Types of environmental diseases. Basic research. These diseases include

Introduction

Mankind has long been interested in the influence of the environment on health and the occurrence of diseases. As early as 500 BC, Hippocrates (Clifton, 1752) in his work "On Air, Water and Situation" wrote about the importance of the environment for human health, where he described the influence of weather and different seasons, water characteristics and the location of cities. He urged to consider the conditions in which the population lives, as well as their habits: “do they like to eat and drink too much, how much they like to work, and whether they like physical activity.” Over the centuries this concern for the state of the environment has shifted from general environmental theories of disease to today's highly focused and mechanistic formula directed at specific agents or groups of agents and specific diseases.

Occupational diseases are a group of diseases that arise exclusively or mainly as a result of exposure to the body of unfavorable working conditions and occupational hazards. The profession of a firefighter in itself implies that from time to time they expose themselves to increased physical and psychological stress, as well as serious chemical and physical hazards that workers in other modern workplaces do not usually expose themselves to. Injuries, burns and smoke inhalation are the biggest health hazards for firefighters. The occupational risks of firefighters deserve more attention because of the well-known constant exposure to toxic substances.

CHEMICAL POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH.

At present, human economic activity is increasingly
becomes the main source of pollution of the biosphere. Into the natural environment
increasing amounts of gaseous, liquid and solid
production waste. Various chemicals found in
waste, getting into the soil, air or water, pass through the ecological
links from one chain to another, eventually enter the body
person.

The body's response to pollution depends on individual
features: age, gender, health status. As a rule, more
children, the elderly and the elderly, sick people are vulnerable.

Biologically highly active chemical compounds can
cause a long-term effect on human health: chronic
inflammatory diseases of various organs, changes in the nervous system,
effect on the intrauterine development of the fetus, leading to various
abnormalities in newborns.

Doctors have established a direct link between the increase in the number of people sick
allergies, bronchial asthma, cancer, and environmental degradation
situation in this region. It is well established that such waste
production, such as chromium, nickel, beryllium, asbestos, many pesticides,
They are carcinogens, meaning they cause cancer.

Smoking causes great harm to human health. The smoker is not only
itself inhales harmful substances, but also pollutes the atmosphere, exposes
danger to other people. It has been found that people in the same
room with a smoker, inhale even more harmful substances than he himself.

BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION AND HUMAN DISEASES.

In addition to chemical pollutants, there are also
biological, causing various diseases in humans. This
pathogens, viruses, helminths, protozoa. They can
be in the atmosphere, water, soil, in the body of other living organisms, in
including the person himself.

The most dangerous pathogens of infectious diseases. They have
different stability in the environment. Often the source of infection is the soil, which is constantly inhabited by pathogens of tetanus, botulism, gas gangrene, and some fungal diseases. They can enter the human body if the skin is damaged, with unwashed food, or if the rules of hygiene are violated.

Pathogenic microorganisms can enter groundwater and become
cause of human infectious diseases. Therefore, water from artesian
wells, wells, springs must be boiled before drinking.

Open water sources are especially polluted: rivers, lakes,
ponds. Numerous cases are known when contaminated water sources
caused epidemics of cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery.

People and pets can become infected with natural focal diseases,
entering the natural habitat. These diseases include plague,
tularemia, typhus, tick-borne encephalitis, malaria, sleeping sickness.

INFLUENCE OF SOUNDS ON HUMANS.

Man has always lived in a world of sounds and noise. For all living organisms, including humans, sound is one of the environmental influences.

Sounds and noises of high power affect the hearing aid,
nerve centers, can cause pain and shock. That's how it works
noise pollution.

The quiet rustle of leaves, the murmur of a stream, the voices of birds, the light splash of water and
the sound of the surf is always pleasing to man. They calm him down
stress. But the natural sounds of the voices of nature are becoming more
rare, disappear completely or are drowned out by industrial transport and
other noises.

Prolonged noise adversely affects the organ of hearing, lowering
sound sensitivity. It leads to a breakdown in the activity of the heart, liver, to exhaustion and overstrain of nerve cells.

The noise level is measured in units expressing the degree of sound
pressure, - decibels. The noise level of 20-30 decibels (dB) is practically harmless to humans, this is a natural background noise. A sound of 130 decibels already causes a painful sensation in a person, and 150 becomes unbearable for him.

The level of industrial noise is also very high. At many jobs and noisy
production, it reaches 90-110 decibels or more. Not much quieter
us at home, where more and more new sources of noise appear - the so-called
Appliances.

Very noisy modern music also dulls the hearing, causes nervous diseases. Noise has an accumulative effect, that is, acoustic irritation, accumulating in the body, increasingly depresses the nervous system.

Therefore, before hearing loss from exposure to noise, there is
functional disorder of the central nervous system. Especially
noise has a harmful effect on neuropsychic activity
organism. Noises cause functional disorders of the cardiovascular system; have a harmful effect on the visual and vestibular analyzers, reduces reflex activity, which often causes accidents and injuries.

Studies have shown that inaudible sounds can also be harmful.
impact on human health. So, infrasounds have a special effect on the mental sphere of a person: all types of intellectual activity are affected, mood worsens, sometimes there is a feeling of confusion, anxiety, fright, fear, and at high intensity - a feeling of weakness, as after a strong nervous shock.

Ultrasounds, which occupy a prominent place in the range of industrial noise,
are also dangerous. The mechanisms of their action on living organisms are extremely
are diverse.

WEATHER AND HUMAN WELL-BEING

In any phenomenon of nature around us, there is a strict repetition
processes: day and night, ebb and flow, winter and summer.

In the course of historical development, man has adapted to a certain
the rhythm of life, due to rhythmic changes in the natural environment and
energy dynamics of metabolic processes.

Currently, many rhythmic processes in the body are known,
called biorhythms. These include the rhythms of the heart, breathing,
bioelectrical activity of the brain. Our whole life is
constant change of rest and activity, sleep and wakefulness,
fatigue from hard work and rest.

The central place among all rhythmic processes is occupied by diurnal
rhythms that are of the greatest importance for the body. It turned out that the study of changes in circadian rhythms makes it possible to detect the occurrence of certain diseases at the earliest stages.

The climate also has a major impact on human well-being,
influencing it through weather factors. Weather conditions include
complex physical conditions: atmospheric pressure, humidity,
air movement, oxygen concentration, degree of disturbance
Earth's magnetic field, the level of atmospheric pollution.

With a sharp change in the weather, physical and mental performance decreases, diseases become aggravated, the number of errors, accidents and even deaths increases.

Examples of some environmental diseases

Minamata disease - disease of humans and animals caused by mercury compounds. It has been established that some aquatic microorganisms are able to convert mercury into highly toxic methylmercury, which increases its concentration along food chains and accumulates in significant quantities in the bodies of predatory fish.

Mercury enters the human body with fish products, in which the mercury content may exceed the norm.

The disease manifests itself in the form of nerve disorders, headache, paralysis, weakness, loss of vision, and can even lead to death.

Itai-itai disease - poisoning of people caused by eating rice containing cadmium compounds. This poisoning can cause lethargy, kidney damage, bone softening, and even death in humans.

In the human body, cadmium mainly accumulates in the kidneys and liver, and its damaging effect occurs when the concentration of this chemical element in the kidneys reaches 200 µg/g.

Sources are: combustion of fossil fuels at thermal power plants, gas emissions from industrial enterprises, production of mineral fertilizers, dyes, catalysts, etc. The content of cadmium in the body of residents of large cities with their polluted atmosphere can be ten times higher than that of rural residents. Typical "cadmium" diseases of citizens include: hypertension, coronary heart disease, kidney failure. For smokers (tobacco strongly accumulates cadmium salts from the soil) or employed in production using cadmium, lung cancer is added

emphysema, and for non-smokers - bronchitis, pharyngitis and other respiratory diseases.

"Chernobyl disease" - caused by the impact of radionuclides on the human body, released as a result of the explosion of the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The local population had symptoms of the "Chernobyl disease": headache, dry mouth, swollen lymph nodes, oncological tumors of the larynx and thyroid gland. Also, in the areas affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the incidence of the cardiovascular system has increased, outbreaks of various infections have become more frequent, and birth rates have significantly decreased.

