Introduction: The implementation of measures of the sectoral plan for adaptation of the population to climate change is one of the priority tasks of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population. The ongoing scientific research is the basis for the development of management solutions aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality related to the observed and upcoming climate changes.
Objective: To assess the relationship between fluctuations in natural and climatic factors and incidence rates in the population of selected territories of the Russian Federation.
Materials and methods: The territories of the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Leningrad, Moscow, Voronezh, Rostov, and Krasnodar regions were selected for the assessment taking into account changes in the latitude of the terrain from north to south (from the 68th to 37th parallels north). The prepared database of incidence rates and weather conditions on the above territories for the years 2008–2019 was used for the analysis. Mathematical modeling was the methodological basis for data processing.
Results: We analyzed the potential relationship between changes in natural and climatic factors and incidence rates in the population of nine regions of the Russian Federation. We also tested the link between geographical coordinates and incidence rates and established the latitudinal dependence of the increase in the incidence in the range of the 60th to 47th parallels north in four regions. There, we observed an increase and a decrease in the incidence in total population related to such meteorological parameters as wind velocity in the city of Voronezh, relative humidity in the cities of Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg, and Rostov-on-Don, cloud cover in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk in 2009 and 2012, respectively. No relationships were found in the city of Moscow and the Krasnodar Region.
Conclusion: We revealed the relationships between fluctuations in wind velocity, humidity, and cloud cover and the incidence rates in the areas under study and identified priority territories and periods for further research.

Introduction: The Federal Clean Air Project has been developed and is now implemented with the purpose of improving both ambient air quality and the quality of life of the population in 12 pilot cities, including Bratsk. An adequate air pollution control program, priority pollutant monitoring, and health risk management can facilitate improvement of the quality of human life and achievement of the targets of government projects.
Objective: To update and streamline the ambient air quality monitoring program in Bratsk within implementation of national and federal projects at the regional level.
Materials and methods: The updated air quality control program in Bratsk was based on the results of dispersion modeling verified by instrumental measurements of 34 pollutants at five monitoring stations of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) and three stations of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor). The consolidated database included 2,202 sources emitting 112 chemicals, with total emissions approaching 127,207 tons per year. Hygienic analysis and health risk assessment were performed according to conventional procedures.
Results: We established that airborne levels of 29 pollutants exceeded their maximum allowable concentrations (MAC), i.e. were up to 7.0 times higher than short-term MAC, 13.8 and 60 times higher than the average daily and annual MAC, respectively. We also found that 19 air contaminants posed unacceptable health risks for the local population (CR up to 1.82×10–3, HQac up to 113.2, HQcr up to 211.1). Cluster analysis of the results of health risk assessment allowed us to distinguish three clusters within the urban area. We substantiated cutting down the number of monitoring stations to one and its optimal location in Cluster 1, the expediency of moving the station in Cluster 2 and adding a station in Cluster 3 at the point of concern. Optimization of the air quality control program involves reducing the number of monitored pollutants to 8–15 chemicals that are not covered by Roshydromet air monitoring plan.
Conclusions: Given the changing sanitary and epidemiological situation, streamlining of air quality monitoring programs will provide relevant and timely information, thus contributing to elaboration of effective health risk management activities.

Introduction: There are currently no generally accepted criteria for ranking territories according to a set of indicators characterizing the quality of drinking water supply, which requires the development and verification of criteria for classifying regions.
Objective: To develop approaches to ranking territories of the Russian Federation based on indicators characterizing the state of drinking water supply and identifying health risk areas.
Materials and methods: We have analyzed tap water quality indicators and characteristics of water supply systems in 15 regions of the Russian Federation included in the Arctic zone and the Northwestern Federal District based on data retrieved from the Federal Statistical Observation Form 18 “Information on the sanitary condition in the region” for 2021. A discriminant and correlation analysis were performed to verify the correctness of area classification.
Results: We ranked the study regions based on 31 tap water quality indicators. The results of the discriminant analysis showed that six regions (Novgorod Region, Republic of Karelia, Arkhangelsk Region, Nenets Autonomous Area, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Chukotka Autonomous Area) were risk areas, 93.3 % of the original grouped observations were classified correctly. Poor chemical indicators of tap water quality in rural areas made a significant contribution to the classification of the regions as risk territories.
Discussion: The selected quality indicators of drinking water supply are appropriate and sufficient for the regional level thanks to their universality for all territories. This fact is also confirmed by a strong statistical inverse correlation between the proportion of the population provided with quality tap water from centralized water supply systems and the calculated total score characterizing the state of drinking water supply.
Conclusions: The study proved correctness of the choice of indicators characterizing the quality of drinking water supply for the classification of regions. Ranking of territories will allow developing management solutions to improve the quality of drinking water and identify regions that need priority measures aimed at preserving health of the population.

