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.

Aim of investigation. To study the content of heavy metals: zinc, iron, copper, lead, arsenic, manganese, chromium, cadmium and mercury in hair samples of children permanently residing on the territory of the Arctic zone of Russia. Methods. In the process of research, a method of atomic absorption spectrometry with flame and electrothermal atomization, the cold vapor method was used. In the transverse study, 48 children aged 7 to 17 years were involved. Hair sampling was performed from the occipital part of the head. Hair represents an ideal object of research and is one of the informative tissue structures of a person. The obtained results were compared with the reference values established for residents of the Volga and Ural federal districts of the Russian Federation. Results. Exceed-ances of the recommended values for copper, iron, manganese and zinc in 100.0 %, 66.7 %, 25.0 % and 22.2 % samples respectively in the children of Salekhard at the age of 7-11; and iron, copper, chromium, zinc and manganese in 70.0 %, 50.0 %, 44.4 %, 40.0 % and 20.0 % of samples respectively for the children of Salekhard at the age of 13-16 years. The children of the village of Yar-Sale, two age groups have exceeded the recommended levels for iron, chromium, copper and zinc, the percentage of such samples for children aged 7 to 11 years was 100.0 %, 85.7 %, 57.1 % and 7.1 % respectively, and for children from 13 to 17 years- 100.0 %, 86.7 %, 13.3 % and 13.3 % respectively. Conclusion. The conducted studies on the study of heavy metals in hair of both age groups of children in in settlement Yar-Sale and city Salekhard found exceedances of recommended values for zinc, copper, iron, chromium (except for the age group of children of 7-11 years of Salekhard) and manganese (for children living in Salekhard).

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.

Introduction. Changes in the levels of fatty acids (FA), reflecting the specifics of metabolic disorders in workers with vibration disease (VD), and persons with VD aggravated by metabolic syndrome (MS) have not been studied enough. Mass spectrometric study of the composition of FA in VD patients and cases suffered from VD in combination with MS seems justified, since these compounds can be included in the formation of disorders at the early stages of changes in health status under the influence of adverse factors, which will later establish significant prognostic indicators. Materials and methods. The levels of esterified and free forms of fatty acids: saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in blood plasma, were determined on an Agilent 7890A/5975C gas chromatograph. Results. The FA composition was studied in the surveyed cohort of people in vibration-hazardous occupations with a diagnosis of VD and VD+MS established in the clinic. Significant shifts in the FA levels were established, in VD + MS patients there was an increase in the concentrations of myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, margaric, stearic acids and ΣSFA when compared with VD patients. For all MUFAs and for ΣMUFA, large values were observed for the VD + MS group (p<0.001 to 0.027). For PUFAs, significant differences were noted in relation to the level of: α-linolenic, eicosatrienoic and eicosapentaenoic acids ω-3, total ω-3 PUFAs, linoleic, γ-linolenic and dihomo-γ-linolenic acids ω-6, total ω-6 PUFAs and total all PUFAs. Limitations. The results apply to sixty six vibration-hazardous occupations surveyed. The influence of experience and dietary preferences on the FA composition in blood plasma has not been studied. Conclusion. A study of the quantitative FA indicators in the blood plasma showed the total indicators of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in persons with VD+MS to be higher than in VD patients by 1.36, 1.33 and 1.12 times, respectively.