The frequency of mutations among children increased by 2.5 times, anomalies occurred in every fifth newborn, about a third of children were born with mental disorders.

Occupational diseases are a group of diseases that arise exclusively or mainly as a result of exposure to the body of unfavorable working conditions and occupational hazards.

In my essay, I want to draw attention to the professional dangers that firefighters expose themselves to.

Putting out a fire is a rather unusual activity, and although there is an idea of ​​it as a dirty and dangerous business, nevertheless, it is absolutely necessary and prestigious. The public respects firefighters for the extraordinarily important work they do. And firefighters are fully aware of the dangers they may face. Their work itself implies that from time to time they expose themselves to increased physical and psychological stress, as well as to serious chemical and physical hazards, to which workers in other modern workplaces do not usually expose themselves.
Occupational hazards to which firefighters expose themselves can be divided into the following categories: physical (mainly unsafe environment, overheating and ergonomic stress), chemical and psychological.

Physical dangers .
There are many physical hazards in the firefighting process that result in serious physical injury. Walls, ceilings and floors suddenly collapse, dragging firefighters with them. Sudden increase in fire and bursts of flame in an enclosed space, which may result from the sudden ignition of combustible gaseous products released by burning or incandescent materials when interacting with superheated air. A sudden burst of flames can engulf a firefighter or cut off his escape route. The number and severity of injuries can be minimized through intensive training, work experience, competence and good physical condition. However, the nature of the job is such that firefighters can also be placed in a dangerous situation due to miscalculation, circumstance, or during a rescue operation.

Some fire departments have developed computerized databases of buildings, materials, and potential hazards they may encounter while fighting a fire in their area. Quick access to the database of such a database helps the team respond to emerging hazards in a timely manner and predict the occurrence of hazardous situations.

Thermal hazards
Overheating during firefighting can occur as a result of contact with hot air, thermal radiation, hot surfaces, as well as due to internal heat generated during work by the human body, which cannot be cooled until the fire is extinguished. The insulating properties of protective clothing and physical fatigue resulting from excess heat generated by the body can cause overheating during firefighting. Overheating can cause injury, such as burns or general overheating, which can lead to dehydration, heatstroke, and heart attack.

The hot air itself usually does not pose a serious threat to the firefighter. Dry air is not able to retain heat for a long time. Steam or hot, moist air can cause serious burns because there is much more heat energy in water vapor than in dry air. Luckily, steam burns don't happen that often.

Thermal radiation is often quite intense during a fire. In the presence of only thermal radiation, you can get burned. Some firefighters experience changes in the skin due to constant exposure to heat.

Chemical hazards
More than 50 percent of fire-related fatalities are the result of exposure to smoke rather than fire. One of the significant contributing factors to death and illness from fire is hypoxia due to lack of oxygen in the atmosphere, which leads to loss of physical activity, disorientation and loss of mobility. The constituents of smoke, individually and together, are also toxic. Figure 95.3 shows a firefighter using a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) rescuing an unprotected firefighter caught in a very smoky fire from a burning tire warehouse. (The fireman being rescued ran out of breath, took off his breathing apparatus to take a deep breath, and was lucky to be rescued before it was too late.)

Rice. 95.3 One firefighter rescues another caught in toxic smoke from a fire in a closed warehouse

Any smoke, including smoke from a burning tree, is dangerous and potentially fatal if a concentrated dose is inhaled. Smoke is made up of a combination of different components. The toxicity of smoke primarily depends on the fuel, the heat capacity of the flame, and how much oxygen is available to burn it, or whether it is available at all. At the scene of a fire, firefighters are often exposed to carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, aldehydes, and organic substances such as benzene. Combinations of different gases represent different levels of danger. Only carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide are released in lethal concentrations in building fires. Carbon monoxide is the most common, specific and very serious fire hazard. Due to the related proximity of carbon monoxide to hemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin rapidly accumulates in the blood as it stays in an atmosphere containing carbon monoxide. The high accumulation of carboxyhemoglobin may be primarily due to the fact that severe fatigue increases ventilation in the lungs, and thus the intake of air into the lungs in the absence of protective equipment during fire fighting. There is no clear relationship between smoke intensity and the amount of carbon monoxide in the air. During the cleanup procedure, when combustible materials are smoldering and not yet completely burned, firefighters should avoid smoking, as this increases the level of carbon monoxide in the blood. Hydrogen cyanide is produced by low-temperature combustion of nitrogen-rich materials, including natural fibers such as wood and silk, as well as less common synthetic materials such as polyurethane and polyacrylonitrile.

When hydrocarbon fuels are burned at low temperatures, light hydrocarbons, aldehydes (such as formaldehyde) and organic acids can be formed. Significant amounts of nitric oxide are formed at high temperatures - as a result of the oxidation of nitrogen contained in the atmosphere, and at low combustion temperatures of fuels that contain a lot of nitrogen. If the fuel contains chlorine, hydrogen chloride is formed. Polymeric plastic materials present a particular hazard. These plastic materials began to be used in construction and decoration of buildings in the fifties and later. They burn, turning into especially dangerous substances. Acrolein, formaldehyde, and volatile fatty acids are common smoldering products of some polymers, including polyethylene and natural cellulose. The danger of cyanine formation increases with an increase in the combustion temperature at which polyurethane and polyacrylonitriles burn: at temperatures above 800, but below 1000 degrees Celsius, acrylonitrile, acetonitrilepyridine, benzonitrile are released in large quantities. For finishing buildings, it is preferable to use polyvinyl chloride because of its self-extinguishing, due to the high content of chlorine. Unfortunately, the material releases hydrochloric acid in large quantities, and sometimes, if the fire continues long enough, also dioxides.

Synthetic materials are especially dangerous in the process of smoldering, and not in conditions of high temperature. Cement retains heat quite effectively and can act as a "sponge", accumulating gases that then escape through the porous material, releasing hydrogen chloride and other toxic fumes long after the fire has been extinguished.

Psychological dangers
Firefighters work in situations that other people diligently avoid, dramatically exposing themselves to much more risk than any other civilian profession. At any level of fire intensity, many things can go wrong, and the course of a major fire is often unpredictable. In addition to personal safety, a firefighter must take care of the safety of other people who are threatened by fire. Rescuing victims is a particularly stressful job.

The life of a professional firefighter is an endless series of intense expectations and crisis situations full of stress. Firefighters, however, enjoy many of the positive aspects of their job. Rarely is there a profession so respected in society. Safety at work is provided by the fire department that hired the firefighter, and wages here are usually higher than in other professions. Firefighters also have a strong sense of camaraderie and affection for their colleagues. These positive aspects of the job outweigh the stressful moments and save the firefighter from the emotional consequences of repetitive stress.

At the sound of the alarm, the firefighter immediately experiences a sense of anxious anticipation of the unpredictability of the situation that he will have to face. The psychological stress experienced at the moment is as great or even greater than in the process of extinguishing a fire. Psychological and biochemical stress sensors show that firefighters on duty experience psychological stress, which reflects subjectively perceived factors of psychological stress and activity levels while on duty.

Lungs' cancer.
In epidemiological studies of firefighters, lung cancer is most difficult to distinguish from other types of cancer. The main question is whether the use of synthetic materials in building and finishing materials since the fifties increased the risk of cancer among firefighters due to the contact of firefighters with combustion products. Despite apparent exposure to inhaled smoke carcinogens, it has been difficult to document and consistently document an increase in lung cancer mortality in light of occupational exposure.

There is evidence that firefighters increase the risk of lung cancer. This is especially evident among firefighters, who expose themselves to the greatest danger and have the longest work experience. The additional risk may be superimposed on an even greater risk from smoking.

Reflections on the relationship between firefighter work and lung cancer suggest that such a relationship is weak and does not lead to the conclusion that this risk should be attributed to the profession. Certain cases with unusual characteristics, such as cancers among relatively young, non-smoking firefighters, may support this conclusion.

Other types of cancer.
It has recently been shown that other types of cancer are more consistently associated with firefighters than lung cancer.

