Vol 31, No 4 (2023)

Natural iodine deficiency, which in some regions of Russia provokes thyroid diseases, increases the consequences of the entry of short-lived radioactive isotopes of this element into the food chain as a result of the Chernobyl accident (1986). The aim of the work is to assess the risk of morbidity of the population of the Kaluga, Bryansk and Oryol regions with thyroid cancer at the level of individual settlements based on experimental data. The iodine content in soils and vegetation cuttings of pastures in geochemically contrasting landscapes, as well as in cows' milk and potatoes of private household farms in the regions affected by the Chernobyl accident in 1986: Bryansk (2021), Oryol (2022) and Kaluga (2023) regions was studied. Joint expeditions of the Laboratory of Environmental Biogeochemistry of GEOKHI RAS and the Department of Human Ecology and Bioelementology of the Institute of Ecology of RUDN, carried out on the initiative and with the participation of the authors, revealed a significant variation of iodine concentration in soils and food products, which may be crucial for assessing the risk of thyroid diseases, including thyroid cancer, among the local rural population. The iodine content was found to be highly variable in both topsoil (0.31-3.04 mg/kg) and grass cuttings (0.14-0.29 mg/kg) of the study area. The maximum natural and technogenic risk of thyroid cancer morbidity in the rural population as a result of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident of 1986 is specific for the studied settlements of Zhizdrinsky district of Kaluga region, Bolkhovsky, Dmitrovsky and Sverdlovsky districts of Oryol region, Rognedinsky district of Bryansk region.

Initial stages of restoration dynamics of phytocoenoses are of a special interest. Ecological conditions change crucially after timber harvesting. The exploration of two clearcut areas in the Moscow River valley in 3-5 years after felling allowed us to detect the direction of phytocoenosis dynamics. Scotch pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) losses the competition with deciduous species in both sites constituting less than 50 % of regeneration. The largest number of individuals of Pinus sylvestris L. at the research sites, they have a three-year age: clear cut area No. 1 - 55 % and clear cut area No. 2 - 47 %. An intensive height increment of prevailing tree species was registered. In the site No. 1, an annual increase in height increment was registered indicating favourable growth conditions, while in the site No. 2, the 4-centimeter reduction of height increment was observed in the last year. The soil vegetation cover is an important ecological factor regulating the restoration dynamics of phytocoenoses on clearcut areas. To estimate the restoration dynamics of soil cover vegetation, 45 geobotanical descriptions were made. Totally 102 species of vascular plants referred to 72 genera were found on clearcut areas. The families with the highest frequency were Asteraceae - 12,7 %, Apiaceae - 10,8 %, and Poaceae - 8,8 %. A noticeable presence of Poaceae in the vegetation cover limits successful reforestation. The percentage of the most widespread ecologo-coenotic groups is 45% of the total number of registered species for meadow herbs, 16 % for tall herbs, 11 % for nemoral species, and 9% for forbs. Summary average projective coverage of herbage is 65-75 %. Under the conditions of reed-grass - herbal type of clearcut areas, Scotch pine is suppressed by both deciduous species and herbal vegetation, which makes the perspectives of its predomination in the future stand doubtful.

The analysis of high- and ultra-high-resolution satellite images of 1,385 peat bogs (with an area of more than 10 hectares) located on the territory of the Mogilev region of the Republic of Belarus showed that about 37 % of the total area of 221 thousand hectares of peat bogs were preserved in their natural state, the rest was subjected to hydraulic reclamation. The share of drained lands with peat soils of agricultural use was about 30 %, covered with forest vegetation - about 7 %, disturbed swamps - 26 %.

The study is devoted to the study of the relationship between the structure of the economy and the level of pollution of European cities in the context of the environmental imperative. Based on comparative statistical analysis, the level of pollution in European cities in 2013 and 2023 was considered and cities with the most and least favorable environmental situation were defined. Studied cities were divided into 7 groups by pollution index; stable trend of their location was determined through carrying out a cartographic analysis: groups of the most polluted cities are located mainly in the southeast of Europe and the least - in the northwest. Five types of cities with different trends in pollution index dynamics were identified. Based on a comprehensive synthetic analysis of cities with maximum improvement and deterioration of the environmental situation, the main factors of multidirectional dynamics are described - activity of environmental policy, sectoral structure transformation of urban economy. Main spatial trends in the environmental situation of European cities were identified: cities with positive dynamics of pollution index predominantly concentrated in the southeast, with a negative - in the east. The analysis showed that 2/3 of the largest cities in Europe improved their ecological condition mainly due to the effectiveness of environmental measures, the green political movement, the development of the tertiary and quaternary sectors in their economy.