Introduction: Providing the population with drinking water of guaranteed proper quality and safety is a priority. Vended drinking water has become popular among the general population and the network of water vending machines has grown significantly by now. Development of an independent regulatory and methodological framework for assessment of vended drinking water, the absence of which was acutely felt in previous years, makes the problem of analysis of vended water quality and safety even more urgent.
Objective: To analyze regulation of quality and safety of vended drinking water.
Materials and methods: The analysis of the current regulatory framework included a review of federal laws, technical regulations, sanitary norms, and state standards.
Results: The concept of vended drinking water is absent in the main legislative acts. The existing legal acts are voluntary and advisory in nature, partially contradict each other, and fail to use all opportunities of the legislative framework. A sharp cut in the number of production control indicators does not allow assessment of the quality and safety of vended drinking water for compliance with the requirements of regulatory documents.
Conclusions: The growing market of vended drinking water characterized by improved organoleptic properties requires the development of an effective and consistent regulatory framework for ensuring its quality and safety. This implies consolidation of the concept of vended drinking water either in the Technical Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Union on the safety of packaged/bottled water or in the federal law on water supply and sanitation, as well as in sanitary norms and rules.

Introduction: The constant growth of plastic production accompanied by its insufficient disposal has led to global environmental pollution and potential risks to biota and human health.
Objective: To analyze scientific literature data on the risks posed by plastics for biota and public health in Russia.
Materials and methods: We have studied scientific publications indexed in international (Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed) and domestic (Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI)) databases in 2012–2022 and searched for using the following keyword combinations: microplastics & biota, microplastics & human health. We reviewed 60 Russian and English-language literary sources giving preference to national studies published in journals included in the RSCI core collection and to foreign studies published in the journals indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus (Q1–Q2).
Results: Many potential threats to biota and humans are associated with plastics. Macro-sized (> 5 mm) plastic debris pose the highest risk to mammals and other large fauna while microparticles are dangerous for small mammals as they cause eating, movement, and reproductive disorders. Toxic substances, primarily bisphenols and phthalates that migrate from plastic containers into food and liquids, pose the greatest risk to human health. Yet, in real life, concentrations of these toxicants in food products do not exceed hygienic standards, and health disorders in experimental animals have been observed following the exposure to higher than naturally found levels of plastic contaminants. Adverse effects of plastic micro- and nanoparticles (< 0.001 mm) on blood cells, immune and inflammatory processes, apoptosis, etc., have been established. Yet, no human diseases can be convincingly associated with plastic exposure nowadays.
Conclusions: Many questions about the impact of toxic degradation products of plastic, its micro- and nanoparticles on biota and humans remain unresolved. It is therefore important to use potentially less toxic and biodegradable types of plastic, boost their recycling rates, raise public awareness on plastic pollution, and promote ubiquitous separate waste collection.