Different literature provides different data on cancer of the brain and central nervous system, and this is not surprising, since in all reports the number of cases described is relatively small. It is unlikely that this connection would be clarified in the near future. Thus, it is reasonable to recognize the risk of this disease as an occupational disease of firefighters based on the available evidence.

It seems that the risk of cancer of the lymphatic and hematopoietic systems is quite high. However, the small number of cases of these rare cancers makes it difficult to determine the significance of their association with the profession. Because these cancers are rare, epidemiologists treat them as one group for statistical purposes, which makes them even more difficult to interpret because they don't make sense from a medical point of view.

Heart diseases.
There is no conclusive answer to the question of whether people are at increased risk of dying from heart disease. Although the only large study showed an 11% increase in it, and another study claimed a 52% increase in coronary heart disease mortality, most researchers have not concluded that there is an ever-increasing risk for the entire population. Even if the higher estimates are correct, there are still not enough relative risk estimates to make an assumption about the risk in each individual case.

There is evidence, mostly from clinical practice, that exposure to carbon monoxide can cause sudden decompensation of the heart muscle and the risk of a sudden overexertion heart attack. This does not translate into an increased risk of having a heart attack later, but if a firefighter had a heart attack during the fire or the day after, it could be related to his job. Therefore, each case should be considered on an individual basis, but such evidence does not imply an overall increased risk for all firefighters.

lung disease
Sufficiently intense contact with secretions of burning plastic can, of course, cause severe lung damage and even permanent disability. Putting out a fire can cause short-term changes like asthma that go away over time. This does not appear to lead to a life-long risk of dying from chronic lung disease, unless the poisoning was severe enough (probability of death from the effects of smoke inhalation) or exposure to smoke with unusual properties (especially from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fires) .

Chronic lung disease among firefighters has been extensively studied. There is no confirmation of their connection with the profession, and therefore it is impossible to make such assumptions. The exception is those rare cases when a chronic illness is a consequence of a dangerous contact, which is confirmed by a medical certificate of the complications received.

The general assumption that there is a risk is not justified in the case of weak occupational ties, or when the disease is common in the general population. A more productive approach may be to study individual cases, examining various risk factors and the overall picture of risk. The general risk assumption is more applicable to unusual disorders with a high relative risk, especially if they are unique or occupational. Table 95.1 lists specific recommendations and criteria that refute or question predisposition in each individual case.

Injuries.
Injuries received in the process of extinguishing a fire are predictable - these are burns, falls, falling under falling objects. Mortality from these causes among firefighters is much higher than among workers in other professions. Firefighting work involves a high risk of burns, especially when entering a fire and extinguishing it while inside the flame, for example, holding a hose. Burns are also easy to get when fighting a fire in a basement, from an injury received shortly before this incident, and when training outside the fire department in which the firefighter currently works. Falls are most common when using self-contained breathing apparatus and when working on firefighting in transport companies.

conclusion.
Putting out a fire is a very serious task that often takes place in extreme conditions. The need to extinguish a fire is always unexpected, by no means predictable, and is characterized by long periods of waiting alternating with short bursts of intense activity.

Firefighters experience constant stress at a fairly intense level as soon as a fire starts. Any additional load in the form of additional equipment or rescuing the victim, however necessary for protection, reduces their productivity, as firefighters are already "using themselves" to the maximum. The use of personal protective equipment imposed new psychological burdens on firefighters, but removed others, lowering the level of danger.

During firefighting, body temperature and heart rate cycle through several minutes, rising slightly in response to preparatory work to enter a building, then increasing further due to the ambient heat, and rising sharply as a result of workloads in a hot atmosphere. After 20 to 25 minutes, the normal operating time allowed for a firefighter to be inside a building using a self-contained breathing apparatus, the psychological burden remains within the limits tolerated by an ordinary person. However, when fighting long fires that require re-entry into the building, there is not enough time between changes of air containers in the SCBA to cool the body, which leads to heat build-up, increases body temperature and increases the risk of heat stroke.

In the cycle of lessons of the course of natural science in the 11th grade there is a section devoted to the environmental problems of our time. I include in the section the topic on environmentally caused human diseases. compiled the following information bulletin based on the materials of the press.

- these are diseases that have developed among the population of a territory under the influence of harmful environmental factors (chemical substances or physical factors) on people and are manifested by symptoms and syndromes characteristic of the action of this causal factor or other non-specific abnormalities that are provoked by environmentally unfavorable factors.

It should be noted that even more than 2000 years ago, Hippocrates and other thinkers expressed the idea that environmental factors can influence the occurrence of diseases.

Over the past 100 years, mankind has increased production by almost 100 times, and energy consumption has increased by almost 1000 times. As a result, in such a relatively short period of time, a huge number of chemicals were introduced into the atmosphere, about 4 million of them are recognized as potentially dangerous to humans, and over 180 thousand have pronounced toxic and/or mutagenic effects.

At the same time, such a short period during which environmental pollution has occurred, fell on the period of life of only a few generations of people, which, relative to 3-3.5 million years that have passed since the appearance of man, is only a short moment.

Anthropogenic environmental pollution has a pronounced impact on the formation of population health, especially in connection with changes in socio-economic conditions. Therefore, the problem of the adverse impact of environmental factors on health is becoming increasingly important every year.

At present, there is no reason to deny the existence environmentally related diseases, they should be sought in the general stream of pathological manifestations caused by exogenous chemical, physical and other factors of human existence.

According to Russian statistics, general morbidity in ecologically unfavorable regions 1.5-5 times higher than in relatively little affected by economic activity. An increased level of atmospheric air or drinking water pollution, the presence of xenobiotics in food cause an increase in diseases such as endocrine and metabolic disorders, respiratory and digestive damage, decreased immunity, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, cholangitis, stones in the kidneys and ureters, cancers, congenital anomalies, and some others. At the same time, not only individual chemical compounds, organic or inorganic, but also their various combinations with the manifestation of synergy or antagonism can have a negative impact.

Total contribution of environmental factors The mortality rate of the Russian population is estimated at 4-5% and ranks third after general and social factors.

Environmentally driven diseases associated with the action of natural causes (or the so-called endemic diseases) - an excess or lack of individual elements in drinking water, local food, exposure to extreme climatic conditions, etc.

Environmentally driven diseases associated with human activity (or man-made). These diseases, in turn, can also be divided into two groups:

Caused by long-term (permanent) exposure one harmful factor or another. or their combinations on the human body. At the same time, they are manifested by an increased incidence of known diseases compared to the background level and / or compared to other territories.

Caused by a sharp sudden significant increase in one or another harmful factor chemical or physical nature in the external environment (as a rule, as a result of accidents). At the same time, a sharp increase (outbreak) of “new” or already known diseases is observed in this territory.

So, until 1975, the city of Kirishi, Leningrad Region, according to the incidence of allergies respiratory tract was considered safe. In 1975 compared to 1974 incidence of bronchial asthma increased by 6.8 times, and respiratory allergies - by 16 times.

The synchronous growth of these diseases testified to the homogeneity of the pathogenetic factor underlying them. Further studies revealed that a sharp increase (“outbreak”) in the incidence of respiratory allergies and bronchial asthma was associated with the commissioning of a biochemical plant. Introduction of treatment facilities in 1976 led to a decrease in the incidence of bronchial asthma to its original level, but the incidence of respiratory allergies has stabilized at higher levels than before 1975.

Minamata disease is a human and animal disease caused by mercury compounds. It has been established that some aquatic microorganisms are able to convert mercury into highly toxic methylmercury, which increases its concentration along food chains and accumulates in significant quantities in the bodies of predatory fish. Mercury enters the human body with fish products, in which the mercury content may exceed the norm. Thus, such fish may contain 50 mg/kg of mercury; moreover, when such fish is eaten, it causes mercury poisoning when raw fish contains 10 mg / kg.

