by Mr. V. B. Milyaev

By the decision of the European Economic Commission POPs include the following

classes of organic pollutants:

Although these compounds penetrate the environment through different pathways (for example, dioxins and PAH are unintended byproducts of human activity, while pesticides are produced with the purpose of intruding in the environment), their behavior in the environment is very much the same. Their main characteristic feature is outstanding persistence in the environment. This persistency to photochemical, chemical and biological decomposition in the atmosphere, water and soil accounts for their long term presence in the environment and long-range transport. The half life of some PAHs in soils and underground waters may reach several years. The saturated vapors of these semi-volatile compounds are characterized by the pressure of 10 ^-1 – 10 ^-6 PA, which allows them to exist in the atmosphere both in the gaseous and aerosol state which makes possible their transport in form of vapors or macro particles. Besides, such pressure of the saturated vapors accounts for their ability to re-evaporate into the atmosphere from the surface of soils and water reservoirs, i.e. create secondary pollution sources.

Generally, due to their persistency and semi-volatility, POPs are able to a turnover in the ecosystems and can be transported for long distances, both locally and globally, the atmosphere being the main transporting environment. The POPs ability to re-evaporation often brings about their systematic transport to northern latitudes, irrespective of the primary pollution source. There is convincing evidence that hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane, HCCH) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) are transported for long distances from tropical areas, where the main sources are, to high-latitude ocean areas with no such sources, turning them into highly polluted zones. For example, the level of HCCH content in the Arctic sea waters with no local sources of pollution is twice as high as in tropical waters near the sources of HCCH emission. Less volatile compounds like PCB, DDT, chlordane are less prone to global redistribution, but are still detected in Arctic waters.

As an illustration we show lindane emission (for 1990) in Europe and its total deposition in the same period (Fig.1, 2). This estimate was made by MSCV together with the Research Institute for Atmospheric Air Protection. You can see dramatic figures of lindane deposition on the European territory due to an aggregate activity of different emission sources.

A major step in reducing POPs emission into the environment is taking their inventory.

The major sources of PAH emission into the atmosphere are: burning of organic fuel, some industrial processes and incineration of wastes. The most widely spread source of PAH is the heating systems, incomplete combustion of coal and wood can cause emissions of benzapyrene of up to 10 mg per 1 kg of burned fuel, in case of burning petroleum fuels this figure goes up to 40 mkg/kg. The volume of PAH produced in burning depends on the air excess ratio: the higher the ratio, the more complete is the combustion, the less is the PAH emission. That is why the recently proposed method of burning coal in fluidized bed to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions, which is characterized by lower temperatures and a low air excess ratio, will produce higher PAH emissions.

Ferrous metallurgy is a major source of PAH emissions into the atmosphere, mainly due to PAH formation in coke production, and, to a lesser degree, in the result of agglomeration processes. Other significant PAH emitters are aluminum works and petrochemical plants.

PAH emission into the atmosphere also takes place during incineration of industrial wastes and municipal garbage, and specific PAH emission values are much higher for smaller garbage incinerators.

Internal combustion engines are another major source of air pollution in big cities. PAH vehicle exhausts depend on the type and condition of the engine, and its operation mode, the specific PAH pollution being higher with the gasoline engines.

Unlike PAH which are byproducts of industrial activity of man, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) have been widely used in industry for the last 15 years. Their major application (up to 70%) is in electrical engineering, as they are ideal cooling liquids, lubricator and cooling oils. PCBs are also used in the chemical, textile and other industries (plasticizers, paints, fire-proof compounds, textile materials).

Used up PCBs are usually dumped or incinerated. This is one of their pathways into the atmosphere (about 50%). Besides, another 6% of PCBs evaporate right into the atmosphere. Emission can also take place at different plants using PCBs, for example, condenser plants.

PCB emission into the atmosphere is no longer monitored in Russia now, neither is their content in the air. Yet there are some assessments of PCB air pollution in certain Russian cities with major industrial complexes, which prove the PCBs presence in quantities reaching or exceeding MPC.

The major emission sources of polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD, PCDF) into the environment are the following:

· incineration (of industrial and household wastes, organic fuel);

· other industries (pulp and paper, metallurgy, etc.).

Most dioxins are the byproducts in the production of chlorophenols and their derivatives, used in the paper and pulp, paint an varnish, textile industries, pesticides production, etc. Foreign and Russian studies show significant pollution with chlorinated dioxins and furans of the final products of the chlorophenol industry.

Other stable sources of PCDD and PCDF are incinerators for burning household and industrial wastes. PCDD and PCDF are formed in all high temperature processes including carbon and any chloride compounds. So they are formed in great quantities while incinerating industrial wastes containing atoms of halogens, for example, while burning polyvinyl chloride. Similarly, dioxins and furans may be formed when ethylated gasoline is used with additives of dichloroethane and other chlororganic compounds. Certain quantities of dioxins and furans are formed while burning organic fuels, often containing halogens in small quantities.