Introduction: Mercury is considered by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern. Fish consumption is known to be the main source of exposure to mercury. It has been previously established that freshwater fish of the water bodies of the Vologda Region can be a significant source of mercury exposure in the local population.
Objective: To establish the relationship between hair mercury concentrations in residents of the Vologda Region and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Materials and methods: The study involved 849 participants (274 men and 575 women) aged 18 to 94 years living in the city of Cherepovets (Vologda Region: 59° 07' N 37° 54' E). Occipital hair was sampled in accordance with WHO recommendations and then tested using the RA-915M mercury analyzer with a PYRO-915+ pyrolysis attachment (measurement range: 0.002–200 mg/kg) without preliminary sample preparation, by atomic absorption with Zeeman correction of non-selective absorption. The measurement accuracy was verified using the NIMD-01 certified reference material with the mercury concentration of 0.794 ± 0.050 µg/g.
Results: The mean hair mercury concentration in the study subjects from the Vologda Region was 0.572 ± 0.686 mg/kg, which is 3.5 and 1.5 times lower than safe mercury levels of 2.2 and 1 mg/kg established by WHO and US EPA, respectively. Mean hair mercury levels in the study participants with/without cardiovascular diseases were 0.646 ± 0.727 mg/kg and 0.459 ± 0.589 mg/kg, respectively. The highest mercury levels were observed in male subjects with myocardial infarction (> 0.73 mg/kg) and in females with stroke and acute coronary syndrome (> 0.687 mg/kg).
Conclusions: Mercury in the hair of people with diagnosed cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, cerebrovascular accident, unstable angina, etc.) and without them has been found. The accumulation of mercury in the body can be one of the risk factors for the development of vascular and heart diseases.

Introduction: Despite all preventive measures constantly taken, high incidence of occupational diseases is still registered in workers of copper-nickel enterprises.
Objective: To obtain new knowledge about the conditions, timing, structure and frequency of occupational diseases in order to develop methods for their more effective prevention in workers involved in pyrometallurgical copper-nickel ore processing.
Materials and methods: We have analyzed incidence rates of occupational diseases in a cohort of 664 workers who processed copper-nickel ore in 2007–2020.
Results: Working conditions during pyrometallurgical processing of copper-nickel ore correspond to hazard classes 3.2–3.4 with the chemical exposure being of paramount importance in the development of health disorders (45.6 % of cases). In 2007, 664 workers were examined and 158 occupational diseases were diagnosed in 65 (9.8 %) of them in the years 2008–2020, respiratory and musculoskeletal diseases being the most prevalent categories (50.6 % and 29.1 %, respectively) and chronic bronchitis and sensorineural hearing loss – the most prevalent diseases (27.8 % and 17.1 %, respectively). We established non-occupational disorders (arthralgia, osteochondrosis, early signs of hearing impairment, etc.) contributing to further development of occupational diseases. Smoking history (> 5 packs/year) was found to promote occupational diseases of the respiratory system (RR = 4.84; 95 % CI: 2.51–9.35). Crane operators (17.5 % of the workers) were found to be at highest risk of occupational diseases (366.1 cases per 10,000 workers).
Conclusions: Based on data on previously registered occupational diseases, working conditions, length of service, occupation, and clinical conditions, criteria for five risk categories have been developed to predict occupational diseases by time, nosology, and severity of the course in metallurgists involved in copper-nickel ore processing.

Introduction: The development of navigation support for flights takes place in an environment of constantly increasing intensity of aeronautics, stricter requirements for accuracy, volume, and reliability of navigation information, efficiency of its processing. Radio navigation aids are improving, thus necessitating assessment of the electromagnetic situation at the workplaces of the personnel servicing modern equipment.
Objective: To study and assess electromagnetic fields in the work environment of personnel engaged in the maintenance and operation of modern means of radio navigation and aircraft landing.
Materials and methods: The research was carried out at three civil aviation facilities (two airports and an airfield) in 2021–2022. We established the composition, technical characteristics of the equipment, its operating modes, and parameters of radio frequency signals and measured the levels of electromagnetic fields at workplaces using the P3–42 electromagnetic radiation level meter.
Results: The personnel are exposed to multi-frequency modulated electromagnetic fields of varying intensity. During the operation of glide and course radio beacons, radio transmitting devices at the dispatchers’ workplaces, levels of energy flux density and electric field strength exceeding hygienic standards are not created. In the premises of the hardware remote and near drive beacons, during the operation of the drive automatic radio station, an excess of the hygienic standards for the intensity of the electric field of the medium-wave range established for an 8-hour working day was registered; in the territory, the radiation from the antennas did not exceed the maximum permissible levels.
Conclusions: The professional activity of the personnel servicing modern means of radio navigation and aircraft landing is carried out in a complex electromagnetic environment. A specific feature of working conditions is the effect on the body of multi-frequency, modulated electromagnetic fields of varying intensity and duration of exposure. These characteristics of radio frequency signals are essential adverse parameters that affect the formation of body responses. When choosing devices measuring the levels of electromagnetic fields, it is necessary to take into account the modulation parameters of radio frequency signals.

