгущением жидких сред организма (желчнокаменной и мочекаменной болезни), нарушению функционирования суставов (формирования артрозов и артритов).…”

“…Кроме того, многолетнемерзлые породы осложняют доступ населения к питьевым пресным подземным водам, которые являются наиболее приоритетными при организации хозяйственно-питьевого водоснабжения в силу своей защищенности от возможного антропогенного загрязнения. Следует также отметить, что коренное население Арктики ведет кочевой образ жизни и употребляет «сырую» воду (без какой-либо водоподготовки) непосредственно из рек и водоемов [4]. В этой связи целью исследования является изучение химического состава подземных вод, а также озерных и речных вод, которые могут использоваться населением в качестве возможных источников питьевых вод; проверка данных химического анализа вод на соответствие нормативам качества; оценка неканцерогенного риска для здоровья, обусловленного употреблением вод с высокими концентрациями содержащихся в них компонентов.…”