The influence of chemical environmental pollution on the medical and demographic situation in the Voronezh region

Abstract

A large number of domestic and foreign publications talk about the impact of environmental pollution on the morbidity of the population. Many works, along with the influence of pollutants on morbidity, talk about their influence on the increase in mortality. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of chemical pollution of atmospheric air, drinking water, and soil in residential areas on medical and demographic indicators: morbidity and mortality of the population of the Voronezh region. For this work, we used monitoring data from the Federal Budgetary Institution of Health “Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Voronezh Region” on morbidity and mortality of the population of the Voronezh region, the results of laboratory studies of atmospheric air, drinking water, and soil in residential areas for 2018–2022. Using Microsoft Excel 2016 software, calculations of complex chemical load, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, and correlation analysis were carried out. Based on the results of the study, nosologies likely associated with the influence of chemical environmental factors and “risk areas” for chemically caused morbidity and mortality were identified. Thus, in the territory of the city of Voronezh and the Pavlovsk municipal district, morbidity among children and adults, as well as infant mortality, was revealed, probably related to chemical pollution of the atmospheric air. The Kashira municipal district is a risk area for the incidence of contact dermatitis in children and adults, probably due to the composition of drinking water. In this area, there are excesses of the maximum permissible concentrations of nitrates in drinking water, creating non-carcinogenic risks above acceptable levels. For these territories, it is necessary to develop management solutions to minimize the harmful effects of chemical environmental factors in order to improve the medical and demographic situation.