Itai-itai disease. In Japan, a zinc mine polluted the Jintsu River with cadmium, and the drinking water there began to contain cadmium; in addition, rice fields and soybean plantations were irrigated with river water. After 15 - 30 years, more than 150 people died from chronic cadmium poisoning, accompanied by atrophy of the bones of the entire skeleton. In the United States, cases of itai-itai disease have been associated with the consumption of sugar peas, which contained large amounts of cadmium.

Yusho disease - poisoning people with polychlorinated

biphenyls (PCBs). Known in Japan for rice cleaning

oils, befinyls from refrigeration units got into the product. Then poisoned

The oil was marketed as animal feed. Died first

about 100 thousand chickens, and soon people had the first symptoms of poisoning.

born to mothers who suffered from PCB poisoning. were later

severe lesions of internal organs (liver, kidneys, spleen)

and development of malignant tumors.

Use of some types of PCBs in agriculture and health care

in some countries to control vectors of infectious diseases

led to their accumulation in many types of agricultural products,

such as rice, cotton, vegetables.

Some PCBs enter the environment with emissions

waste incineration plants, which poses a health hazard

urban residents. Therefore, some countries restrict the use

PCB.

The disease "yellow children" - the disease appeared as a result of the destruction

intercontinental ballistic missiles, which led to the release into the environment

environment of toxic components of rocket fuel: UDMH (asymmetric

dimethylhydrazine or gentyl) and nitrogen tetroxide, both of which belong to the first

hazard class. These compounds are highly toxic in the body.

human through the skin, mucous membranes, upper respiratory tract, gastrointestinal

intestinal tract.

As a result, children began to be born with severe signs of jaundice. IN

The incidence of newborns has increased by 2-3 times. The number of newborns has increased

children with lesions of the central nervous system. The nursery has grown

mortality.

Due to the release of these substances, skin "burns" appeared - pustular

diseases that may appear after swimming in local rivers, going to

forest, direct contact of exposed parts of the body with the soil, etc.

"Chernobyl disease" - caused by exposure to radionuclides on

human body ejected as a result of the explosion of the fourth reactor

Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The release of radioactive substances amounted to 77 kg. Square

pollution amounted to about 160 thousand km2, about 9

million people.

with mental disorders.

Alopecia is the sudden baldness of children. The disease was registered in autumn 1989. In sick children, thallium was found in the nails, and an increased amount of boron was found in the urine and saliva. A hypothesis arose about the toxic effects of boron fluoride. These children lived near brick factories where they burned waste containing boron and fluorine. An outbreak of alopecia was registered in 1989 in Estonia, in areas where oil shale processing is developed. In soil, in plants, in milk, in water, high levels of cadmium, bismuth, lead, boron,

« potato disease” was discovered in 1989 among students who were involved in harvesting potatoes in the Urals. The main symptom of the disease is a “flapping foot”, that is, the foot did not bend in the victims. According to the latest version, the cause of the disease was a new generation of imported pesticides containing mercury and affecting the peripheral nervous system.

« Premature childhood old age". Until now, neither the causes of the disease nor the methods of treatment are known. Children affected by senile decrepitude live up to 15 years. Their state of health corresponds to the state of health of an old person, combined with an underdeveloped intellect. One of the points of view on the cause of this disease is the influence of adverse environmental factors.

« chronic fatigue syndrome”is a classic example of a disease caused by a weakening of the human immune system due to deteriorating environmental conditions. The main symptom is recurring bouts of fatigue with a sharp decrease in activity lasting more than 6 months.

Diseases caused by the influence of anthropogenic factors on the state and sustainability of forests. Negative impact of industrial emissions. The composition of industrial waste. Diagnostic signs of damage to tree species by sulfur dioxide, fluorine, nitrogen oxides, ethylene, magnesium oxide, etc. Pathological changes in woody plants as a result of damage by industrial emissions. Relationship between the degree of damage to plantings by industrial emissions and environmental conditions, the proximity of sources of emissions and the concentration of toxic substances. Measures to reduce harm from industrial emissions. Negative impact of high recreational load on plantings. Connection of weakening and drying of trees with mechanical damage caused during forestry work and high recreational loads. Soil compaction in places of strong recreational load and in areas with excessive grazing.[ ...]

Diseases of seeds and fruits. Diseases that develop during the growing season (mummification, cone rust, fruit deformation, fruit and seed spotting). Relationship between the spread of diseases and environmental conditions. Economic damage caused by diseases of this type.[ ...]

Diseases of seedlings and young growth. Lodging (rotting of seeds and seedlings, lodging and wilting of seedlings). Spread of disease, harm, economic damage. Factors causing infectious and non-infectious lodging. Biological features of pathogens of infectious lodging, diagnostic signs of the disease, the relationship between the development of the disease and environmental conditions. Methods for diagnosing infectious lodging.[ ...]

Ecological aspects of pathology are diverse. They can be subdivided into autogenous, i.e. on the consequences of the wrong behavior of the people themselves, and on the natural ones. Technical protection from adverse factors and artificial conditioning of the environment lead over time to a weakening of the natural mechanisms of individual adaptation, increase a person's susceptibility to negative environmental impacts. Numerous diseases of maladaptation are most of all associated with an unhealthy lifestyle.[ ...]

The environmental problems of cities are associated with an excessive concentration of population, transport and industrial enterprises in relatively small areas. Above large cities, the atmosphere contains, in comparison with environmental standards, 10 times more aerosols and 25 times more harmful gases. At the same time, 60-70% of gas pollution comes from road transport. As the observations of the Dutch Institute for Risk Research have shown, people living within a strip of up to 100 m from major roads are twice as likely as others to suffer from heart and lung diseases.[ ...]

Under the ecological system of farming, strictly limited use of pesticides is allowed, more often in the form of sanitary (local) measures on the breeding grounds of pests and diseases. The use of mineral fertilizers is also treated with great care, limiting their doses, especially in easily soluble forms and in liquid form.[ ...]

A difficult ecological situation has developed in the forestry of the Far East, which is caused by uncontrolled logging and the imbalance of its branches, which exacerbates the destruction of ecosystems. Forests over large areas are subject to regular fires, pests and diseases. The damage from them amounted to about 50% of the total damage from fires in the country.[ ...]

Since the environmental danger is global, its solution requires the combined efforts of all mankind. At the same time, an important role is played by the international exchange of information on new science-intensive environmentally friendly technologies, low-waste and non-waste production, nature and human protection, environmental education and environmental culture. Everything in nature is interconnected. The diseases of civilization are largely due to the vicious activity of a person who was guided by the well-known slogan “We cannot wait for favors from nature, it is our task to take them from her.”[ ...]

Vascular diseases. General characteristics of the group, features of manifestation and development. Vascular diseases of the main hardwoods: elm (Dutch disease), oak (vascular mycosis). Biological features and pathogens, diagnostic signs of the diseases caused. Features of the spread of pathogens, ways of infection of plantations, the nature of the development of foci. The role of vascular diseases in the weakening and drying of plantings. Environmental and economic damage caused by vascular diseases.[ ...]

The unfavorable ecological situation in the main regions of the Russian Federation makes a certain contribution to the unfavorable demographic situation that has developed in Russia. Some researchers talk about the beginning of a demographic catastrophe. The birth rate is declining, the death rate is rising, life expectancy is shortening (from 1990 to 1994 it decreased from 69.2 to 64 years). The health of children of all ages is deteriorating and the death rate is rising. Over the past 5 years, the incidence of newborns has increased by 2.8 times. Since 1990, the incidence of bronchial asthma in children has increased by 40%, blood diseases - by 35%, oncological diseases - by 13%. After 20 years, the percentage of healthy children in the population may decrease to 15-20%. Up to 35% of the increase in the incidence of children is due to air pollution. Some data illustrating what has been said is shown in Fig. 19.3-19.5.[ ...]

Ways to improve the environmental sustainability of agrobiocenoses are diverse. When developing them, it is necessary to take into account the use and creation of varieties resistant to adverse environmental factors (frost, drought, etc.), diseases and pests; compliance of cultivated crops with soil and climatic conditions; diversity of species and varieties in agrobiocenoses, etc.[ ...]