Dioxins and furans are formed in large quantities in the paper and pulp industry in the process of the pulp bleaching with chloride and its compounds. They are found not only in the final product, but also in the pulp, liquid and solid wastes and incineration gases.

A new group of local PCDD and PCDF sources has been established lately. It turned out that they are formed at metallurgical plants in the processes of electrochemical production of nickel and magnesium oxides, steel casting, remelting of scrap iron, copper, etc.

No control over dioxins and furans content in wastes or products is effected in Russia. In the late 1980-s - early 1990-s the first measurements of PCDD and PCDF concentrations were made in some products of chlororganic synthesis, light ash of incinerators and natural objects around some major enterprises. The results expose significant pollution with dioxins and furans both of the end products of chemical industries, and the environment around them.

Chlororganic pesticides enter the atmosphere mainly in the result of their use in agriculture, as well as during production. At present no control is effected over the COP emissions into the atmosphere. The total volume of COPs used in the agriculture of Russia has significantly decreased in the last ten years. Some most dangerous COPs were prohibited (DDT, heptachlor, pentachloronitrobenzene, pentachlorophenol etc.) Starting from 1990, the production of chlororganic incecticides and acaricides has been stopped. Yet chlororganic herbicides are still widely used.

Taken together, measures aimed at reducing COPs in agriculture have brought certain positive results. The monitoring of COP content in the atmosphere carried out in the former USSR reflects a certain tendency to the gradual decrease of their concentration.

By now we have translated into Russian the Guidelines on Inventory of Pollutants Emissions into the Atmosphere. But it is rather difficult to use the Guidelines on the territory of Russia and other CIS countries due to the differences in technological processes and POPs use in this region.

Additional studies are needed to specify emissions from different industries. It might be expedient if UNEP and EEC unite their efforts to launch and finance a program of perfecting the Guidelines allowing their effective use in Russia and the CIS countries.

1. Thermal power plants 40.516 0.225
2. Transport 39.843 0.244
3. Non-ferrous metallurgy 7.004
4. Ferrous metallurgy 14.389 2.532
5. Construction materials production 1.684 36.820
6. Food industry - 2.936
7. Construction 7.119 -
8. Forestry, wood working, pulp 4.895 -
9. Mechanical engineering, 0.008 2.147
metal working

10. Light industry 0.868 0.144
11. Agriculture 0.236 -
12. Chemical and petrochemical 0.103 0.052
13. Fuel 0.047 0.048
14. Microbiological - 0.154
15. Medical - 0.002
Total for the industries 109.710 78.730
Total for the country 174.863 89.408

Economic region Area Fuel
x 10km2 coal oil gas
North-West 1663 40.5 2.1 0.10
Central 485 83.4 3.0 0.36
Volgo-Vyatka 263 13.1 0.8 0.05
Central Black soil 168 23.0 1.2 0.05
Povolzhye 680 23.0 5.1 0.21
Urals 680 132.3 6.7 0.23
East Siberian 4123 100.8 0.4 -
West Siberian 2427 86.4 1.6 -
Far East 6216 44.6 0.6 0.02

Use of Chlororganic Pesticides in Agriculture (% to tonnes supplied)

Preparations 1981 1985 1990

Chlororganic insecticides and acaricides 49.5 9.0 0
Chlorophenoxy- derivative herbicides 40.9 23.5 18.6
2,4-D amine salt, butanone

2M-4X, 2M-2XM, 2M-4XP

2,4-DM,2,4-Dbutylether 1.9 2.7 0

Dialene 0.5 4.9 7.4

Total 43.3 31.1 26.0

N Territory Applied Treated Area Crop Load Kg/ha Prupose

(thous. ha) fact. Norm

1 Volgograd 29.78 16.55 mustard 1.8 0.3-0.4

2 Krasnodar Krai 22 4.48 grains, herbs, 4.9 0.4

vegetables

3 Rostov 211.1 70.5 seeds, 3.0 0.24

herbs, 3.0 1.0

fodder 3.0 1.0

beet-root

4 Stavropol krai 34.04 14.18 grains, herbs 2.4 0.2-0.4

5 Cheechen-Ingush rep. 27.6 11.5 beet, herbs 2.4 0.4-1.0

6 Penza 149.8 21.2 grains, beet 1.8 0.4-1.0

7 Samara 48.7 21.8 grains, beet 1.8 0.4-1.0

8 Lipetsk 380.9 36.8 beet 10.5 1.0

N Name of Pesticide 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

1 Lidane 529.6 262 441.4 304 1689.8 552 1201.1 402 691.0 152 923.1 240

(HCCH)

2 Atrazin 40.4 11.5 8.6 2.1 1.75 0.6 18.3 0.3 8.8 1.4 61.6 66.2

3 Quintogen 7.2 18.2 8.1 2.4

(PCNB)

4 Hexachloro Benzene 1.4 1.65

(HCB)

5 Nitrophene 12.1 12.0 5.4 14.6