The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects that occur in miners working underground in rare metal ore mines at ionizing radiation levels within the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) standards using the buccal micronucleus cytome (BMCyt) assay. At the same time, we attempted to identify possible relationships between cytogenetic abnormalities in the buccal epithelium and such physiological indicators as cardiodynamics and the body mass index. The study involved a total of 269 individuals, 236 miners working underground in production related to the mining and enrichment of loparite ores and 33 non-exposed individuals (Russia, Murmansk region). Buccal micronucleus cytome assay and heart rate variability parameters were used. Micronucleus frequency was revealed to be a higher in the exposed group (8.3 ± 1.08‰) than in the non-exposed group (3.3 ± 0.49‰). The repair index showed a statistically significant increase in the non-exposed group (14.9 ± 2.90) compared with the exposed group (6.1 ± 0.74). The frequency of nuclear protrusions correlates significantly with the body mass index in the young miners (≤30 years (r = 0.45)). There is a negative relationship between the micronucleus frequency and the level of organism adaptation (r = −0.24), the vegetative regulation rate (r = −0.20) and the psycho-emotional state (r = −0.30) for miners older than 30 years. The results testify to the possible induction of clastogenic effects and a decrease in the level of reparation in the buccal epithelium cells due to the exposure of a various of production factors in the extraction of loparite ore.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the primary indicators and main causes of mortality of the indigenous small-number peoples of the North (ISNPN) of the Koryak Okrug. We studied peoples of working age and the impact of various factors on the generalized mortality rates of the regional population. We then compared these mortality rates with those of the same age categories of the nonindigenous immigrant population of Kirovsk, an industrial city, with high mortality rate in a highly urbanized region of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (Murmansk Oblast). Kirovsk has similar natural and climatic conditions but significant differences in the level of socioeconomic development, based on published scientific sources that study such mortality and socioeconomic trends during current times. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the official death registrations archived in the Regional Government Registry Offices of three districts of the Koryak Okrug (3720 records) and the city of Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast (2394 records) for the years from 1968 to 1991. The average annual mortality rates per 100 thousand of the studied population aged from 20 to 59 years were calculated based on the All-Union USSR Population Census of 1979+. The resulting indicators were standardized according to European standards. RESULTS: The calculation of generalized regional mortality rates adopted in official statistics does not give a realistic model for the mortality rate and main causes of death of the ISNPN. Mortality rates of the ISNPN significantly exceeded similar indicators of the nonindigenous immigrant population in all classes of diseases. The maximum contribution to mortality rates of the ISNPN comes from the high level of addictive alcoholization, which causes death both as a result of its direct toxic effects, and indirectly, by being the cause of murders, suicides and accidents. Currently, obtaining data for calculating the population mortality rates of ISNPN poses significant difficulties and requires specially prepared and structured statistical diagnostic studies.

Introduction. The article discusses methods to reduce the 2nd and 3rd Sanitary Protection Zones (SPZ) on the surface watercourse for the intake of onshore groundwater. There are presented basic hydrodynamic and geo-migration analytical solutions allowing the estimation the time of the pollution migration from the river to the underground water intake. These basic analytical solutions also estimate the degree of dilution of river waters by groundwater. Materials and methods. Laws & Acts regulating relations in the Design and Establishment of SPZ, SPZ Projects & related Scientific References. The methodological basis for reducing the zones of sanitary protection of coastal water intakes was undertaken using the hydrodynamic and geo-migration analytical calculations included within the ANSDIMAT software package. Results. When designing a coastal groundwater intake and developing a SPZ project, the following sequence of actions are recommended to reduce or completely avoid the management of the SPZ on a surface watercourse: 1. Locate the onshore groundwater intake in such a way that the 3rd belt of the SPZ is not close to the surface watercourse. 2. Estimate the pollution migration time. If it is more than four hundred days, then it is possible to abandon the management of the 2nd zone of the SPZ on the surface watercourse, and if the migration time of the pollution is more than 25 years, then the 3rd belt can also be completely abandoned. 3. Even with a constant excess of MPC (Maximum Permissible Concentration) in river waters, it is still possible to justify such a well flow rate that will not lead to an excess of MPC in water intake. 4. If it is impossible to fulfill the required project conditions, then it is necessary to manage the SPZ belts both for underground water intake and for the surface watercourse. Conclusion. Our recommendations for developing underground onshore water intakes make it possible to use all the advantages of onshore water intakes, whilst not withdrawing large areas from economic use.

Programs of international cooperation between universities and scientific centres aim to promote not only the achievements in science and education but also contribute to intercultural understanding, as well as to development of efficient human resources, research and innovation. The aim of this paper is to explore the potential of international cooperation in research and higher education between Russia and Germany by examining selected German-Russian projects and their outcomes. In particular, it highlights the experience of summer schools on “An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Ecosystem Services and Human Well-being”, an annual event started in 2014. It is organized under the umbrella of the German Academic Exchange Service (Program of Eastern Partnership), the International Office and Geography Department of Humboldt University of Berlin and the Faculty of Geography at Lomonosov Moscow State University in strong cooperation with other universities, research centres and NGOs from both countries. The summer school addresses relevant contemporary environmental issues of urbanization with special emphasis on ecosystem services, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions and their importance for well-being of the urban population. In this paper we present our experience from this project by providing the theoretical-methodological aspects of such joint educational and training programs and report outcomes, which emerged from them, thereby highlighting the difficulties and advantages and suggest lines of further development and cooperation. It also highlights how geographical perspective can provide new important and critical insights into the place-based approaches to ecosystem assessment and how it relates to the current trends in human-environmental research.