The most important property of ecological systems is their stability, i.e., constancy, which is maintained by food chains. It is thanks to the constancy of food chains in nature that ecological homeostasis is maintained. It is important to note, however, that the sustainability of ecological systems is of a historical nature, and the regulation of those few ecological systems in which man does not matter is provided by such factors as competition, migration, predation, lack of food or nutrients in the soil, disease, temperature and other natural factors.[ ...]

The fight against pests, plant diseases and weeds should be comprehensive, including agrotechnical, biological and chemical means. It should be carried out taking into account the species characteristics of harmful organisms, the protected crop and environmental conditions.[ ...]

Phytopathogenic nematodes. Types of nematode diseases of tree species, ornamental shrubs and flowering plants. The main types of plant nematodes and the plant diseases they cause.[ ...]

Mortality from diseases causally associated with the deteriorating environmental situation (acute respiratory diseases, congenital anomalies, anemia, leukemia), and from neoplasms is also growing.[ ...]

In the reduction of the population, the share of ecological grocesses accounts for at least 30-40%, and according to some estimates - up to 50-60%. Among the main causes of death of the population are diseases of the circulatory system and oncological diseases, which are not least of ecological origin; in the same list are congenital anomalies, acute respiratory infections, anemia, leukemia.[ ...]

Of great sanitary-hygienic and ecological importance are microbiological studies on the detection of conditionally pathogenic (E. coli, etc.), pathogenic (Salmonella, etc.) microorganisms in food products, especially those that cause general diseases of animals and humans (zooanthroponoses). ..]

The main conclusion is that it is no longer possible to treat modern diseases of the environment. They cover too many people. Doctors joke that in the 21st century, non-diabetics will be considered sick, and diabetics will be healthy, now mentally normal people will end up in hospitals, and psychos will become the norm. This is, of course, an exaggeration, but there is a grain of truth in it. Socio-ecological transformations are inevitable. And above all, it is necessary to improve nutrition and a sharp increase in the volume of recreation.[ ...]

Medical ecology is a field of study of the environmental conditions for the occurrence, spread and development of human diseases, including chronic diseases caused by natural factors and unfavorable man-made environmental impacts. Medical ecology includes recreational ecology as a section, i.e. the ecology of recreation and health improvement of people, which merges with balneology.[ ...]

Increasing attention is being paid to integrated, environmentally sound methods of malaria control - "living environment management" methods. These include draining wetlands, reducing water salinity, etc. The following groups of methods are biological - the use of other organisms to reduce the danger of mosquitoes; in 40 countries, at least 265 species of larvae-eating fish are used for this, as well as microbes that cause disease and death of mosquitoes.[ ...]

However, no less number of species disappeared for purely ecological reasons, such as a radical change in the biotopes characteristic of the species, disruption of biocenotic relationships due to the emergence of new chemicals, pathogens, etc.[ ...]

In modern industrial production, absolute environmental cleanliness is simply impossible. Real life allows us to call environmentally friendly products and services that, in terms of the composition of their constituent (or used) elements, approach the natural state. The content of anthropogenic, i.e. human-caused pollutants (e.g. lead, hexachlorocyclohexane and dioxins that cause cancer, liver and brain diseases) are well below the maximum allowable concentrations established by national and international requirements.[ ...]

In medical practice, it is generally accepted to identify symptoms of diseases at an early stage of development. I include human analogues! ¡Fever, high or low blood pressure, enzyme imbalances, and indicators of low levels of body tissue exposure to toxins and carcinogens. Therefore, the symptoms of ecological resources can be considered in analogy with the symptoms of progressive human diseases, such as significant weight loss, tumors, injuries or malaise. Such analogies may include the accumulation of toxins in soils and sediments, as well as the presence of toxins, carcinogens or biomarkers. in plant and animal tissues. Temperature measurement, cardiography, body fluid analysis, etc. one can compare ¿o with statistical data on populations of healthy individuals in order to determine state disturbances. We typically compare symptom measurements in individuals with expected norms, which may vary within subpopulations (eg, breed, sex). Thus, the usual values ​​of environmental indicators vary by type, category or class of resources, for which average indicators characterizing the base rate should be collected.[ ...]

The first outbreak of mass mercury poisoning, called "Minamata disease", was recorded in 1956 I. In the initial stages, the disease manifested itself with symptoms of speech disorder, gait, hearing loss and vision loss. Subsequently, the severity of the lesions increased and many of the sick died. The cause of the disease was the discharge of wastewater from a chemical factory located near the river. Minamata, into a reservoir from which pollution entered the sea bay. The raw sewage contained large amounts of mercury, which was used as a catalyst in the production of PVC. Mercury was included in the metabolic ecological chain, as a result of which the concentration of mercury in fish meat reached 20 mg/kg. The fish lost their mobility and the ability to swim normally, as a result, the population provided themselves with cheap products with the help of a net. Then 180 people fell ill, 52 of whom died. During the autopsy of corpses, it was found that the concentration of mercury in organs and tissues exceeded the usual content from 50 to 30,000 times. The disease had a continuation in the form of long-term consequences. In 22 newborns from mothers who ate fish with mercury and did not have clinical symptoms of diseases, symptoms of damage to the central nervous system began to appear with the progression of mental disorders and dementia. Some newborns had various congenital deformities.[ ...]

Based on the above provisions, the specific tasks of optimizing ecological forest management are: growing highly productive plantations using the latest agricultural practices, forestry activities, achievements in genetics and selection; forest protection from pests, diseases and fires; harvesting of timber, various side-use forest products and providing users with all kinds of recreational services.[ ...]

The succession of biogeocenosis is actually the succession of food chains and fundamental ecological niches, i.e., regimes and composition of linked factors. Therefore, the above examples are simplified. In real conditions, everything is much more complicated, and when managing biogeocenoses, this linkage of factors should be taken into account. A characteristic example of the neglect of the doctrine of a fundamental ecological niche is the use of arboricides in forests, carried out on a large scale in order to eliminate "weedy" hardwoods that "compete" with valuable conifers for light and mineral nutrition. Now the use of arboricides in forests on a massive scale has been discontinued. However, in a number of cases, after the destruction of hardwoods, pine and spruce not only do not grow, but even those trees that were before processing die from pests and diseases (new limiting factors). The reason is clear: light and mineral nutrition are just a few of the countless environmental factors that form a fundamental niche. Clarification turns out to be favorable for many insects; the disappearance of the deciduous canopy contributes to the unimpeded spread of fungal infections among the remaining conifers. The flow of organic matter into the soil stops, and in addition, the soil is unprotected by the canopy of hardwood from water erosion, and its still weak humus horizon is washed away.[ ...]

At the initial stages of the disease, speech disorder, gait disturbance, hearing loss and visual impairment were observed. The cause of the disease was the discharge of wastewater from a chemical factory located near the river. Minamata, into a reservoir from which pollution entered the sea bay. Raw wastewater contained a large amount of mercury, which was used as a catalyst in the production of PVC. Mercury was included in the metabolic ecological chain, as a result of which its concentration in fish meat reached 320 mg/kg. Due to the high content of mercury, the fish lost their mobility and the ability to swim normally, so the population could easily catch fish with a net and provide themselves with cheap food.[ ...]

Plant protection chemicals are chemicals used to control pests and pathogens of plants. Their use makes it possible to increase crop yields, increase livestock productivity, protect beneficial organisms from pests and diseases with the help of pesticides, etc. Despite the fact that many chemical fertilizers and especially pesticides pose a huge danger to the natural environment and to living organisms (including human), in many countries of the world, chemical plant protection products predominate compared to biological ones. Thus, at the International Symposium "Environmental Problems of Plant Protection and Modern Agriculture" (Slovakia, 1995), a significant use of chemicals was noted, in particular, in Hungary, about 70% of agricultural land is treated with pesticides, and Holland only by 2000 decided to reduce the use of pesticides by 50 %, etc. Among the alternatives to the chemicalization of agriculture are biological methods of plant protection, and in world practice today more than 300 species of beneficial insects are already used.[ ...]

