Moiseenko T I, Voinov A A, Megorsky V V, Gashkina N A, Kudriavtseva L P, Vandish O I, Sharov A N, Sharova Yu, Koroleva I N
Water Problems Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina 3, GSP-1, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
Sci Total Environ. 2006 Oct 1;369(1-3):1-20. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.06.009. Epub 2006 Aug 21.
There are rich deposits of mineral and fossil natural resources in the Arctic, which make this region very attractive for extracting industries. Their operations have immediate and vast consequences for ecological systems, which are particularly vulnerable in this region. We are developing a management strategy for Arctic watersheds impacted by industrial production. The case study is Lake Imandra watershed (Murmansk oblast, Russia) that has exceptionally high levels of economic development and large numbers of people living there. We track the impacts of toxic pollution on ecosystem health and then--human health. Three periods are identified: (a) natural, pre-industrial state; (b) disturbed, under rapid economic development; and (c) partial recovery, during recent economic meltdown. The ecosystem is shown to transform into a qualitatively new state, which is still different from the original natural state, even after toxic loadings have substantially decreased. Fish disease where analyzed to produce and integral evaluation of ecosystem health. Accumulation of heavy metals in fish is correlated with etiology of many diseases. Dose-effect relationships are between integral water quality indices and ecosystem health indicators clearly demonstrates that existing water quality standards adopted in Russia are inadequate for Arctic regions. Health was also poor for people drinking water from the Lake. Transport of heavy metals from drinking water, into human organs, and their effect on liver and kidney diseases shows the close connection between ecosystem and human health. A management system is outlined that is based on feedback from indices of ecosystem and human health and control over economic production and/or the amount of toxic loading produced. We argue that prospects for implementation of such a system are quite bleak at this time, and that more likely we will see a continued depopulation of these Northern regions.
北极地区拥有丰富的矿产和化石自然资源储备，这使得该地区对采掘业极具吸引力。这些行业的运营对生态系统有着直接且巨大的影响，而该地区的生态系统尤为脆弱。我们正在为受工业生产影响的北极流域制定管理策略。案例研究对象是伊曼德拉湖流域（俄罗斯摩尔曼斯克州），该地区经济发展水平极高，居住人口众多。我们追踪有毒污染对生态系统健康的影响，进而——对人类健康的影响。确定了三个阶段：(a) 自然的、工业化前状态；(b) 受到干扰的、经济快速发展阶段；(c) 部分恢复阶段，即近期经济衰退期间。研究表明，即使有毒物质负荷大幅下降后，生态系统仍转变为一种质的新状态，且与原始自然状态仍有所不同。通过分析鱼类疾病来对生态系统健康进行综合评估。鱼类体内重金属的积累与多种疾病的病因相关。综合水质指标与生态系统健康指标之间的剂量 - 效应关系清楚地表明，俄罗斯现行的水质标准不适用于北极地区。饮用该湖水的人群健康状况也不佳。重金属从饮用水进入人体器官及其对肝脏和肾脏疾病的影响表明了生态系统与人类健康之间的紧密联系。概述了一个基于生态系统和人类健康指标反馈以及对经济生产和/或产生的有毒物质负荷量进行控制的管理系统。我们认为，目前实施这样一个系统的前景相当黯淡，而且更有可能的是，我们将看到这些北部地区的人口持续减少。
