CURRENT TRENDS IN AIR POLLUTION AND LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE REPUBLIC OF KARELIA

Abstract

The article assesses the risk of exposure to athmospheric pollution on the life expectancy at birth and mortality in the Republic of Karelia. Special focus is on the long-term(1996–2016) variation of pollutant emissions from fixed sources and the statistically related to it change in the rate of mortality from external causes. Thus, the number of suicidesand murders in the period studied decreased simultaneously with a decrease in the emissions of solid particles (r = 0.92 and 0.89, respectively), CO (0.92 and 0.88), SO2 (0.77 and 0.72), etc. Such dependencies are consistent with available publications on the effect of chemical pollution on suicidal and aggressive human behavior, as well as the general trend of the effect of emitted solids on the number of crimes associated with violent actions against victims in the Northwest Federal District. The health hazard of exposure to dust-like particles is shown. Their concentration in urban air increases after the snowcover had thawed, especially in the case of a deficit of spring precipitation. Dust particles have partially acute-angled shapes and an elevated content of heavy metals (W, Cu,V, Co, Zn, Ni, Mn, Sb, Sn, Cr, Mo) compared to urban soils. The data presented in this article and their analysis are important for the continuation of research aimed at assessing environmental risks and reducing the negative impact of chemical pollution on human health and behavior.

Keywords

• polluting emissions
• dust particles
• heavy metals
• air temperature
• spring precipitation
• life expectancy at birth
• mortality rate
• external causes of death