There were times when production records were paramount, and they did not think at what price they were given. Wastes poured into rivers, smoked pipes into the sky, and nothing. The main thing is that the plan has been implemented. Industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region, which is one of the most industrial in Russia, also paid almost no attention to the environment, although they have long been leaders in terms of production indicators. As a result of this race for capacity building, the Chelyabinsk region was among the ten most polluted regions of Russia. In various ratings, they put it in 73rd place out of 82, then in 84th out of 85, or even not the last. In addition to industrial pollution, the East Ural radioactive trail remaining after the Kyshtym accident worsens the environment. The irresponsible attitude to the environment over the past 30 years has led to an almost 3-fold increase in the number of patients with cancer, and every second suffers from chronic diseases in the region.
It cannot be said that the Ministry of Ecology of the Territory is not trying to solve the problem. Authorities regularly publish laws on environmental issues in the Chelyabinsk Region. In particular, in 2016 a new Decree was issued, according to which ecology classes for students will be introduced into the program, conservation measures of natural sites will be carried out, environmentalists and enterprises will be supported. The deadline for the implementation of the Resolution is until 2025. There is also a law “On Environmental Monitoring”, a law “On Production and Consumption Wastes”, a law “On Specially Protected Natural Sites”. Violators are subject to fines and even dismissals. As you can see, environmental work is ongoing in the region, but the situation is still sad.
Brief historical background
Once the lands of the Chelyabinsk region were amazingly beautiful, the waters of rivers and lakes are crystal clear, vegetation was rampant everywhere, and people lived in harmony with nature. At the end of the 17th century, an expedition arrived in these parts, but found nothing useful. After 70 years, a second expedition took place, which included talented geologists. They managed to find iron ore here, which became the starting point of the industrial development of the region. At first they built the only plant in Zlatoust, and by the end of the 18th century there were about thirty of them. The industry of the Chelyabinsk region received especially large-scale development in the era of the first five-year plans. Now in the iron and steel industry of Russia this region has no equal. Together with non-ferrous metallurgy, the region produces 50% of the products produced in the country. The most industrial cities of the region are Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Zlatoust, Karabash, Miass, Troitsk, Ust-Katav, Kopeisk.
Brief chemical analysis
The environmental problems of the Chelyabinsk region cause dozens of toxic substances in the atmosphere, in the ground, in the water of rivers and lakes. The most dangerous:
- Benzpyrene. It is released into the air, with rains or by itself settles on the ground, from where it enters the plants. It is able to accumulate in the body. It is a powerful carcinogen, causes mutations in genes, destroys DNA.
- Formaldehyde. Very toxic and explosive. Causes diseases of the eyes, skin, nervous system.
- Hydrogen sulfide. In minimal doses, it is useful, if exceeded, it causes nausea, headaches, pulmonary edema, can lead to death.
- Nitrogen dioxide It causes acid rain, very toxic, changes the blood formula.
- Heavy metals. Slow down the growth and development of children. They can accumulate in plants, in fish, in poultry and animal meat. In humans, cancer and a number of other serious illnesses can cause.
Chelyabinsk air
This beautiful city is called the capital of the South Urals. It has been leading its history since 1743. For almost three hundred years, industrial production has been developing here. The environmental problems of the Chelyabinsk region arose in connection with the work of such industrial giants as the ferroalloy plant (Electrometallurgical Plant), zinc plant (CZP), forge-and-press, pipe rolling, machine-tool, and crane-building plants.
In addition to enterprises, vehicles worsen the environment. In the city, there are 340 cars per 1000 citizens (including infants), the harmful emissions of which are 120 thousand tons, or 44% of all environmental pollution. The metallurgical plant (ChMK) is considered to be the most environmentally unsafe, emitting 46.6% of all substances hazardous to health into the atmosphere. The second place was taken by the Fortum company, which includes three CHPPs and a state district power station. The third place belongs to the BSEC. When taking samples in Chelyabinsk air, the MPC exceeded by several times the MPC of benzpyrene, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, phenol and hydrogen sulfide.
Chelyabinsk waters
The environmental problems of the Chelyabinsk region are associated with not only air pollution. Enterprises also poison water in water bodies. For a year they dump almost 200 million m3 of all muck into the rivers, killing all living things in them. The main waterway of the city is the Miass River. It receives untreated waste effluents from 26 enterprises, including communal farms. In Miass waters, suspended solids, metals, and petroleum products are 2-15 times higher than the MPC. Near the city of Karabash, the Sak-Elga River flows into Miass, which, in fact, has become a sewage collector. In this place, in the waters of Miass, ecologists find heavy metal ions, up to 1, 130 MAC. All this flows into the Argazinskoe reservoir. Residents of Chelyabinsk and the region take drinking water from another reservoir - Shershnevsky. To date, the Ministry of Ecology of the Chelyabinsk Region, having made measurements, issued a verdict on full compliance with the water standards in this reservoir. However, an independent environmental commission from Moscow, on the basis of its measurements, recognized the inconsistency of the Shershnevsky reservoir with drinking water source standards.
Chelyabinsk soils
The soil in the city is also heavily polluted. Arsenic, cadmium, and lead were found in excess of them, and the zinc content exceeded the MPC by almost 20%. The environmental problems of the Chelyabinsk region regarding soil pollution cause great concern among agricultural workers. At present, the amount of arable land contaminated with heavy metals is 95.6 thousand hectares. At the same time, benzpyrene is detected above the norm by 21.8 thousand hectares, petroleum products - by 1.9 thousand, zinc - by 12 thousand, arsenic - by 3.8 thousand hectares. It is easy to imagine what kind of fruit and vegetables grow on such lands.
