Atmospheric Air Pollution by Stationary Sources in Ulan-Ude (Buryatia, Russia) and Its Impact on Public Health

Abstract

For the first time in the territory of the Russian Far East, a study related to the establishment of correlations between air quality and public health in Ulan-Ude (Buryatia, Russia) was carried out. This study is based on the analysis of official medical statistics on morbidity over several years, the data on the composition and volume of emissions of harmful substances into the air from various stationary sources, and laboratory measurements of air pollutants in different locations in Ulan-Ude. This study confirmed that the morbidity of the population in Ulan-Ude has been increasing every year and it is largely influenced by air pollutants, the main of which are benzo(a)pyrene, suspended solids, PM2.5, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide. It was found that the greatest contribution to the unfavorable environmental situation is made by three types of stationary sources: large heating networks, autonomous sources (enterprises and small businesses), and individual households. The main air pollutants whose concentrations exceed the limits are benzo(a)pyrene, formaldehyde, suspended particles PM2.5, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide. A comprehensive assessment of the content of various pollutants in the atmospheric air showed that levels of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks to public health exceeded allowable levels. Priority pollutants in the atmosphere of Ulan-Ude whose concentrations create unacceptable levels of risk to public health are benzo(a)pyrene, suspended solids, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5, PM10, formaldehyde, and black carbon. The levels of morbidity in Ulan-Ude were higher than the average for Buryatia by the main disease classes: respiratory organs—by 1.19 times, endocrine system—by 1.25 times, circulatory system—by 1.11 times, eye diseases—by 1.06 times, neoplasms—by 1.47 times, congenital anomalies, and deformations and chromosomal aberrations—by 1.63 times. There is an increase in the incidence of risk-related diseases of respiratory organs and the circulatory system. A strong correlation was found between this growth of morbidity and atmospheric air pollution in Ulan-Ude.