The study carried out the zoning of the city of Shelekhov, based on the assessment of acoustic pollution of the territory. Field observations were made and the number of vehicles moving along intracity roads and the federal highway R-258 “Baikal” was calculated. With the help of sound level meters, instrumental measurements were made in the daytime and at night, and maps of the sound pressure level of the road network were built. The calculation of statistical characteristics was carried out and the daily course of the distribution of the noise level on the main and secondary roads was constructed. The analysis of the obtained results and their comparison with the established sanitary standards for their excess was carried out. Evidence has been identified to support the implementation of strategies aimed at reducing acoustic pollution and, as a result, creating favorable conditions for the population to live.

The study examines the problem of the influence of vehicle emissions on the condition of soils and vegetation of roadside strips in the cities of the Irkutsk agglomeration. Sampling was carried out near intersections characterized by intense traffic flows. As a result of a mass (semi-quantitative) full spectral analysis of selected samples, the content of heavy metals in them was revealed to be higher than the maximum permissible and background concentrations. Calculations of the total pollution indicator were carried out, which made it possible to establish that the soils of roadside zones in urbanized areas of the agglomeration belong to the categories “dangerous” and “extremely dangerous”. Recommendations for improving the geoecological condition of soils and vegetation in urban areas are given.

The problem of the appearance of odors in drinking water associated with the development of algae and cyanobacteria in reservoirs of drinking water sources is considered. The results of the analysis of information on the main types of organisms that are sources of odorants in drinking water, chemicals produced by them and a description of odors are presented. Most often, the causes of odors in drinking water are the massive development of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Oscillatoria agardhii , which are producers of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol. The classification of hazard levels for water pollution by cyanobacteria and recommended measures, including the frequency of monitoring and sampling, are given. The measures implemented with a decrease in the number of cyanobacteria in reservoirs of drinking water supply sources by physical, chemical and biological methods are presented. Methods of removal of intracellular and extracellular cyanotoxins from drinking water are described. The analysis of the efficiency of removal of various substances with odorizing effect from drinking water is presented.

Contamination soils with heavy metals is a problem with high interest, because contamination with heavy metals affect food chains and human health by intake and accumulation in living beings. Although all of these methods not quite effective for recovering contaminated environments, however they are still good options for recovering contaminated soils. In this research evaluated the recovering potential in different concentrations and combinations of dolomite with additives like zerovalent iron, Fe-Mn concretions, iron powder, ferrihydrite and iron nanoparticles. With these treatments, achieved reduction of concentration of all heavy metals founded (Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) and also reduction in toxicity, confirmed with a biotest with Daphnia magna. These findings confirms that the optimal remediants are nanoparticles with biochar and iron powder with and without biochar.

The study reviews and recommends fundamentally new technical solutions in the field of ecology and safety in the technosphere, confirmed by patents for inventions and utility models developed by scientists and graduate students of the Department of Technosphere Safety of the Far Eastern State Transport University. Innovative developments that are of practical interest and deserve attention include installations for preparing water-oil emulsions for combustion, energy-saving devices for environmentally friendly combustion of liquid fuels, rational designs of low-toxic gas and oil burners, as well as effective filter-cyclone and group cyclone devices for purification of flue gases from coal and fuel oil boiler and furnace units.

The possibilities of increasing the ecological and technological efficiency of the innovative coal-watercoal cluster of housing and communal services, including the mechanics of coal destruction in a hydraulic shock installation, are considered. The creation of an experimental coal-watercoal cluster of housing and communal services involves the use of innovative coal-watercoal technology in boilers under construction or in operation, including the processing of solid coal fuels into innovative coal-water fuel suspension with subsequent combustion in specially equipped furnaces. The set tasks of managing environmental and technological qualities in the process of preparing an innovative coal-water fuel suspension based on statistical analysis of the granulometric composition correlate with the tasks of obtaining micro- and ultrafine coal-water suspensions in order to achieve high environmental and technological qualities. The control of an innovative coal-watercoal fuel technology based on automatic control of the granulometric composition using the natural fracturing of coal for the control action during the destruction of coal by the method of water hammer is proposed. Technological patterns of reducing the negative technogenic impact on the geospheres are revealed, including a method for managing the environmental and technological qualities of an innovative water-coal suspension based on automatic control of the granulometric composition during coal grinding by the hydraulic shock method.