Human labor activity in the Arctic takes place in extreme climatic conditions, which significantly increase the indicator of integral professional risk. The aim of the research is to study working conditions and the risks of developing professional pathology among employees of enterprises in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF). Methods. The data of socio-hygienic monitoring and information on occupational morbidity in the Russian Arctic in 2007-2017 were studied. Results. It has been stated that at the workplaces of enterprises in the Russian Arctic, the most common hazardous and harmful production factors are noise, severity and intensity of the labor process, chemical factors. Most often, professional pathology is detected in workers of mining and metallurgical enterprises in the cities of Vorkuta and Norilsk, as well as in the Murmansk Region (71.1 % of cases). The maximum prevalence of occupational diseases, which is 5-30 times higher than the similar indicators in other areas of the Russian Arctic, is observed among Vorkuta miners. Due to the effects of chronic cold stress in the Russian Arctic, the work experience sufficient for the development of occupational diseases can be reduced to 5-7 years. In four regions (the Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts, the regions of the Russian Arctic and the Komi Republic and the Krasnoyarsk Territory) there is an upward tendency of occupational morbidity indicators, and in three (the Murmansk Region, regions of the Russian Arctic of the Arkhangelsk Region and the Republic of Sakha) - to its decrease. In the Russian Arctic, in contrast to Russia as a whole, no decrease in the incidence of occupational morbidity has been observed in the last four years. Conclusions: there is a necessity to improve the system of socio-hygienic monitoring and develop more effective methods for occupational diseases prevention when carrying out activities in the Arctic.

Purpose: to study the socioeconomic and behavioral risk factors of disabilities among indigenous population of Far North and make proposals for their prevention. Methods: The study tested the level of income, employment, education and alcohol consumption on the basis of the survey and analyzed the data of the official statistics. We used Statistica v.12 and IBM SPSS Statistics v.22 for calculating the chi-square, Wilcoxon signed- rank test criteria, T-test for paired samples and made regression and correlation analysis. Results: We did not discover significant differences in income levels, unemployment and alcohol consumption in the cohort study (2001-2010) of indigenous population in Chukotka Autonomous Region. In addition, the income of the natives is still low, unemployment and alcohol consumption are high. There is a correlation between the socioeconomic and behavioral factors and health indicators. We also propose a mathematical model which allows to suggest that the level of income above the subsistence level in 6-7 times is sufficient to minimize the impact of socioeconomic factors on population health. Conclusion: In order to prevent irreversible process of indigenous population health deterioration and society degradation it is necessary to create the accessible vocational education, increase employment and number of leisure centers. These measures will lead to income growth, increase in life expectancy and infant mortality decrease.

Introduction. The mining and metallurgical industries form the basis of the economy of the Murmansk Region. Working conditions at industrial enterprises, combined with extreme climatic conditions of the Arctic, pose an increased risk of occupational diseases. The purpose of the study was to investigate working conditions and occupational disease rates among industrial workers of the Murmansk Region in 2007–2017. Materials and methods. We studies socio-hygienic monitoring data on working conditions and occupational diseases in the population of the Murmansk Region in 2007-2017 provided by the Federal Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, Moscow. Results. In 2008-2017, the most common occupational risk factors in the Murmansk Region included noise (25.8%), job strain (17.8%), and chemical factor (12.6%) while 39.2% of workers were exposed to a combination of occupational hazards. Over 10 years, the absolute number of workers exposed to dangerous and hazardous industrial factors decreased by 1.8 times. In the Murmansk Region, 84.3% of occupational disease cases were registered among workers of mining and metallurgical enterprises. In 2007-2017, the region experienced a significant decrease in occupational disease incidence mainly related to job cuts. The role of other factors (improvement of working conditions, health promotion) needs to be clarified; yet, it is possible to predict their positive influence on occupational morbidity in the next few years. Conclusion. To achieve a substantial decrease in occupational disease incidence rates, it is essential to keep improving comprehensive measures aimed at preserving workers’ health in the Murmansk Region.

