05.02.2020 Siberian chemists will help prevent the harmful effects of persistent organic pollutants
A Russian-Norwegian seminar on the implementation of international conventions regulating the handling of chemicals and hazardous wastes was held in the format of a videoconference within the framework of the bilateral project “Assessment of the impact of chemicals on the environment and human health”.
In 2017, the Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry named after N.N. Vorozhtsov SB RAS became a national and regional coordination center created to exchange information on the fulfillment of the obligations of the Russian Federation stipulated by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are pesticides, toxic chemicals used in the construction of transformers, capacitors, and for other industrial needs, by-products of pulp and paper and cement production, waste incineration, metallurgy. They contain fluoride, do not decompose in nature, and accumulate in soil and animal fat. These toxic compounds are not excreted from the body and can lead to the development of oncology. In May 2001, a convention was signed in Stockholm to reduce or eliminate the production, use and release into the atmosphere of 12 major POPs. This list is constantly updated with new substances. New compounds are added to this list at meetings of the Stockholm Convention. NIOC SB RAS possesses technologies for the determination of even small concentrations of these substances.
“We in Russia produced liquid chlorine derivatives of biphenyl (sovol, sovtol) on a large scale for use in capacitors and transformers. They are non-flammable, non-oxidizing, explosion-proof, and have excellent electrical insulating qualities. The railways were polluted with a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyl and trichlorobenzene. The toxicity of these compounds was not immediately recognized because POPs accumulate in the body slowly. After more than 90 countries of the world signed the Stockholm Convention, it was decided to eliminate all POPs by 2028. For this, special factories will be built. "Russian Railways" have their laboratories for the analysis of POPs, and there is an agreement on joint work on these projects ", - notes the director of the NIOC SB RAS, Prof. Elena Bagryanskaya.
Since 1997, a laboratory for environmental research and chromatographic analysis has been operating at the NIOC under the leadership of Dr. Sergei Morozov. Here they study low-molecular organic substances, assess the scale and degree of pollution of the territory of Siberia with persistent organic pollutants, as well as the risk of exposure to chemicals on public health. This laboratory worked in Buryatia and Mongolia, studied the ecology of Lake Baikal and the Selenga River.
To carry out an analysis of pollution, it is necessary to identify their sources. The center has already agreed to receive information from the chamber of industry on which enterprises can produce POPs, including dioxins (hazardous chemicals from the list of the “dirty dozen” persistent organic pollutants), as well as how they were destroyed. One of these enterprises - the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill - was closed in 2013, it was considered the main source of pollution of Lake Baikal.
According to Prof. Elena Bagryanskaya, the Novosibirsk region is relatively weakly polluted, since most of the pollutants were transported outside of it or destroyed, but in other regions, there are serious problems that are not limited to pesticide pollution. The chemical industry was well developed in the USSR, but not all of the closed enterprises were reclaimed and buried. A striking example is the “Usoliekhimprom” plant in the Irkutsk region, where, after the work was stopped, demercurization was not carried out (removal of mercury and its compounds by physicochemical or mechanical methods to prevent poisoning of people and animals). Because of this, the city of Usolye-Sibirskoye has been living in an emergency mode since 2018.
Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS offered the emergency response working group assistance with identification and search for a method of waste disposal technology. Prof. Elena Bagryanskaya addressed the Chairperson of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko regarding the elimination of the consequences of the activities of “Usoliekhimprom LLC” and “Usolye-Sibirskiy Silicon LLC” and suggested holding a meeting to discuss this problem. January 21 in the Federation Council meeting was held at which it was decided to make "Usoliekhimprom" in the register of accumulated environmental harm.
“First of all, it is necessary to resolve the issue of the legal transfer of land to federal or regional ownership and allocate funds from the federal budget to create a project to eliminate the consequences. To solve the problem, it is necessary to hold an open tender for the creation of an integrated project for land reclamation, while the examination of the projects should be carried out, among other things, with the participation of employees of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences. To prevent inappropriate spending of funds allocated from the federal budget, the customer should be the governor of the Irkutsk region. Land reclamation is wise to do locally, rather than transporting tons of contaminated land over long distances. The most acute issue is the protection of the facility because building materials containing mercury, POPs, and other harmful substances are exported from the territory of enterprises. If this is not prevented, then there is a real threat of population poisoning. It is necessary to carry out a qualified analysis of the contents in buried tanks and carry out the export of chemicals and their transfer to factories where they may be in demand, and not for storage and incineration” says Prof. Bagryanskaya.
Now the institute is negotiating with departments and organizations so that all information on pollution flows to the coordination center. According to the terms of the convention, by 2024 it is necessary to prevent the harmful effects of persistent organic pollutants on the environment and people, as well as to introduce technologies to reduce and neutralize emissions.
“The main indicators by which to judge the pollution of any area with POPs are air, blood, and human milk. Now we have an idea to monitor the Novosibirsk region and present the data visually in the form of a map on the site. Collecting such materials for analysis as blood and human milk is difficult enough and must be done in an organized manner. Also, for successful work, it is necessary to legally allow the transportation of standards of substances (POPs) for scientific purposes. They are necessary for studies on a chromatograph” says Prof. Bagryanskaya.
All three years, the National focal point participated in the development of a plan for Russia to fulfill its obligations under the Stockholm Convention, in the preparation of regulatory and methodological documents on POPs issues, a roadmap for the implementation of the plan, and amendments to the text of the convention. The head of the national coordination center, Prof. Evgeny Tretyakov, participated in the work of the Arctic Council and submitted a joint project with Finnish environmental scientists on monitoring POPs in the Arctic, which was supported in the first reading.