title: The prevalence of toxic hotspots in former Soviet countries.
abstract: Using a global database of contaminated sites, toxic hotspots in eight former Soviet countries were analyzed to identify the prevalence, types and sources of toxic pollution, as well as their associated potential public health impacts. For this analysis, polluted sites in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan were compiled and analyzed. The levels of contamination of seven key pollutants were assessed in each country. 424 contaminated sites were identified using data from Blacksmith Institute. Pesticides, lead (Pb), radioactive metals, arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) were the most commonly identified key pollutants. Collectively, these sites pose health risks to an estimated 6.2 million residents. The existing data on toxic hotspots in former Soviet countries likely captures only a small percentage of actual contaminated sites, but suggests potentially severe public health consequences. Additional assessments are needed to understand the risks posed by toxic pollution in the region.
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharov
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States. Electronic address: russell@pureearth.org.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dowling
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States.
authors.forename: Megi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gogishvili
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States; Cardinal Resources, Inc., 201 Penn Center, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15235, United States.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States; Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Program, City University of New York, School of Public Health, 2180 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10035, United States.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caravanos
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCartor
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kashdan
authors.affiliation: Blacksmith Institute (Pure Earth), 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 860, New York, NY 10115, United States.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fuller
mesh_terms: D001136:Armenia; D001151:Arsenic; D001382:Azerbaijan; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007623:Kazakhstan; D007707:Kyrgyzstan; D010575:Pesticides; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D012426:Russia; D013620:Tajikistan; D014610:Uzbekistan
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D010575:Pesticides; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Assessment; Environment; Health; Pollution; Post-Soviet; Toxics