ABSTRACT
Chapayevsk has a 30-year history of producing organochlorines, leading to environmental dioxin pollution. As much as 3 kg of these substances are annually formed at the plant. The concentrations of dioxins in the ambient air were found to be 0.001 to 1.13 pg/m3, in 1-TEF dioxin equivalent or 0.00001-1.76 pg/m3, as calculated by using WHO-TEF for dioxin-like compounds, those in the urban drinking water were 0.1 to 20.83 pg/liter, in the soil near the plant, 141 ng TEQ/kg, by decreasing to 37 ng/kg in the downtown (2-7 km from the plant) and 4 ng/kg at a distance of 7-10 km from the plant, their levels in the vegetables and fruits were 0.002 to 10.6 pg/kg. The direct indicator of dioxin exposure is its detection in human breast milk and blood. Examination of the content of dioxins in the breast milk of Chapayevsk women versus those living in other towns and cities of Russia has shown considerably higher levels of dioxins, such as 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PCDD, 1,2,3,4,7,8-GCDD, and octa-dioxins. The mean content of dioxins in the breast milk (7 pooled samples from 40 individual trials) was 43.3 pgTEQ/fat. It is significantly higher than that detected in the populations of other Russian territories and other countries. The mean blood concentrations of dioxins in peoples living near the plant was 75.2 pgTEQ/fat, those were lower (24.5 pgTEQ/fat) in those living at 5-7 km of the plant.