The second group includes the costs of covering the consequences of environmental pollution. Social, economic and environmental consequences are highlighted. Social consequences are expressed in the deterioration of the living conditions of the population, including violation of working and rest conditions, loss of working time due to illness (up to material compensation), premature destruction of cultural and art monuments, etc. Economic consequences are estimated through the actual losses incurred by the national economy due to environmental pollution. Environmental damage is caused by ecological modifications of biocenoses, changes in the background characteristics of the components of the natural environment, etc.[ ...]

General information about insects - pests of the forest. Structure, nutrition, lifestyle. Basic information about insects. Terms and Definitions. Ecological factors and their role in the life of insects. Useful and harmful insects. Main groups. Interspecific and intraspecific relations, fluctuations in the number of insects, outbreaks of their mass reproduction. Symptoms of plant diseases. Groups and types of diseases caused by insects. Economic and environmental damage.[ ...]

Humanity is a habitat for many types of disease-causing organisms. Their enhanced evolution is due to the successful fight against diseases. The destruction of pathogens frees up ecological niches in humanity, filled with new organisms. In some cases, the filling goes in a positive direction. There are few virulent stamps of microorganisms such as "weak" vibrios of cholera. But the emergence of new diseases such as HIV is not excluded, as was already briefly mentioned above. With the intensification of contacts between peoples and thanks to the advances in medicine, the likelihood of outbreaks of the latest diseases will increase, and the high population and its mobility will contribute to the spread of these diseases. Flurries of diseases such as influenza pandemics are theoretically likely. The number of victims could reach hundreds of millions of people. And the higher the size and density of the human population, the worse the state of general health, the more catastrophic the consequences of pandemics will be.[ ...]

Analysis of statistical data shows that the incidence rate in all age groups of the population of Moscow is 15-20% higher than the average for Russia. In Moscow, the incidence of respiratory diseases is high, which occupy about 60% in the structure of the total morbidity in children, 40% in adolescents, 21% in adults, as well as the circulatory system, the prevalence of which among the adult population of Moscow is 70% higher than in average for Russia. Modern medicine in industrial centers can now be considered “environmental”, since in 80% of cases the disease develops as a result of the destructive effect of environmental pollution on the body. From environmental pollution (the negative impact of which can manifest itself long before the birth of a child), in the first place, children suffer. Thus, the overall incidence of children (per 1000 children) in the first year of life in Moscow increased (from 1991 to 1998) by 1.6 times, including: perinatal pathology - by 1.9 times, congenital malformations - by 2.5 times, diseases of the nervous system - by 1.8 times.[ ...]

Sufficiently sharp warming will not allow forestry and agricultural complexes to fully adapt to new conditions. The occurrence of droughts, the spread of plant diseases and pests will lead to environmental disasters and catastrophes. All this will be exacerbated by the serious socio-economic consequences of climate change, which today are quite difficult to predict.[ ...]

The general greening of public life is still mostly superficial and does not affect the deep foundations of the socio-economic functioning and development of mankind. It is only beginning to realize the environmental limitations of the global, regional, national, local and point levels. A global environmental policy has not yet been developed. Even clear threats such as the rarefaction of the planet's ozone screen, climate change as a result of the release of certain gases into the atmosphere (CO2, methane, etc.), desertification, the emergence of a group of new diseases (HIV AIDS, psychological fatigue syndrome, legionnaires' disease, cattle leukemia, etc.) do not lead to a rapid response of social mechanisms. Technocratic thought and narrow practicality dominate.[ ...]

An important aspect of human activity in the "agrocultural" direction is the control of the number of economically important species of living organisms. This problem is of great importance in the field of combating agricultural pests, carriers of infections in natural foci of diseases, etc. The fight against them is carried out mainly by chemical means. Very effective poisons have been found and used, and environmentally sound methods of their use have been developed. The overall effectiveness of the destruction of, for example, rodents is up to 90--95% and has practically reached the limit. Nevertheless, the overall effect of control is quite low. In a relatively short period of time after extermination, the population is restored and these measures have to be repeated regularly, and thus the "economics" of this work is very low.[ ...]

The first group consists of costs incurred by the facility in connection with the adoption of protective measures aimed at reducing losses caused by a decrease in the quality of the environment. These include, for example, the costs of preventive security measures (construction of treatment facilities, dams, vaccinations against possible diseases, etc.), costs of eliminating the consequences of pollution (cleaning the territory, etc.), insurance premiums when deciding on insurance of possible losses, costs of environmental quality control (monitoring, environmental expertise, environmental audit, etc.).[ ...]

The process of extinction of various species of organisms under the influence of direct (extermination) and indirect (environmental pollution, economic development of territories) destruction by man has serious consequences. It leads to a violation of the proportions between species that correct each other's numbers; makes environmental duplication difficult; reduces the possibility of full-fledged evolutionary selection; leads to a simplification of the structure and a decrease in the stability of ecosystems. For example, if in a hare-fox system the number of a hare grows, posing a threat to vegetation, then the fox can also increase its number, preventing the hares from multiplying too quickly. But if the number of the hare decreases, then the fox will switch to feeding on mice. If something happens to the foxes, then the wolves will be able to correct the number of hares, and the owls will be able to correct the number of mice. But if the ecosystem is poor in species, then an equivalent backup may not be found. One of the results of the violation of the ecological balance is the over-reproduction of pests and pathogens of plants, animals and humans. The final stage of all these processes is desertification. In addition, the death of any kind of organisms means the irreplaceable loss of some genes that had original adaptive properties that could be used by people for scientific and practical purposes.[ ...]

From the standpoint of biosafety, it is also essential to preliminarily substantiate and predict possible consequences, in particular, the introduction and acclimatization of plant and animal species that are nasal to a given territory. There are positive examples in this regard. For example, restoration of the sable population in the taiga zone, bison populations in the center of the European part of Russia and the Caucasus, etc. The ecological and genetic consequences of unintentional introduction are less predictable. For example, according to the official data of the Quarantine Service of the former USSR, as a result of an examination of 1 million imported plant cargoes, about 600 species of potential pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi) and more than 1,000 species of various insects (mainly pests) were found in them.[ . ..]

Chemical pollution is the entry into the ecosystem of certain substances that are quantitatively or qualitatively alien to the ecosystem. In this case, not only the chemical properties of the environment change, but the functioning of the ecosystem may be disrupted. Man supplies the environment with compounds that were not there before. Therefore, there is no natural (natural) way to neutralize them. Examples of chemical pollution are pollution with heavy metals, pesticides, chlorobifinyls, etc. The negative effects of chemical pollution on the metabolism of living organisms are called "ecological traps". As such a trap, we can mention the phenomenon of accumulation of methylmercury in the human body (Minamata disease - after the name of the area in Japan where this disease was first discovered). Production wastes containing methylmercury were dumped into the bay, from where they entered the human body with seafood caught by fishermen. It took nature more than 40 years to eliminate the consequences of dumping toxic waste into the bay. Only in 1998, local fishermen were allowed to harvest seafood in this bay.[ ...]

In recent years, humanity has finally realized the truth that it is only a part of nature, and, moreover, dependent. This is a very significant change in the perception of the world. It helped to understand that the change of nature by man is already having a sharp negative impact on socio-economic processes, and without the reproduction of natural systems, economic reproduction will not go on. It became obvious that the growth of the anthropogenic process of destruction of nature will continue until the demographic pressure, multiplied by the growth of needs associated with scientific and technological development, decreases. The seriousness of the ecological situation was stated, but not deeply realized. The trend of disparate consideration of demographic processes and resource use, as well as a separate analysis of the progress in the use of individual natural resources, has not been overcome. The narrow economic approach to the analysis of scientific and technological success continued to dominate, although more and more adjustments were introduced for environmental restrictions. There was a fascination with computing technology that went beyond its sober use. This was especially clearly manifested in our country, which introduces computers outside of real communication systems. Without having and without creating networks, without understanding the development strategy, it is impossible to achieve the effective use of computers. At the same time, "computer" diseases of overwork appeared.[ ...]