The aim of the study was to assess temporal trends in health risks related to most common persistent contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), lead (Pb), as well as mercury (Hg) among indigenous peoples living in coastal areas of Chukotka in Arctic Russia. This is examined in relation to exposure pathways and a range of social and behavioral factors capable of modifying the exposure to these contaminants, including place of residence, income, traditional subsistence, alcohol consumption, and awareness of risk prevention. The primary exposure pathway for PCBs is shown to be the intake of traditional foods, which explained as much as 90% of the total health risk calculated employing established risk guidelines. Nearly 50% of past DDT-related health risks also appear to have been contributed by contaminated indoor surfaces involving commonly used DDT-containing insecticides. Individuals who practiced traditional activities are shown to have experienced a 4.4-fold higher risk of exposure to PCBs and a 1.3-fold higher risk for DDTs, Pb, and Hg. Low income, high consumption of marine mammal fat, alcohol consumption, and lack of awareness of health risk prevention are attributed to a further 2- to 6-fold increase in the risk of PCBs exposure. Low socioeconomic status enhances the health risks associated with exposure to the persistent contaminants examined.

Introduction. Regulation of drinking water quality is a very important area of health care and improving the quality of life of the population of the Russian Federation.The aim of this work is the development a model for the assessment of the drinking water quality and calculating the share of the population, including urban, provided with high-quality drinking water from centralized water supply systems, taking into account new methodological approaches to the evaluation of the quality of drinking water using the example of water supply to settlements in the Leningrad Region. Material and methods. The data on the organization of centralized cold water supply systems and monitoring systems for drinking water quality and the results of laboratory studies of drinking water quality in the cities of Volkhov, Svetogorsk, Slantsy, Tosno were studied. Statistical processing of the results was performed, the categories of quality of drinking water supplied to the population were determined, the number of the population provided with high-quality drinking water from the water supply system was calculated in accordance with Guidelines 2.1.4.0143-19.Results. In 2018, 100% of the population was provided with quality drinking water only in the city of Slantsy. In the city of Tosno, this index reached of 83.5%. In the cities of Volkhov and Svetogorsk, drinking water was rated as low-quality. But it is worth noting that in the cities of Volkhov and Slantsy laboratory tests were carried out at 2 points, in the city of Svetogorsk - only at the 1 point, which, given the number of residents, is not enough. For an objective assessment of the state of drinking water and the development of measures aimed at improving its quality, it is necessary to increase the number of monitoring points, as well as to include the results of control and supervision measures and production laboratory control conducted by water supply organizations in the volume of laboratory information.Conclusion. The proposed model allows us to assess the drinking water quality in centralized water supply systems and the proportion of the population, including urban, provided with quality drinking water at the level of the water supply system, settlement, municipal district (urban district), subject of the Russian Federation

For many years in Russia, apatite ore mining has been associated with high levels of occupational morbidity. The aim of the study was to retrospectively assess occupational disease trends in Russian Arctic apatite miners. We analysed data from routine health screening of 2 649 underground apatite miners in 2007 and data of social-hygienic monitoring “Working conditions and occupational morbidity” in 2008–2020. In 2007, according to the results of routine health screening, 6 778 chronic diseases were diagnosed in 2 649 miners, the most prevalent being musculoskeletal (34.4%) and eye (16.0%) diseases. In the next 13 years, 572 occupational diseases were first diagnosed in 300 (11.3%) miners, most prevalent being musculoskeletal diseases (47.2%). The risk of developing occupational diseases in tunnellers exceeded that in all other miners, including timber-men (RR = 1.56; CI 1.06–2.30), vibration-loading machine operators (RR = 1.67; CI 0.99–2.80), drillers (RR = 1.51; CI 1.08–2.11) and blasters (RR = 2.12; CI 1.55–2.84). We conclude that ongoing modernisation of ore mining processes and medical preventive measures should include more effective health-improving interventions for underground apatite miners. Findings from the analysis of data can be used by health professionals and policy makers to address these problems.