Introduction: The relevance of the issue of human age-specific vulnerability to effects of environmental factors, especially biological agents, including viral infections, for public health is attributed to the aging of the population and the requirements for considering individual characteristics for a more accurate risk assessment.
Objective: To establish age-specific patterns of the COVID-19 risk among healthcare and industrial workers.
Materials and methods: We have analyzed the incidence and course of COVID-19 among 729 healthcare workers and 880 industrial workers in 2021–2022. The risk of mild, moderate and severe course of COVID-19 was determined in each age group. The age-specific dynamics of the COVID-19 risk was characterized by its change per year of age of the employees.
Results: We established that the incidence of COVID-19 among healthcare workers was 1.6 times higher than among industrial workers. We also observed regularities of the age-specific dynamics of risk of COVID-19 of different severity among healthcare and industrial workers. For the mild course of the disease, the risk was approximated by the following regressions: healthcare Ri 1 (%) = –0.15 × (Age – 20, years) + 34.06; industry Ri 1 (%) = –0.24 × (Age – 20) + 27.21. For the moderate and severe course, the regressions were as follows: healthcare Ri 2,3 (%) = 0.23 × (Age – 20) + 2.46; industry Ri 2.3(%) = 0.14×(Age – 20) – 1.29.
Conclusions: In different age groups, the relative risk of a mild course of COVID-19 in healthcare workers is 1.2–2.1 times higher than in industrial workers while that of a moderate and severe course is already 3 to 9 times higher. The direction of the age-specific COVID-19 risk depends on the disease severity. As for the mild course, a one-year increase in age is associated with a decrease in the disease risk by an average of 0.15 % in healthcare workers and 0.24 % in industrial workers. As for the moderate and severe courses, a one-year increase in age is associated with an increase in the COVID-19 risk by 0.23 % and 0.14 % in healthcare and industrial workers, respectively.

Introduction: Literary sources present rather contradictory data on the health of oil and gas industry workers in the Russian Arctic, which requires additional research.
Objective: To assess causes and circumstances, structure and number of occupational diseases among employees engaged in hydrocarbon extraction in the Arctic.
Materials and methods: We studied data of the public health monitoring on working conditions and occupational diseases in the Russian Arctic and the registry of extracts from occupational disease records (Order 176 of the Russian Ministry of Health dated May 28, 2001). The retrieved data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2016 and Epi Info statistical software, version 6.04d.
Results: We have revealed a pronounced contrast in working conditions and the number of occupational diseases between coal miners in the Komi Republic (city of Vorkuta) and Chukotka Autonomous Area, on the one hand, and oil and gas production workers of the Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Areas, on the other, in the years 2007–2021. We estimated that 85.1 % of miners and only 3.1 % of gas and oil workers were employed at facilities characterized by extreme sanitary and epidemiological ill-being. Miners were diagnosed with 98.2 % of all occupational diseases registered in workers employed in the extraction of hydrocarbon resources, and the occupational disease incidence in them (201.71 per 10,000 workers) was 492 times higher than that in oil and gas workers (0.41 per 10,000). The most prevalent occupational diseases in the miners were chronic bronchitis (21.3 %), radiculopathy (21.0 %), and mono- and polyneuropathy (10.3 %) while workers of oil and gas companies mainly suffered from sensorineural hearing loss (46.3 %), radiculopathy (18.5 %), and vibration disease (16.7 %).
Conclusion: Our findings confirm good health of oil and gas workers and necessitate urgent priority measures aimed at improvement of working conditions and all types of prevention of occupational conditions in coal miners working in the Arctic.