The most threatening situation is near the Mechel plant, where there are 437 MPC in the soils of benzpyrene and 80 MPC at a distance of 1 km from Mechel. Also unsafe are the lands near ChEMK, where there is 40 MPC for benzpyrene, and ChTZ, where there are 20 MPC for this dangerous chemical substance.
Magnitogorsk
This city dates back to 1929, when a metallurgical plant was erected here, although Magnitnaya fortress existed from the mid-18th century. Now, in terms of production, Magnitogorsk occupies the second position in the region. The largest enterprises are the metallurgical plant (MMK), cement-refractory and crane plants, Montazhnik, Prokatmontazh, Sitno, Magnitostroy. Thanks to the irresponsibility of their leaders, the ecology of the Chelyabinsk region as a whole suffers. MMK's share in the atmospheric pollution of the city is 96%. If you reveal this indicator, the numbers will be terrifying. Every day, the plant emits 128 tons of fine dust, 151 tons SO2 (this is sulfur dioxide) into the atmosphere. In fine dust, such substances were found that exceeded the MPC by 3-10 times: lead, copper, chromium, iron, benzene, benzpyrene, toluene, and the air is polluted in all urban areas. In soils, arsenic norms are exceeded by 155 times, nickel by 43 times, benzpyrene by 87 times. Outside the city, the situation is not much better. Here harmful substances in soils were found to be “only” 45 times higher than normal.
Chrysostom
This city was founded in parallel with the construction of the first metallurgical plant in the region, that is, in 1754. Now the largest industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region are concentrated here - the electrometallurgical and machine-building plants, the arms factory, the metalwork factory and another dozen and a half large and small enterprises. Together they emit about 7.7 thousand tons of harmful substances into the atmosphere annually. From 1993 to 1996, thanks to the efforts of environmentalists, emissions decreased by about 1.5 times, but from the 2000s they crawled up again. The city authorities are making attempts to improve the environment, for which they are cleaning the bottom sediments in the Balashikha reservoir, they built a sewer system more than 2 km long, designed to drain polluted waters.
Karabash
Only about 11, 000 people live in this village. From Chelyabinsk to him in a straight line a little more than 80 km. Karabash is a small town, so there are not many industrial enterprises here. Among them are 2 abrasive plants and Karabashmed CJSC. This enterprise for the production of blister copper is trying hard to ensure that the ecology of the Chelyabinsk region is the worst in the country.
They even tried to close the plant, because every year it “presents” each inhabitant with 7 tons of sulfur dioxide, which is unusually poisonous. In the atmosphere, it comes into contact with oxygen, which causes acid rain. Now the situation in Karabash is recognized as critical. Around the city, the plant for many years of activity formed heaps of waste slag up to 40 meters high. There is also Bald Mountain, on which the townspeople posted the words “Save and Save.” A separate topic is the Sak-Elga River. The water in it is yellow-orange, and the banks are surrounded by stones corrupted by chemical corrosion.
Other cities
The city of Ozersk raises many environmental questions, or rather, its Mayak production association, which produces nuclear weapons components and manages nuclear fuel storage. The radiation background in this city is average for Russia, but the waste emitted into the Techa River for a long time has served and is now serving as a source of radiation for hundreds of people.
The tense situation in the city of Korkino, as well as in the village of Rosa. Here, air is poisoned by a smoky fault. Interestingly, local experts call the current situation not dangerous, and gas fire released with smoke not exceeding the MPC, and Moscow experts, taking measurements, recognized Korkino as a disaster area.
The environmental problems of the city of Chebarkul in the Chelyabinsk region do not give rest to the authorities. There are few large enterprises. Among them are slag-block plants, a crane plant and a plywood-tile plant. It was this plant, which uses formaldehyde in technological processes, that led to an unfavorable environmental situation. When burning or storing production waste, formaldehyde enters the air, soil and water. Measurements showed that its amount exceeds the MPC by several times.
Radiation
Of particular concern on the issue of radiation in the Chelyabinsk region is the Mayak Production Association, which, we will repeat, is located in Ozersk. From 1950 to 2000, 32 strategic emergencies were recorded at this strategic enterprise, which served to significantly increase the background radiation. For a long time, all radioactive wastes containing isotopes of strontium, cesium, plutonium, zirconium were thrown into the Techa River, which caused constant exposure of all living along its banks. In total, over 50 years of operation (until 2000), Mayak sent 1.8 billion becquerels of radioactive elements to the atmosphere, polluting 25, 000 km2. To prevent dirty water from entering the river, a series of sedimentation tanks called cascades were built. But they do not fulfill the assigned loads due to design errors. In addition, the East Ural radioactive trail, which was formed after the Mayak accident in 1957, is still in danger. Then, due to the explosion of one of the underground radiation cemeteries, over 20 million curies of radioactive isotopes fell into the atmosphere, which the wind carried towards Tyumen. People who fell into the cloud coverage area were resettled, their property was destroyed, and the East Ural Reserve was created on the infected territory. Here you still can’t pick mushrooms, berries, fish, graze cattle, or even just walk.