Human ecology (anthropoecology) is a complex science (part of social ecology) that studies the interaction of a person as a biosocial creature with a complex multicomponent environment, with an ever more complex dynamic environment. Its most important task is to reveal the patterns of industrial and economic, targeted development and transformation of natural landscapes under the influence of human activity. The term was introduced by American scientists R. Park and E. Burgess (1921). In our country, systematic research in the field of human ecology began in the 1970s. present century. According to WHO estimates, three-quarters of human diseases are caused by the ecologically unfavorable state of the environment, violations of natural relationships in nature due to its pollution with civilization products. Various diseases are associated with elevated concentrations of various anthropogenic toxicants in the environment, in particular in Japan, diseases such as Minamata (excess mercury compounds), Itai-Itai (excess cadmium), Yusho (poisoning of PCBs), Chernobyl disease (radioisotope iodine-131), etc. Residents of large cities and industrial centers in many regions of the globe suffer especially from environmental pollution.[ ...]

The annual catch of marine fish worldwide increased from 18 million tons (live weight) in 1938 to 55 million tons in 1967. About 80% of the catch was obtained in three areas, namely in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the western and the northern sectors of the Pacific Ocean and off the western coast of South America. Ironically, only half of the catch is used as human food; the other half goes to feed poultry and livestock. Such an extension of the food chain is ecologically unsustainable and economically justified only as long as the fish remains a “free” gift of nature, which can be taken without the cost of fertilizer, disease and predator control or breeding. There are conflicting opinions as to the extent to which the collection of naturally produced food from the sea can be increased. Some ichthyologists working in the fish industry believe that this collection has already reached its peak, while others believe that it can be increased, but not more than 3-4 times (see Holt, 1969; Ricker, 1969). Mariculture (aquaculture in the seas or estuaries) is currently an important source of food only in a few areas, such as Japan, Indonesia and Australia (Bardach, 1969).[ ...]

The law of physical and chemical unity of living matter (V.I. Vernadsky). All living matter of the Earth is physically and chemically one. A consequence naturally follows from the Law: what is harmful to one part of living matter cannot be indifferent to its other part, or: what is harmful to some types of creatures is harmful to others. Hence, any physicochemical agents that are lethal to some organisms (for example, pest control agents) cannot but have a harmful effect on other organisms. The whole difference lies only in the degree of resistance of the species to the agent. Since in any large population there are always individuals of different quality, including those less or more resistant to physicochemical influences, the rate of selection for the endurance of populations to a harmful agent is directly proportional to the rate of reproduction of organisms, the speed of alternation of generations. Based on this, with the growing impact of the physicochemical factor, to which the organism with a relatively slow change of generations is resistant, to a less stable, but faster reproducing species, their ability to resist the factor under consideration is equalized. That is why the long-term use of chemical methods to control plant pests and pathogens of humans and warm-blooded animals is environmentally unacceptable. With the selection of resistant individuals of rapidly breeding arthropods, the processing rate has to be increased. However, even these increased concentrations turn out to be ineffective, but they seriously affect the health of humans and vertebrates.

A special group of diseases, which are called environmental diseases (not to be confused with endemic), have recently been discovered. They are caused by substances alien to organisms - xenobiotics - mi (from the Greek. Xenos - alien and bios - life), among which the most negative impact is exerted by heavy metal ions(Cadmium, lead, Mercury, etc.) And some binary compounds of non-metals (sulfur (IU) oxide S02 and nitrogen (IU) oxide N02).

Metallic mercury and its vapors, which are extremely toxic chemicals, are among the most common "metal" environmental pollutants. Releases to water are especially dangerous, because as a result of the activity of microorganisms inhabiting the bottom, a highly toxic compound soluble in water is formed, which causes Minamata disease. (Note! If a mercury thermometer breaks in your home, you should carefully collect all the balls of mercury on a piece of paper, and cover the cracks and uneven floors with sulfur powder. Sulfur easily reacts chemically with mercury, forming a harmless HgS compound.)

Cadmium, its compounds and vapors are also acutely toxic substances that are easily absorbed into the blood, affect the central nervous system, liver and kidneys, and disrupt metabolism. Chronic poisoning in small doses (itai-itai disease) leads to anemia and bone destruction. Symptoms of acute poisoning with Cadmium salts are accompanied by sudden vomiting and convulsions.

Lead and its compounds are also very toxic. Once in the human body, they accumulate (from lat accumulation - accumulation) in the bones, causing their destruction, and the atoms of this element can accumulate in the renal tubules, causing a violation of the excretory function. Lead compounds are widely used in the production of dyes, paints, pesticides, glass products, and also as an additive to gasoline to increase the octane number, and therefore poisoning with this element occurs more often. Since car emissions contain lead compounds, now they have simply covered the entire earth's surface, even reaching Antarctica, where there have never been cars.

Perhaps the most famous outbreak of environmental disease in our country was in the late 80s pp. 20th century a case in the city of Chernivtsi, when outwardly healthy children of 2-3 years of age began to suddenly lose their hair and in one night they simply went bald. The cause of this disease, which is called intoxication aplecia, was quickly established - salt poisoning of Thalia, a very dangerous xenobiotic. However, it is still unclear where this chemical element came from in such quantities. It should be said that all over the world, and in Ukraine in particular, there are quite often outbreaks of diseases unknown to medicine, caused by the action of various kinds of unnatural substances on the body.

What is acid rain. Powerful environmental pollutants are various oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, which are released into the atmosphere mainly when coal is burned. Substances are dangerous not only because they can cause allergies and asthma, but also because of acid rain. Reacting with atmospheric water (often under the influence of solar radiation), sulfur oxides are converted into solutions of acids - sulfite (S02 + H20 \u003d H2S03), sulfuric (S03 + H20 \u003d H2S04), and nitrogen oxides - nitrous and nitric (2N02 - h H20 = HN03 - h HN02) acids. Then, together with snow or rain, they fall to the ground. Acid rain destroys forests and crops, destroys life in water bodies, increasing their acidity to such a level that plants and animals die in them.

Thus, in the production process and for energy production, a huge amount of waste substances (soot, phosphorus, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and

Sulfur, various compounds of metallic elements, etc.), the mass of which in just a year on Earth is millions of tons. Living beings have never encountered most of these compounds, and therefore they cannot utilize them - use them for their own needs. Whereas their accumulation inevitably leads to the gradual destruction of the natural environment and is detrimental to all living things. Since modern civilization cannot do without the production of ever new cars, aircraft, tankers, the construction of factories, residential neighborhoods and just cottages, and the transition to environmentally friendly production of matter and energy is still nothing more than a project of the future, it becomes necessary to quota production waste , limiting their free release. To do this, each country is given a quota, according to which it will be able to pollute the environment for a certain number of tons of emissions per year. But even this idea, which, of course, is only a half-measure, does not find real support in the governments of the most developed countries, since in this case a sharp drop in production is expected.

Biologists and economists have recently begun to use a new term - "ecosystem services", which refers to the many ways in which nature supports human activities. Forests filter our drinking water, birds and bees pollinate crops, and both services are of high economic and biological value.

If we do not understand the laws of the natural ecosystem and do not take care of it, then the system will cease to provide the “service” we need and even begin to persecute us in forms that we still have very little idea of. An example is the emergence of new infectious diseases, in which most epidemics - AIDS, Ebola, West Nile, acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Lyme disease and hundreds of others that have occurred in recent decades, did not happen by themselves.

As it turns out, the disease is largely environmentally conditioned. 60% of human infectious diseases are zoonotic, that is, they originate from animals. And more than two-thirds of them originate in the wild.

Several teams of veterinarians and environmentalists, together with medical scientists and epidemiologists, are making efforts at a global level to understand the "ecology of disease." Their work is part of a project called Predict, which is funded by the US Agency for International Development. Experts are trying to understand how, based on knowledge of man-made changes in the landscape, for example, the construction of a new farm or road, it is possible to predict exactly where new diseases for humanity will penetrate to us, and how to detect them in time, that is, before they have time. spread. Researchers take samples of blood, saliva and other biomaterials from animals of those species that pose the greatest threat to the spread of infection in order to compile a kind of catalog of viruses: having it, it will be possible to quickly identify the virus if it infects a person. Experts are looking for ways to treat forests, their fauna and domestic animals that would prevent the emergence of diseases from forest areas and their growth into new pandemics.

