Particular concern at the present stage is the health effects of wildfires’ smoke. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of paternal biomass-smoke exposure on offspring’s behavior and cognitive abilities. Male rats were exposed to biomass smoke for four hours/day, five days/week, for four weeks. Average concentration of carbon monoxide and particulate matter of 2.5 μm PM_2.5 in the chamber during exposure were 28.7 ± 5.3 mg/m³ and 1.9 ± 0.5 mg/m³, respectively. At the same time, high concentrations of furfural and acetaldehyde were detected in the air environment of the exposure chambers. Offspring was obtained by mating of experimental males with untreated females, immediately after the end of the exposure and after 60 days (long-term period). Offspring were tested by using the Morris water maze and open field at three months of age. Male and female offspring born by mating immediately after exposure demonstrated decreased exploratory behavior, locomotor activity, and spatial navigation, as well as increased anxiety levels. Locomotor and exploratory activity in rats of both sexes from progeny obtained after long-term exposure to smoke had no statistically significant differences when compared to the control; however, the females showed a high level of anxiety and impaired cognitive functions. The recovery period after biomass-smoke intoxication, comparable in duration of spermatogenesis in rats, was an important factor in reducing the risk of developing central nervous system (CNS) disorders in offspring.

A method is proposed for determining formaldehyde by headspace gas chromatography using an o-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBHA) derivatizing agent. Formaldehyde in urine was derivatized to o-(pentafluorobenzyl)oxime and extracted by heating an urine sample with PFBHA in a sealed vial. Gas-chromatographic analysis of the headspace was performed in the temperature-programmed mode using an HP-5 capillary column with a flame ionization detector. The limit of detection is 3.5 μg/L. The accuracy of the procedure, equivalent to an extended relative uncertainty, does not exceed 21%. The examination of the procedure using urine samples of the population of the Irkutsk region has shown that the regional reference levels of formaldehyde concentration are in the range 44–83 μg/L.

Introduction. The study of the mechanisms of action of combustion products released during natural fires on the body and the development of appropriate preventive measures is an actual hygienic problem at the present stage. Material and methods. Experimental modeling of landscape fire was carried out for 7 days, 4 hours per day. Forest fuel, which is a living ground cover and plant residues, was used as a combustible substrate. The concentration of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, furfural, and acetaldehyde was determined in the exposure chamber, the general qualitative composition of air and the target qualitative analysis for volatile aldehydes and ketones were carried out. After exposure rat behavior was observed through an open field test and Morris water maze, histological studies of brain tissue were done. Results. During the experiment changes in the structure of the behavior of white rats exposed to smoke were established to be characterized by a decrease in motor and exploratory activity, and an increase in the level of anxiety in females was also observed. When testing in the water maze of Morris revealed violations of spatial memory and the ability to navigational learning. Histological examination of the cerebral cortex in animals of the experimental groups revealed multiple foci of neuronophagy, expansion of perivascular spaces, and the development of glial cell replacement hyperplasia was noted. Conclusion. The results indicate the presence of a neurotoxic effect of combustion products, characterized by a decrease in the motor activity of animals, increased anxiety and impaired memory processes, as well as morphological changes in the brain tissue of white rats. However, in order to reveal the role of the impact of a complex of substances released during forest fires, their contribution to morphological and functional disorders, furthermore in-depth studies are required.

A method for determining thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) in urea by gas chromatography on an HP-5 capillary column with flame ionization detection is developed. Sample pretreatment includes derivatization with methanol in the presence of sulfuric acid, liquid microextraction of TDGA dimethyl ester with ethyl acetate, and centrifugation. The analytical range in urea is 0.4–90 μg/mL, intralaboratory precision RSD 6.5%, and accuracy (P = 0.95) 15%.

Introduction. For a comprehensive study of the urban environment, various natural objects, there were used - snow and soil cover, accumulating atmospheric precipitation, which allows assessing the spread of pollutants in the environment. The purpose of the study is to assess the quantitative content of priority pollutants in the snow/soil system as a result of dispersion from man-made sources. Material and methods. Studies of the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), petroleum products (PP), and fluorides in snow and soils under man-made loads were carried out. Snow sampling was performed at sites with undisturbed snow cover during the beginning of snowmelt. Soil samples were taken at the same points where snow samples were previously taken. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, fluorimetric and potentiometric methods were used. Results. The detected PP content in samples of snow/soil samples was in the range of 0.04-0.98 mg/l/2.8-71.2 mg/kg; Σ PAH -2.13-134.76 mg/l/0.13-38.987 mg/kg; fluoride- in the range of 0.68-13.48 mg/l/1.5-61.0 mg/kg. High concentrations of pollutants were registered at points closest to man-made sources, as well as near highways and railway tracks. The composition of PAHs is relatively uniform at all sampling sites. snow samples were mainly dominated by low-molecular polyarenes - from 52.8 to 68.5% of ΣPAH, and soil samples - 5 -, 6-nuclear PAHs, the proportion of which varied from 63.7 to 85.3% of ΣPAH. Conclusion. Analysis of the obtained material shows the maximum concentrations of pollutants (PAH, PP, Fluorides) to be observed for snow and soil samples near the industrial zone: 0.35 km South of the aluminum plant, as well as in a soil sample taken from the village of Olkha, at a distance of 2.5 km from the source.

Introduction. In industrial cities, the problem of environmental pollution by supertoxicants, which include the class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is especially acute. Since among PAHs there are substances that have a carcinogenic effect, their quantitative identification in environmental objects is an urgent task. Materials and methods. The content of PAHs and petroleum products (PP) in the soil of an industrial city, taken in various functional zones, was studied. Determination of sixteen PAHs was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with optimized sample preparation. It is proposed to determine PAHs by GC-MS using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). Petroleum products (PP) were determined by the fluorimetric method. Results. Total PAHs content (ΣPAH) varied from 7.50 to 319.11 µg/kg. ΣPAH-carcinogens in the residential and sanitary protection zones was on average 25.1–31.2 times higher than in the background site. PP content levels in urban soils ranged from 3.0 to 62.4 mg/kg. Limitations. The study is limited to the study of the upper layers of soil up to 5 cm. The possibility of PAH migration into groundwater has not been studied. Conclusion. The structure of PAHs was dominated by 4-6-nuclear structures: dibenz(a,h)anthracene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, etc., making up > 87% of the total amount of PAHs. The proportion of these polyarenes in the total ΣPAH in the residential area increases by 1.3 times compared to the background, which indicates the possibility of their technogenic origin. The PAH and PP indicators are characterized by a scatter of data and, as a result, a large influence of the local factor on the formation of soil cover pollution.