The environmental health impacts of Russia's war on Ukraine.

BACKGROUND: Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 ignited the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian government agencies, civil society organizations, and international agencies have gathered an unprecedented amount of data about the impact of war on the environment, which is often the silent victim of war. We review these data and highlight the limitations of international governance for protection of the environment during time of war. METHODS: We performed an integrative review of academic, institutional, and media information resources using the search terms "Ukraine", "Russia", "war", "environment", "health", "human rights", "international humanitarian law", "international human rights law", "ecocide", and "war crimes". MAIN TEXT: Nearly 500,000 military personnel have been killed or wounded during the war, and more than 30,000 civilians have been killed or injured. Indirect health effects of the war have likely accounted for an even greater amount of civilian morbidity and mortality. The war has displaced more than 11 million people. Russia's military forces have caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. The war has devastated Ukraine's economy and reduced food and energy security in many countries. The war has caused more than $56.4 billion in damage to the environment. There has been widespread chemical contamination of air, water, and soil, and 30% of Ukraine has been contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance. Landscape destruction, shelling, wildfires, deforestation, and pollution have adversely affected 30% of Ukraine's protected areas. Russia's seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam have posed risks of long-term environmental catastrophe. Most of these environmental impacts threaten human health. CONCLUSION: In addition to enormous human costs, Russia's war on Ukraine has had devastating impacts on the natural environment and the built environment. International law mandates that methods of warfare must be implemented with due regard to the protection and preservation of the natural environment. A just and lasting peace necessitates, among other requirements, rebuilding and restoration of Ukraine's natural environment and built environment. The environmental consequences of all wars need to be investigated and more effective measures need to be implemented to protect the environment during war.

A battery of in silico models application for pesticides exerting reproductive health effects: Assessment of performance and prioritization of mechanistic studies.

Given the high attention to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC), there is an urgent need for the development of rapid and reliable approaches for the screening of large numbers of chemicals with respect to their endocrine disruption potential. This study aimed at the assessment of the correlation between the predicted results of a battery of in silico tools and the reported observed adverse effects from in vivo reproductive toxicity studies. We used VirtualToxLab (VTL) software and the EndocrineDisruptome (ED) online tool to evaluate the binding affinities to nuclear receptors of 17 pesticides, 7 of which were classified as reprotoxic substances under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP). Then, we aligned the results of the in silico modelling with data from ToxCast assays and in vivo reproductive toxicity studies. We combined results from different in silico tools in two different ways to improve the characteristics of their predictive performance. Reproductive toxicity can be caused by various mechanisms; however, in this study, we demonstrated that the use of a battery of in silico tools for assessing the binding to nuclear receptors can be useful for identifying hazardous compounds and for prioritizing further studies.

The problem of acute pesticide poisonings of agricultural workers in ukraine under the conditions of the new business patterns.

OBJECTIVE: Introduction: Due to introduction of new forms of agriculture and transformation of the treatment and preventive service in recent years, there has been a false impression of a sharp decrease in the level of occupational morbidity among agricultural workers 30 % to 25 % in the structure of general occupational morbidity in the 80-90s down to 0.2-0.4 %. The aim: Summarize data on the prevalence, causes, structure of acute pesticide poisoning in agricultural workers at the current stages of its reform in order to improve preventive measures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: Data on the prevalence, causes and structure of 647 cases of acute pesticide poisoning in agricultural workers over the past 25 years have been summarized; staff of the Scientific Toxicology Center took part in the sanitary-hygienic investigation and establishment of the diagnosis. RESULTS: Results: The causes for the development, aetiology and structure of 647 cases of acute pesticide poisoning, among which 522 cases of acute poisoning of field beet growers with 2,4-D-based herbicides (80.7 %), 60 cases (9.3 %) of OPC poisoning, 36 cases of beet growers poisoning with sulphonylurea-based herbicides, 14 patients with acute synthetic pyrethroid poisoning, and isolated cases (15 patients) of intoxication with aluminium phosphide, dithiocarbamates, Vitavax, and Fipronil were analysed. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Analysis of the causes of the development and structure of poisoning has allowed to optimize the complex of preventive measures to strengthen sanitary control over the implementation of individual and public safety hygienic regulations during storage and use of pesticides.

Differences in classification for skin corrosion/irritation in EU and Ukraine: Case study of alternative (in vitro and in silico) methods application for classification of pesticide active ingredient imazamox.

In Ukraine Globally Harmonized System of classification of chemicals has not been implemented yet. In this article we analyze differences between GHS/CLP classification systems and Hygienic Classification of Pesticides by the Degree of Hazard currently in force in Ukraine in respect of approach and criteria for classification of effects on skin. As a case study, we conducted in silico modelling of herbicide imazamox using skin irritation/corrosion modules of ToxTree. The prediction of ToxTree was "Not Corrosive to skin". Then skin irritation and skin corrosion in vitro tests (OECD TGs 439, 431) were conducted. Classification of this substance based on in vitro and in vivo results according to GHS/CLP was the same, while it was not possible based on in vitro results to assign certain hazard class of Ukrainian classification due to difference in its and GHS/CLP criteria. However, ongoing process of harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with EU will give opportunity not only use alternative methods, but also adopt most recent advances and incorporate data from non-animal methods directly into classification criteria.