This is not only about health care, but also about the economy. The World Bank has calculated that a ferocious flu epidemic, for example, could cost the global economy $3 trillion.

The problem is exacerbated by poor livestock conditions in poor countries: this factor can significantly increase the threat of the spread of infections carried by wild animals. Recently, the International Institute for Animal Research published information that annually more than 2 million people die from diseases transmitted to humans from wild and domestic animals.

The Nipah virus in South Africa and the closely related Hendra virus in Australia (both from the genus Henipah) are the most recent examples of how ecosystem disruption can lead to the spread of disease. The source of these viruses are flying foxes (Pteropus vampyrus), also known as fruit bats. They eat very sloppily and this is an important factor in the transmission scenario. Resembling Dracula in their appearance, tightly wrapped in a webbed cloak, they often hang upside down and eat fruits: the pulp is chewed, and the juice and seeds are spit out.

Flying foxes and Henipah viruses originated millions of years ago and co-evolved, so that the host rarely becomes seriously ill when exposed to a virus, except perhaps the flying fox equivalent of our cold. When the virus breaks through to species that are not its traditional symbiont, something similar to the scenario of a horror movie can happen, as happened in rural Malaysia in 1999. Apparently, a flying fox dropped a piece of chewed fruit pulp into a pigsty located in the forest. The pigs contracted the virus, amplified it, after which it passed to humans. Its lethal power was astounding: of the 276 people infected in Malaysia, 106 died, and many of the survivors were left with lifelong disabilities suffering from neurological complications. There is no vaccine or cure for Henipah infection. Since the first outbreak of the disease, 12 more have occurred in South Asia, albeit on a smaller scale.

In Australia, where 4 people and several dozen horses died from the Hendra virus, the scenario was different: the expansion of the suburbs led to the fact that infected bats, which have always inhabited exclusively forests, have chosen yards and pastures. If Henipah viruses have evolved to be ready to be transmitted through casual contact, then you have to worry about whether he can leave the jungle and spread first to Asia and then to the world. "Nipah is leaking out and we're seeing small clusters of cases so far, but it's only a matter of time before a strain will emerge that can spread very effectively in humans," says Jonathan Epstein, a veterinarian with the EcoHealth Alliance, New York. York-based organization that studies the environmental causes of disease.

Emerging infectious diseases are either new types of pathogens, or old but mutated, as is the case with influenza every year. For example, man acquired AIDS from chimpanzees in the 1920s, when African hunters of wild animals killed them and consumed them.

Throughout history, diseases have emerged from forests and wildlife to make their way into human populations: plague and malaria are just two examples of such infections. Over the past 50 years, however, the number of newly emerging diseases, according to experts, has quadrupled, mainly due to the ever deeper penetration of humans into the wild, especially in the infectious "hotspots" of the planet, most of which are located in tropical regions. . Thanks to the possibilities of modern air transport and the stable demand for wild animals, the likelihood of a large-scale outbreak of any infectious disease in large settlements is quite high.

The key to predicting and preventing a future pandemic, experts say, is understanding the so-called “protective effect” of nature undisturbed by human intervention. For example, scientific analysis shows that in the Amazon, deforestation of just 4% of forests has led to a 50% increase in malaria cases, because mosquitoes that transmit the infection multiply much more actively when there is a combination of sunlight and water, that is, in conditions created in areas of deforestation. . Making ill-conceived actions in relation to forests, a person opens a Pandora's box - and this kind of cause and effect is studied by a newly created team of specialists.

Public health experts are beginning to incorporate the environmental factor into their population health models. Australia, for example, is launching a massive multi-million dollar Hendra virus and bat ecology project.

However, the introduction of human civilization into the tropical landscape is not the only factor contributing to the emergence of new infectious diseases. West Nile virus came to the United States from Africa, but spread because one of its favorite hosts is the robin, which thrives in America, in the edge of clearings and agricultural fields. Mosquitoes that spread the disease find robins particularly attractive. "The health impact of the virus in the United States has been so significant because it uses species that get along well with humans," says Marm Kilpatrick, a biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Because of the leading role in the spread of this disease, the robin is called a "super-carrier".

The scourge of the American east coast, Lyme disease, is also largely a product of human intervention in the environment, namely, the result of the reduction and fragmentation of extensive forest areas. The human invasion has scared away natural predators - wolves, foxes, owls and hawks. This resulted in a five-fold increase in the number of white-footed hamsters, which are an excellent "reservoir" for Lyme bacteria, possibly because they have a very weak immune system. In addition, they take very poor care of their fur. Possums and gray squirrels comb out 90% of the tick larvae that spread the virus, and hamsters destroy only 50%. “In this way, hamsters produce a huge number of infected pupae,” says Richard Ostfeld, a specialist in Lyme disease.

“When our actions in an ecosystem, such as tearing apart a single forest area and plowing the vacated area for farmland, damage biodiversity, we get rid of those species that perform a protective function,” says Dr. Ostfeld. “There are several species that are reservoirs of infection, and quite a few that are not. By intervening, we encourage those who play the role of reservoirs to breed.

Dr. Ostfeld observed the emergence of two infectious diseases carried by ticks - piroplasmosis (babesiosis) and anaplasmosis - and he was the first to raise the alarm about the possibility of their spread.

The best way to prevent new disease outbreaks, experts say, is through a worldwide program they call the "One Health Initiative," which includes the work of more than 600 scientists and other professionals and promotes the idea that the health of people, animals and ecosystems as a whole are inextricably linked. , and when planning certain innovations affecting nature, they must be approached as a whole.

“This does not mean that you need to leave virgin forests virgin and not let people go there,” explains Simon Anthony, a molecular virologist at the Center for the Study of Infection and Immunity at Columbia University: “But you need to understand how to do it without harm. If we can find the mechanism that triggers the occurrence of the disease, we will be able to make changes in the environment without negative consequences.”

This is a task of enormous scale and complexity. According to experts, today science has studied approximately 1% of all viruses that live in the wild. Another complicating circumstance is that wildlife immunology as a science is just beginning to develop. Rayna K. Plowright, a disease ecology biologist at Pennsylvania State University, found that outbreaks of Hendra virus in flying foxes in rural areas are quite rare and much higher in urban and suburban animals. She hypothesizes that urban bats become sedentary and are less exposed to the virus than wild ones, and therefore get sick more easily. This means that an increasing number of flying foxes - whether as a result of poor nutrition, loss of natural environment, or for other reasons - become infected themselves and bring the virus into the yard to humans.

The fate of a future pandemic may depend on the work of the Forecast project. EcoHealth and its partners, UC Davis, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Smithsonian Institute for Global Predictions in Virology, are studying and cataloging the viruses that infect tropical wildlife. The focus is on primates, rats and bats, which are the most likely vectors of human diseases.

Project Prognoz researchers are monitoring sites where the existence of deadly viruses is an established fact and man is breaking into the forest zone, as is happening along the new highway connecting the Atlantic coast with the Pacific coast through the Andes in Brazil and Peru. “By mapping forest invasions, you can predict where the next outbreak might occur,” says Dr. Dazak, President of EcoHealth. roads are being built. We talk to people living in these zones and explain to them that their activities are very risky.”

It may also be necessary to speak to traditional game hunters, as well as those who build farms in areas that are the natural habitat of bats. In Bangladesh, where the Nipah virus has caused outbreaks on several occasions, flying foxes have been found to visit collector containers of date juice that people have been drinking. The containers were covered with bamboo mats (costing 8 cents each) and the source of the disease was eliminated.

EcoHealth specialists also organized luggage scanning at airports to check imported exotic animals, which are highly likely to be carriers of viruses that are fatal to humans. EcoHealth has a special PetWatch program designed to warn fans of keeping exotic pets brought to market from wild forests in infectious hot spots of the planet.

Dr. Epstein, EcoHealth veterinarian, believes that the knowledge gained over the past few years about the ecology of disease allows us to worry a little less about the future. “For the first time in history, we are taking coordinated action from 20 countries around the world to develop a system of timely warnings about the potential threat of outbreaks of zoonotic infections,” he says.

Jim ROBBINS